ARGENTINA
• Repeat South American titles for Galindez, Ohata
HONDURAS
Taormina, Kemper a 1-2 U.S. punch in Honduras
COLOMBIA
• Four Colombians die in plane crash
MEXICO
• Kemper continues good form in Mazatlán
• ITU World Champs are Rana, Cave
• Taormina rapido in Cancun
• Siri Lindley ends season on a hot streak in Cancun
• Reed, Hidalgo take ITU World Aquathlon Champs titles
• Ixtapa Triathlon is Callahan's comeback
• The Boys of Huatulco: Danes are great
• Reid, Newby-Fraser headline new Mexico half-Ironman
• Riccitello takes Valle
• International field set for Valle de Bravo
• Los Cabos announced as North American Regional Championship
• Reid, Newby to race Huatulco 1/2
CHILE
• Galindez, Bentley win in Pucon
• Walton, Bentley prevail in Pucon
• Chile's Brain gets an Olympic "wild card"
• Spain gains, Germany drops due to Licanray
• Stolz, Gutierrez take Licanray titles
• Chile ready for hot racing
• Chile serving up a season of races and money
BOLIVIA
• Eppers works her magic here
PERU
• Perutriathletes 2000
VENEZUELA
• Central American athletes getting their money
• CAC athlete: Central American/Caribbean championship race didn't pay prize money
• Latin Americans dominate Central American, Caribbean championships
BRAZIL
• Brazil sweeps South American Games Triathlon
• Friman, Montgomery prevail in Santos
• Early Results of Fortaleza
• Small field for World Cup opener
• Women's Rio race cancelled
• Santos: winners old and new
• Santos brings out best in sport
• "Men's race" to make room for women
• Fast Triathlon goes to Carter, Americans
• Michellie back for another Santos
• Santos back for yr 9
• Carvalho announces 2nd men-only race
• A race for men only?
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Kemper continues good form in Mazatlán
June 9, 2003, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
Hunter Kemper gave himself an early wedding present with his commanding victory in Mazatlan. Kemper, the number-1 ITU-style racer in the United States and 16th-ranked worldwid, finished the Olympic-distance race in 1:52:01. He came out of the swim in first place and never looked back. Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia was second in 1:53:43 and Javier Rosas was third in 1:54:24.
Kemper will be in Michigan next Saturday, marrying former U.S. national team volleyball player Val Sterk.
San Diegan Jesse Stensland also won the women’s race in commanding fashion, finishing in 2:10:47. Lisset Olivera of Mexico was second in 2:12:08 and Esther Aguayo of Mexico was third in 2:14:59.
(RESULTS)
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Taormina, Kemper a 1-2 U.S. punch in Honduras
March 10, 2003, Honduras (www.slowtwitch.com):
Despite hot temperatures, Taormina took a lead on the bike leg of the Olympic distance race and held it on the run, winning in 2:30:16. Susie Gallucci (Hudson, Ohio), who was at Taormina's feet on the swim, finished second in 2:32:33 and Laurie Hug (Ambler, Pa.) was third in 2:37:46.
Taormina is ranked eighth in the ITU world rankings and third in the United States.
In the men's race, Andy Potts (Princeton, N.J.) broke away immediately in the swim and beat the rest of the field to shore by nearly a full minute. Potts kept the lead on the bike over the big hills, but then Kemper and four others in a chase pack caught him. The group rode together the rest of the way, and then Kemper pulled away for the victory in 2:05:23. Gilberto Gonzalez (Venezuela) was second in 2:06:38 and Potts placed third in his first international triathlon in 2:07:18.
Kemper is ranked 12th in the world and first in the United States.
(RESULTS)
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Galindez, Bentley win in Pucon
January 29, 2003, Pucon, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com):
Race director Carlos Vignau writes in with results of Sunday's Pucon Half-Ironman, where Canada's Lisa Bentley successfully defended the title she won last year against a class field that included Ironman star Fernanda Keller of Brazil and Ironman newcomer Heather Gollnick of the U.S.
In the men's race, it was Argentina's Oscar Galindez who came home nearly four minutes clear of Aussie Chris McCormack, who left this race unfinished last year after suffering an injury on the bike course. The race also saw a triumphant return to racing for Chile's Cristian Bustos, who suffered serious injuries at a race in 1994, then returned to racing only to go into an apparently short-lived retirement in 2001. He was fourth on the day.
(RESULTS)
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ITU World Champs are Rana, Cave
November 10, 2002, Cancun, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
Spain's Ivan Rana, known for his strong closing speed on the run, ran away with a win at the International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Championships on Sunday in Cancun, Mexico. In the women's race, the world champion title went to Great Britain's Leanda Cave.
The men's race shaped as a rugged one early, with Great Britain's Richard Stannard, New Zealand's Brent Foster and Kris Gemmell, the Ukraine's Vladimir Polikarpenko, Australia's Courtney Atkinson and France's Stephane Poulat and Frederic Belaubre out of the water and onto the bike course together.
The swim claimed one victim in world No. 3 Hamish Carter of New Zealand, who was knocked out of contention early on, Triathlon New Zealand's Ian Hepenstall reported. Carter was dragged down underwater, hit and swum over by a chase pack while near the leaders during the early stages of the swim. He was left with a black eye and a large gap to close.
He joined teammate Bevan Docherty in a chase, but they were able to close the gap only to 15 seconds, an effort that left Carter spent. He finished 10 minutes down on the leaders.
"Hamish was totally despondent and upset at the tactics out there," New Zealand high performance manager Mark Elliott said. "It was pretty aggressive at the turning buoy and someone just grabbed him from behind. He got hit in the eye and then swum over by [the] pack. That's a scary feeling and basically his chances were gone from that point."
Onto the bike and a chase pack formed behind the swim leaders that included Rana, the reigning European champion, and Australia's Miles Stewart and countrymen Peter Robertson, the defending world champion, and Greg Bennett. A third pack contained Olympic gold medallist and Commonwealth Games champ Simon Whitfield about 1:30 back--a gap that would grow to more than two minutes by the end of the bike and effectively knocking them out of contention.
According to an account on the ITU website, halfway through the eight-lap bike course the front two packs merged into a group about 30 riders strong, with several riders attempting a breakaway on the seventh lap--including South Africa's Conrad Stoltz, fresh off of his Xterra world championship win at the end of October, and New Zealand's Matt Reed, France's Sylvain Dodet and Great Britain's Marc Jenkins. They led out of T2 but were eventually caught by riders from the main pack once they hit the four-lap run.
Robertson surged to the head of the race in the early laps, along with countryman Chris Hill, former world champ Dimitry Gaag of Kazhakhstan, Rana, and Bennett. Rana moved into the lead on the third lap, and he and Robertson traded places as both tried to solidify their first place with surges and counter-surges. Rana finally gained an edge in the closing meters and would eventually post the day's fastest 10k, a 32:05. Robertson came home second, with Great Britain's Andrew Johns running into third. Fourth went to Bennett, with Polikarpenko fifth.
American Hunter Kemper logged the top U.S. finish in 12th overall. He was out of the water in 14th, but dropped a bike shoe in transition and lost time fetching it, Evans reported.
"It was just hot," Kemper said. "I had a bad bike-to-run transition and dropped a bike shoe on the transition from swim to bike. I had to work hard on the bike to catch up."
In the women's race, a lead pack of swimmers got away that included Americans Barb Lindquist, Sheila Taormina and Laura Reback, along with Australia's Nicole Hackett. Once out of T1 they were joined on the bike by Australia's Loretta Harrop, Cave and Canadian Sharon Donnelly.
"Taormina and Lindquist could be seen doing much of the work on the bike and even tried to break away to speed up the group," USA Triathlon's BJ Evans reported.
Behind that group, defending world champion Siri Lindley of the U.S. was in a large chase pack that included former world champ Michellie Jones of Australia; a third pack another 10 seconds back contained Canada's Carol Montgomery. Ultimately, Lindley's pack lost two minutes to the leaders, a gap Lindley was unable to cover in the 90-plus degree heat and she finished 12th.
In the early stages of the bike a crash took out two pre-race favorites in Canada's Jill Savege and Brazil's Carla Moreno.
Once out of T2, Lindquist moved into the lead on the run, a position she held for three laps, making steady gains while the women behind her were battling for position.
"I felt so easy running," Lindquist said. "I kept telling myself to be smooth and powerful on the first lap. Then I still was on the second lap and the third." Lindquist tired a bit in the closing meters on the fourth lap in the heat and Cave, silver medallist at this year's Commonwealth Games, went by her for the win with a 10-second gap.
Behind them, Jones and Great Britain's Michelle Dillon were running hard from their positions off the bike in the chase packs. Dillon crossed the line third with a 10k of 37:16, while Jones was fourth and Hackett fifth. Of note was Montgomery's run: Her 35:48 10k, according to preliminary results the day's fastest by far, was still not enough to move her beyond tenth after finishing the bike in one of the trailing packs.
Evans reported that Lindley and Reback, who was seventh, tipped their hats to Taormina for her hard work on the bike. Struggling with a hip injury, Taormina finished 24th.
"I knew my run wasn't going to be good," Taormina said. "My job was to put our girls on the podium [by working hard on the bike]."
(RESULTS)
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Brazil sweeps South American Games Triathlon
August 13, 2002, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Brazil’s Mariana Ohata and Leandro Macedo took top honors Saturday inthe South American Games Triathlon on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ohata, who raced alongside countrywoman Sandra Soldan until T2, turned in the day’s second-fastest run, in 36:46, to seal victory by nearly 30 seconds over Soldan. The day’s fastest run belonged to Bolivia’s Agnes Eppers, who gave up almost six minutes to the leaders on the swim and was never able to regain the deficit. She finished fourth.
In the men’s race, Macedo was seventh out of the water but caught the early leaders on the bike. Once onto the run, his 32:03 10k proved the difference on the day. It was the fastest of the race and more than a minute better than Juraci Moreira Jr.’s 33:09. Moreira finished second nearly a minute behind Macedo.
(RESULTS)
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Friman, Montgomery prevail in Santos
February 26, 2002, Santos, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Canadian Carol Montgomery and American Doug Friman were the winners in Sunday's Santos International Triathlon, a popular Southern Hemisphere race that serves as a season opener for many athletes from cooler climates.
Montgomery dominated the rest of the field, closing out her day with a 38:24 10K. The race among the men was a bit closer, with Friman's 55:59 bike leg giving him a big enough cushion to hold off some of the field's fast-closing runners.
(RESULTS)
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Walton, Bentley prevail in Pucon
January 28, 2002, Pucon, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com):
Craig Walton of Australia and Lisa Bentley of Canada claimed wins at the Cristal Half-Ironman in Pucon, Chile on Sunday in a race that also saw the withdrawl of one of the pre-race favorites, Aussie Chris McCormack. He apparently suffered a torn gluteal muscle on the bike and was forced out of the race on the run.
In the women’s race, Canadian Lisa Bentley showed she is back on championship form after a hip injury forced her out of the Hawaii Ironman in October. Bentley passed countrywoman Tereza Macel and Aussie Joanne King on her way to a 1:27 half-marathon, the day’s best, and the win. Macel had held the lead through the swim and bike, but turned in a 1:44 half-marathon to end the day in fourth.
(RESULTS)
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Taormina rapido in Cancun
November 4, 2001, Cancun, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
Sheila Taormina seems to have shed the iliotibial band problems that have nagged her for most of the year as she turned in a respectable-bordering-admirable run to claim her first-even world cup race in Cancun against a top-notch field.
One would’ve thought Taormina––a former Olympic gold medal swimmer––might’ve started the event with a handicap, as Hurricane Michelle whipped up the surf and caused organizers to shorten the swim to one kilometer. That still didn’t keep the top swimmers––Susie Stark, Taormina, Barbara Lindquist and Laura Reback (all Americans)––from forging a :20 lead, and that’s all they needed.
Sandra Soldan (BRA), Becky Gibbs (USA), Leanda Cave (GBR) and Barbara Koesser (GER), formed a second pack not far behind.
Taormina and Lindquist are not mere swimmers who hang on during the bike, and it can be argued that their cycling abilities almost match their hegemony in the water. They dropped Reback and Stark by the halfway mark of the bike, and came in with a 1:05 lead after the bike portion.
Taromina ran away from Lindquist early, and Brit Steph Forrester––possesser of an extremely fast run––came from two packs down to outleg Lindquist for the silver.
Greg Bennett from Australia took the men’s race.
(RESULTS)
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Four Colombians die in plane crash
November 27, 2000, Tumaco, Colombia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Four Colombian triathletes, all traveling to the National Triathlon Championships in Tumalco on the Pacific coast of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador, have died in a plane crash.
The four were Carlos Diaz, 23 and an engineering student; Freddy Gonzalez, 32 and an industrial designer; Libia Gonzales, 38 and a physicist, and twice the Latinoamerican champion; and Joaquin Alberto Gamboa, 23 and a sports teacher.
The news come from John Rosales Núñez, who writes: "All the triathletes in Colombia are very sad."
Those wishing to make contact with the Colombian federation may reach Virginia Prieto (mailto:fct@col2.telecom.com.co), president, and/or Jorge Mejia (mailto:patco@telesat.com.co), who is also president of Confederacion Panamericana de Triathlon (PATCO).
Further details for the Federacion Colombiana de Triathlon are -
Address: Calle 6N, No. 2N-36, of. 302, Ed. El campanario, Cali-Valle, Colombia Tel: +57 2/885-5617 Fax: +57 2/883-8742
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Siri Lindley ends season on a hot streak
November 5, 2000, Cancun, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
Siri Lindley didn't make it to the Olympics in 2000, but she sure ended her season on a high note anyway.
By winning the ITU World Cup-Cancun on Sunday, the last of the year's ITU races, Lindley extended her hot streak to five straight races since August, in which she finished on the podium every time.
Argentina's Oscar Galindez was the men's winner, 40 seconds ahead of New Zealand's Matthew Reed. It was, for Galindez, only his second ITU World Cup appearance in a season when he focused on Olympic preparation: He was 19th in the opener in Brazil back in March. (And in the Olympics, he was 28th).
For Lindley, it was her second World Cup win this season. She was also first in Lausanne in August and, one week before that, second in Tiszaujvaros. Since then, she was third in the Mrs. T's Triathlon in Chicago and second in the ITU World Duathlon Championships a month ago -- in only her first duathlon ever.
In Cancun, the women's field was hardly the heated pre-Olympic race that Lausanne had been. Here, she won by 43 seconds over a Spanish trio that went 2-3-4. The runner-up was Ana Burgos, Spain's new national champion who is as fresh on the international scene as Pilar Hidalgo, the third finisher on Sunday.
(RESULTS)
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Reed, Hidalgo take ITU World Aquathlon Champs titles
October 30, 2000, Cancun, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
New Zealand's Mathew Reed and Spain's Pilar Hidalgo won world titles Saturday at the third ITU World Aquathlon Championships, the first time the race has been held anywhere but Noosa, Queensland, Australia.
In the hot, humid conditions, there were 137 athletes from 12 countries, including 23 male and 8 female elites, for the race of 2.5k run, 1000m sea swim, 2.5k run.
Reed, 24, kept a family tradition going, as his brother, Shane Reed, had won the first two world titles in Australia. Brazil's Antonio Mansur led a large pack in the first run, but Reed and Brazil's Paulo Miyasiro moved to the front in the 1000m swim. In the second run, Miyasiro passed Reed in the first kilometer, but Reed won in the end in 28:53, two seconds faster than Miyasiro.
"My brother Shane had a very long season so he encouraged me to come over here and defend a family title," Reed said. "I especially had to struggle in the second run. I broke away on time and it paid off, so I won my first world title."
Spanish women took two of the medals in winner Hidalgo, a newcomer to the international ranks this year, and runner-up Ana Burgos. Burgos took and early unchallenged lead in the first 2.5 km run, but Hidalgo's superb swim -- the fastest by nearly a minute -- resulted in her most important win yet in her emerging career. Just in September, the 21-year-old Hidalgo had finished second in the Spanish Triathlon Championship, and second in the European Under-23 Triathlon Championship.
"You never know if you're going to win until you cross the line," she said. "It's my first time racing in Cancun, and I love it. This, and Ivan Rana's result (fifth) in the Sydney Olympics, will sure mean a boost for Spanish triathlon."
The aquathlon, which had $7,500 in prize money, opened a week of multisport racing. It continues Saturday with the Pan American Triathlon Championships and Sunday with the ITU World Cup finale. The Pan American race on Saturday, which also offers US$7,500 in prize money, is actually only for juniors and age-groupers. The best of the PATCO region's elites race on Sunday within the $50,000 World Cup.
(RESULTS)
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Chile's Brain gets an Olympic "wild card"
July 19, 2000, Santiago, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com):
Chile's Matias Brain, the No. 81st-ranked triathlete in the world, is going to the Olympics.
That's thanks to one of the two coveted "wild cards," (or "invitations," in IOC parlance) for each of the men's and women's fields at Sydney.
The allocation of the four wild-card spots for Sydney has been the matter of much speculation in the last few weeks, as the ITU has been relatively quiet as it figures out the Olympic fields of 50/50.
"Country slot allocation has proven far more complicated than the original protocol ever contemplated," ITU general secretary Mark Sisson said last week. "When all slots are filled, ITU will probably issue a brief explanation."
A clue to how the protocol is working came in the form of a fax to Chile's triathlon federation earlier this week. It reads, in full:
Mr. Ricardo Navarrete Betanzo,
President Comité Olímpico de Chile
In accordance with the Participation and Qualification Criteria adopted for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and to ensure universality of the Olympic Games, the IOC will award a number of invitation places for the Sydney Olympic Games to NOC's that are deemed to have very few athletes at the Games.
The sports in which invitations will be allocated are as follows:
Archery
Judo
Shooting
Taekwondo (males only)
Tennis
Triathlon
Weightlifting
After careful consideration of all invitation applications, the Tripartite Commission, composed of the IOC, ANOC and the International Federations, has decided to allocate one MALE TRIATHLON invitation to your athlete, Mr Matias Brain Peña.
We kindly ask that you notify the IOC NOC Relations Department, with a copy to the National Federation, of your NOC's intent to utilise this Wildcard position before 31th July 2000.
If we do not receive a response from you before such time, your NOC's position will be re-allocated. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further information.
We look forward to seeing you in Sydney and would like to take this opportunity to wish your NOC the best of luck in your final preparations for the Olympic Games.
Yours sincerely
On behalf of the IOC, Pere Miró , Director NOC Relations
On behalf of the IOC, Gilbert Felli, IOC Sports Director
On behalf of ANOC, Feliciano Mayoral, Secretary General
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Ixtapa Triathlon is Callahan's comeback
June 13, 2000, Ixtapa, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
The last time Callahan Hatfield stood on a podium for an ITU race, the season was 1997. That place was third, and the race was St. Kitts.
In her best finish ever -- in any triathlon, anywhere -- since St. Kitts, the 40-year-old American turned back a mostly Mexican field -- plus a few Canadians -- as she won Saturday's Ixtapa Triathlon, an ITU Points Race.
Hatfield, who raced the US Olympic Trials Triathlon on May 27, beat rising Canadian Natasha Yaremczuk by 48 seconds. Yaremczuk, just one year out of the junior ranks, won the last ITU Points Race in Mexico, the Puerto Vallarta Triathlon on May 14.
Eligio Cervantes, also the winner in Puerto Vallartas, won the men's race over an all-Mexican field, save for Canada's Brent McMahon (eighth).
The 1999 race, held last November and also an ITU Points Race, drew a much more international field, with American winners in Doug Friman and Susan Bartholomew. Cervantes had placed seventh in that race.
(RESULTS)
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The Boys of Huatulco: Danes are great
April 2, 2000, Huatulco, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
Denmark’s Peter Sandvang turned back an international field in winning Saturday’s Triathlon Mexico Half-Ironman -- a first-year race that is sure only to grow in stature.
Sandvang beat his own countryman, Allan Månsson, and Canada’s Jamie Cleveland was third. Among women, it was an all-American finish with Beth Zinkand, Wendy Ingraham and Paula Newby-Fraser.
Pre-race favorite Peter Reid reportedly dropped out with on the bike after falling behind by four minutes on the swim.
No finishing times or other details are yet available.
Sandvang and Månsson were northern-European surprises in the race that had a distinctly North American field and feel. They have been doing warm-weather training the last few months in Spain, escaping the Danish winter. Last year, they posted the two fastest bike splits in the ITU World Long-Distance Triathlon Championships (which was won by Sandvang) at Sater, Sweden.
The big-name racers were attracted to the race for its $25,000 prize money -- including $5000 to each of the winners. More than 200 age-groupers traveled south as well, some in search of the 20 qualifying spots for the Ironman California on May 20.
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Reid, Newby-Fraser headline new Mexico half-Ironman
March 29, 2000, Bays of Huatulco, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
For a first-year race, the pro lineups for the Mexico Bays of Huatulco Half-Ironman are a race director's dream.
The race on Saturday has attracted more than 200 starters, including a fair number of pros going for the $25,000 prize money -- with $5000 to each of the winners.
Here is who is racing, according to the event's website:
- Men from USA: Bobo Anderson, Jimmy Archer, Pat Brown, Kerry Classen, Billy Contreras, Kirk Framke, John Koenig, Bob Korock, Josh Ray
- Men from Canada: Dave Bonetti, Richard Pady, Peter Reid
- Men from Denmark: Peter Sandvang
- Men from Mexico: Humberto Ríos
- Women from Chile: Benita Gras-Thompson
- Women from USA: Andrea Fisher, Alison Hayden, Christine Heilmann, Wendy Ingraham, Paula Newby-Fraser, Beth Zinkand
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Riccitello wins Valle de Bravo
March 27, 2000, Valle de Bravo, Mexico, (www.slowtwitch.com)
Jim Ricittello, speaking from his home in Tucson, Arizon, and with the malady tourists traditionally bring back from Mexico, took home the Valle de Bravo title and the 375 ITU points that go with it. Riccitello was apprised by USAT's Alison DeWall that he was not far out of the top 125 in the world, and jumping ahead a few places would not only allow him consideration for America's Olympic team, but a start in the $100,000 Olympic Trials race in Dallas.
This was enough of a carrot to get the ebulliant yank aboard a plane for Mexico City. He then drove overland to Valle de Bravo, a lake-filled bowl sitting at 4,500' altitiude.
Riccitello exited the water three minutes behind the leader and two behind the main pack. The cycling segment of the course climbs seventeen kilometers and descends for three. It then U-turns, climbs three kilometers and descends seventeen. He climbed hard through a pack of seven riders and toward a main pack of three. As he rode through Mexico's Javier Rosas, former winner of Valle de Bravo and a good hill-climber, continued with Riccitello toward the top. Rosas was dropped on the three kilometer climb just past the turnaround, and waited for the two trailing members of the chase pack, Arturo Garza and longtime Mexican pro Carlos Probert. A strong headwind on the 7% descent caused Riccitello to have to work hard, never coasting, and the three chasing members worked together on the descent of the draft-legal course, gobbling up forty seconds what was a two-minute lead.
The front-runner maintained his 1:20 gap through the first half of the run, and coasted home with a forty-second win.
Riccitello now finds himself inside the world's top 125 ITU athletes but does not know if he'll stay there. "These other athletes behind me will probably try a lot harder than me to get points. There's Kona and Sydney World Cups, and Worlds, all of which generate significant points for those who do well at them. Riccitello is not likely to go to Kona this weekend, and even if he wanted to there is no certainly he would be allowed to start. But he will race St. Anthony's, another points race.
(RESULTS)
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International field set for Valle de Bravo
March 23, 2000, Valle de Bravo, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
"Valle," as local triathlete's call central Mexico's long-standing favorite event, is decidedly NOT the North American Championship. But that will not stop an international field of athletes from toeing the line at the shore of what is affectionately called Mexico's Lake Tahoe. Contingents from Italy, Great Britain, Puerto Rico, and America will challenge Mexico's best.
Valle de Bravo sits at 4,500 feet above sea level in Mexico's highlands. It is flanked by Nevado de Toluca, the volcano recently made famous in endurance sports circles as the training ground of Mexican marathoners--among the worlds best--like German Silva, Andres Espinoza, and perhaps the best of them all, former multisports star Benjamin Parades (recent winner of Mexico's national marathon championship with a 2:11 at 3,600' Leon).
This weekend's triathletes will cycle on a course that travels--uphill--toward the Parque Nacional Bosencheve, where during certain times of the year motorists are slowed--by law--to a crawling pace to safeguard North America's Monarch Butterflies, all of which migrate to this one spot in the hemisphere.
"Uphill" is an understatement. This course climbs. One might say it is just one long Category 1 climb and descent. This will favor America's Jim Riccitello, perhaps multisport's best all-around cyclist. He will be Challenged on the run by Mexico's Uzziel Valderrabano, a superb--an altitude trained--runner, who has recently proven very fit in internional racing.--DE
START LIST:
Pierre Yurow
Emilio D'aquino
Gianprieto de Faver
Fabrizio Ferraresi
Daniele Fiorentini
Manuela Ianesi
Beatrice Lanza
Jimmy Riccitello
(Costa Rica)
Carlos Probert Maldonado
Uzziel Valderrabano Weber
Alejandro Peña de La Torre
Adrián Chimal Dominguez
Daniel Barrera Anduaga
Tomas Salas Flores
Bruno Arochi Castillo
Javier Rosas Sierra
Lisset Olivera Romero
Carmen Ochoa Durán
Robert Nuñez (Dominican Republic)
José Valdez
Aquilino Sine
José Nina
José Perez
Judith Hernández
Félix Martínez
Juan Herrera
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Los Cabos announced as North American Regional Championship
March 20, 2000, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com)
In a move that can only be described as curious, PATCO general secretary Joao Calazans Filho of Brazil announced a day ago that the North American Regional Triathlon Championship will be held March 26--yes, one week from yesterday. The extreme lateness of this announcement seems to have sprung from the onging confusion inside PATCO, and its difficulty in putting together a points-generating North-American championship race prior to May 2, the deadline for Olympic points accrual.
The race is finally, on, but puts athletes in a tough spot. Not only will they have to buy airline tickets without an advance-purchase discount, also on that day is the World Cup race in Rio de Janeiro. A significant contingent of North Americans have already announced for the Rio race. While this event is obviously an attempt to get another points-generating race up and running in North America, it is also on the same weekend as another Mexican points race, Valle de Bravo. Will the race in Los Cabos replace the Valle de Bravo race? This is most likely the case, as both of these races are historically part of the Mexican Triathlon Series, and--though these popular races tend to have date changes frequently and with little notice--Mexican Triathlon Series races never occur on the same weekend.
This begs the question, why not have the North American Championship at Valle de Bravo? This race has always been one which was subject to date changes--sometimes several times during the weeks and months prior to the race--and perhaps this was to have been the case this year as well. With a points race in Mexico already having been slotted for the March 25/26 weekend, perhaps a race was cobbled-up by the dependable Los Cabos community, and is performing double-duty as both the already-scheduled points race for the upcoming weekend as well as North American Championship. Will Los Cabos also have its own annual race, traditionally scheduled for July? No announcement has yet been made.
Should this race follow the same points pattern as other Western Hemisphere regional races (the others, already held, were the South American, and Central America / Caribbean, championships), 750 points will be awarded for first place, and on down from there. --DE
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Early Results of Fortaleza
March 20, 2000, Fortaleza, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com)
Early results of the Fortaleza ITU race held yesterday are below. No other information is yet available.
Men
1- Peter Alder (SUI) 2:01:43
2- Juraci Moreira Jr. (BRA) 2:02:10
3- Alexandre Manzan (BRA) 2:02:14
4- Leonardo J. Casadio (BRA) 2:02:40
5 - Leandro Macedo (BRA) 2:03:22
6- Armando Barcellos (BRA) 2:04:50
7- Antonio da Silva (BRA) 2:05:26
8 - Matias Brain (CHI) 2:05:41
9 - Camilo Gonzales (VEN) 2:06:17
10 - Marcus Ornellas (BRA) 2:09:44
11 - Ericson Pereira (BRA) 2:11:55
12 - Clemente Alonso (ESP) 2:12:13
13 - Gianfranco Mione (ITA) DNF
Women
1- Sandra Soldan (BRA) 2:22:13
2 - Katia Faria Ruschel (BRA) 2:30:27
3 - Silvia Nabuco (BRA) 2:36:46
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Small field for World Cup opener
March 17, 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Unlike past years, when the World Cup opener was an over-subscribed race and tough to get a start, the 2000 World Cup opener -- March 26 in Rio -- is lacking in both depth and quality.
World Cup fields are limited to 75 men and 75 women, but this one still has places. According to the official starting list just released by race organiser Helio Takai, the fields so far number just 59 men and 35 women.
It's actually a chance for Brazil to showcase its growing depth in women's racing particularly. There will be 10 Brazilian women, and 14 Brazilian men, on the line, racing for $50,000.
Kazakstan's Dimitry Gaag, the ITU's No. 2-ranked man, headlines those starters. He will be challenged by the suddenly-hot Simon Whitfield of Canada and Argentina's Oscar Galindez.
The women's field, though smaller, is relatively stronger. Brazil's Mariana Ohata, winner of her second South American title on March 12, will see how she fares against Switzerland's Magali Messmer, and two of Britain's best, Steph Forrester and Sian Brice. The race also marks a return to world-class readiness by Canada's Carol Montgomery.
Here are the starters for Rio:
- Men from Argentina: Daniel Fontana, Oscar Galindez
- Men from Austria: Norbert Dominik, Johannes Enzenhofer
- Men from Belgium: Luc Van Lierde
- Men from Brazil: Santiago Alves, Armando Barcellos, Leonardo Casadio, Luis
Cata Preta, Virgilio De Castilho, Alexandre Giglioli, Emerson Gomes, Leandro
Macedo, Antonio Mansur, Alexandre Manzan, Alexandre Maximiliano, Juracy
Moreira, Marcus Ornellas, Paulo Miyashiro
- Men from Canada: Stefan Timms, Lach Vollmerhause, Simon Whitfield
- Men from Chile: Matias Brain
- Men from Colombia: Ricardo Cardeno
- Men from Denmark: Jan Hansen, Ricky Jorgensen
- Men from Germany: Ralf Eggert, Ronald Knoll
- Men from Great Britain: Richard Allen, Marc Jenkins, Richard Stannard
- Men from Hungary: Csaba Kuttor
- Men from Italy: Stefano Belandi, Alessandro Bottoni
- Men from Kazakhstan: Dimitry Gaag
- Men from Mexico: Eligio Cervantes, Jose Luis Zepeda
- Men from Netherlands: Rob Barel
- Men from Netherlands Antilles: Roland Melis
- Men from Spain: Clemente Alonso, Jose Barbany, Raul Cordoba, Eneko Llanos,
Hector Llanos, Jose Merchan, Ivan Rana
- Men from Sweden: Jonas Djurback, Joachim Willen
- Men from Switzerland: Peter Alder
- Men from Ukraine: Andrey Gluschenko, Vladimir Polikarpenko
- Men from United States: Kevin Carter, Jimmy Riccitello, Abe Rogers, Jeff
Sneed, Monte Still, Mark Welch
- Men from Venezuela: Camilo Gonzalez, Gilberto Gonzalez
- Women from Bolivia: Agnes Eppers
- Women from Brazil: Maria Bello, Gisele Bertucci, Vanessa Cabrini, Maria
Moreira, Carla Moreno, Silvia Nabuco, Mariana Ohata, Adriana Piaseck, Katia
Ruschel, Sandra Soldan
- Women from Canada: Isabelle Baird, Carol Montgomery
- Women from Colombia: Carmenza Morales
- Women from Denmark: Marie Overbye
- Women from Great Britain: Sian Brice, Steph Forrester, Heather Williams
- Women from Italy: Edith Cigana, Silvia Gemignani, Manuela Ianesi
- Women from Jamaica: Iona Wynter
- Women from Netherlands: Ingrid Van Lubek
- Women from Spain: Virginia Berasategui, Maribel Blanco
- Women from Switzerland: Magali Messmer
- Women from United States: Kristin Armstrong, Karen Dehmel, Gina Derks
Gardner, Callahan Hatfield, Lauren Jensen, Gina Kehr, Juliana Nievergelt,
Amanda Pagon, Katie Webb
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Repeat South American titles for Galindez, Ohata
March 15, 2000, Mar del Plata, Argentina (www.slowtwitch.com):
Two triathletes, Argentina's Oscar Galindez and Brazil's Mariana Ohata, won titles Sunday at the South American Championships for the second straight year.
While Galindez has been an accomplished international racer for more than 10 years (he is 28 now), Ohata is one whose arrival at the top is just in time for the Olympics.
While Galindez's win was predictable -- if close -- Ohata's win was sizeable and inspiring. It was confirmation that her sixth place in the Pan American Games Triathlon last July, and her breakthrough second-place finish in the Internacional Triathlon de Santos last month, were not flukes.
Galindez is quite comfortable in the international arena, while Ohata is just making her name. Last year was the 21-year-old's first senior season outside of Brazil.
But it was Ohata who had the easier time of the two champions winning the title, for she won by 2:20 over Sandra Soldan, also from Brazil. Galindez, on the other hand, beat Argentina's Daniel Fontana to the line in a lean: Both men were timed in 1:44:11.
The race featured several who ventured south in search of ITU points. Switzerland's Peter Alder managed third place, and two American women, Katie Webb and Juliana Nievergelt, finished 4-5.
(RESULTS)
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Women’s portion of Rio race falls flat
March 2, 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Organizers of the "America's Challenge" on March 19 in Rio have cancelled the women's portion of the triple-sprint -- because of a lack of interest by women.
There will be 15 or 20 men going for the $10,000 in prize money on live television, only two women showed interest in taking part (also for $10,000 and live television), according to Julio Alfaya.
The women apparently are being drawn away to another race in Brazil on the same day. That, an TU Points Race with $4,000 total prize money, was later announced by the Brazilian federation for the same day in northern Brazil (Forteleza City), 2000 miles away.
The Rio organizers will still have the men compete at the same venue where the ITU World Cup opener is scheduled for March 26.
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CAC prize money finally getting to athletes
March 2, 2000, Margarita Isle, Venezuela (www.slowtwitch.com)
The Centralamerican/Caribbean athlete who was quoted on Triathlonlive.com on Wednesday, saying he hadn't received his prize money from last Saturday's CAC Championships/ITU Points Race in Venezuela, said that he received his money on Thursday morning.
He said that his country's federation president delivered his share of the $10,000 prize money himself. He added: "I think they are going to pay the money to all the athletes during this week."
A second CAC athlete indicated that his money was also late in coming. "I got my money just before I left on Monday afternoon. It was not easy to get it. I had to play it rough; otherwise they don't understand it and laugh about you."
Triathlonlive.com has contacted 10 of the 14 athletes who were to receive prize money, through seventh place. These are the only two who have responded so far about whether -- and when -- they received their money.
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Central American athlete: Venezuela didn't pay prize money
March 1, 2000, Margarita Isle, Venezuela (www.slowtwitch.com):
Everyone who won a portion of the $10,000 prize money in the ITU Points Race (the Centralamerican and Caribbean Championships) at Margarita Isle, Venezuela, last Saturday went home without it -- except for, apparently, the Italians.
That is according to one of the Centralamerican triathletes, who said on Wednesday, on the condition that his name not be used: "I haven't gotten my money yet. The organization said they will give us the prize on Sunday, but they did not. I hope (his) national federation president will bring me the money today, but I'm not sure about that.
"None of the Brazilians, Mexicans, Costaricans, Colombians or Jamaicans, or even the US girl, got their money yet, either. Only the Italians got their money on Saturday."
That the money came up short for everyone but the Italians was reported on Tuesday ("CAC prizes were not paid") in Venezuela's national daily, El Nacional. On Monday, the newspaper reported that Venezuela's star triathlete, Gilberto Gonzalez, had called for the resignation of the federation's top individuals.
In Monday's article (Fevetri president admits there were problems), reporter Ramón Navarro put questions to the Venezuelan federation president José Luis Ramírez (roughly translated from Spanish):
El Nacional: "As president of Fevetri, ¿what do you think of Gilberto Gonzalez's comments that say that you should resign?"
Ramírez: "I want to say that Gilberto lied when he said that the (CAC Championships top 10) were not paid. That same Saturday we solved the problem."
El Nacional: "But there is proof that the winners in the elite categories went back to their countries without the money offered by the organisers."
Ramírez: "I understand that Gilberto is angry and he is right, but we cannot generalize. We are paying the competitors and we are sending Carmenza Morales her 2,000 dollars with the president of her Federation."
El Nacional: "That means that the day of the prize ceremony there were not enough dollars."
Ramírez: "Yes I admit it, but I insist, we are solving it."
Ed. Note: there is not a direct link to the articles and they must be called up via the archives. Go to the link above, then find the "archivo." Cut-and-paste from here, including the accent, the key word "triatlón" and the date 29-02-00 (for the prize money article) or 28-02-00 (for the Gonzalez article). That should bring up the articles.
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Latin Americans dominate the Centralamerican/Caribbean Champs
February 28, 2000, Margarita Isle, Venezuela (www.slowtwitch.com):
Two Latin American triathletes -- one who got into the Centralamerican and Caribbean Triathlon Championships when it was transformed three weeks ago into an ITU Points Race, open to anyone -- ended up the winners in Saturday’s race.
Mexico’s Uzziel Valderrabano -- who had finished out of the points in his last ITU Points Race effort -- and Colombia’s Carmenza Morales beat back the field that had been drawn to Venezula in this frenzied race to gather Olympic-qualifying points before the May 2 cutoff.
Valderabbano, whose last major international win was the North American title in 1998, beat Brazil’s Leandro Macedo by just three seconds.
Morales beat Italy’s Edith Cigana, who also flew in once ITU points were on offer. It was the third straight time that Morales had “won” the Centralamerican and Caribbean Championships. Although because Colombia competes in the Southamerican Championships, the CAC title fell to third-finishing Iona Wynter of Jamaica.
Costa Rica’s Jose Alfaro, in his first race of 2000, picked up the men’s CAC title with his fourth-place finish overall.
Venezuela’s Gilberto Gonzalez, the pre-race favorite, ended up dropping out during the bike portion.
(RESULTS)
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Santos: Winners old and new
February 13, 2000, Santos, Sao Paolo, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Argentina's Oscar Galindez, already a three-time winner of the Triathlon Internacional de Santos, and Denmark's Susanne Nielsen, never a winner in four previous tries here, won the rain-soaked race in a show of the old and the new on Sunday.
The international athletes -- always a highlight of Brazil's signature event on the world stage -- beat back a field that included many of Brazil's best. The Olympic-distance Santos is known for its competitive conditions, draft-free format and serious prize money ($30,000 this year and last, and twice that in years past, before Brazil's economic crisis hit in 1998). That combination encourages rising Brazilians to test themselves against the world-caliber guests.
Galindez led a top-four finish of visitors. His time of 1:46:31 was nearly two minutes faster than France's Olivier Marceau and the USA's Ken Glah, both past winners here.
But Galindez is a past winner as well, taking titles in 1993, 1994 and 1998. Last year, he finished fifth in Santos. This year, he came in on a personal roll: He has now won his last four Olympic-distance races, including La Paz inArgentina on January 22.
''I didn't think I would win today because all the other athletes are very good,'' he said. "I have no doubt that Santos is the best triathlon in Brazil, and one of the best in the world."
Nielsen, 34, was a refreshing winner after Australia's Michellie Jones had won the last four times here. Jones was absent this time, so the race was open to anyone -- and Nielsen ran to the front after coming off the bike in fifth position.
"No way did I think I would win," she said. "But I am thrilled."
Santos is also a favorite event of Nielsen. She was fourth last year, and went on to win three of the Bundesliga races in Germany, plus the Balaerman Triathlon in Mallorca last September. She opened many American eyes to her talent last October when she took fourth in just her second Hawaii Ironman.
The women's runner-up was the 21-year-old, fast-rising Brazilian, Mariana Ohata. In just her first World Cup season last year, she managed some impressive top-5 finishes in the drafting events. Here, she didn't know how she would fare in the non-drafting format.
''I didn't expect to get second today, and I didn't do the bike very well," Ohata said. "It's totally different, drafting and non-drafting. But I surprised myself."
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Santos brings out the best in the sport
February 11, 2000, Santos, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Many of the triathletes who have supported the Triathlon Internacional de Santos are back for Brazil's biggest race -- and for most of them, the Olympics are NOT on their minds.
Sunday brings a refreshing event in that it is the first major race of 2000 that doesn't have Olympic-qualifying overtones. Of course, some of the headliners here are still gunning for qualification for Sydney in September, such as France's Olivier Marceau and Argentina's Oscar Galindez.
But much of the rest of the field is here for old time's sake -- because Santos has a special place in the history of the sport. American Ken Glah, the race's winner in 1995, is here, along with frequent Santos racers Suzanne Nielsen of Denmark and Ute Schaefer of Germany.
Those three told a pre-race press conference today that they return each February for the good competition, the good prize money and the race's fierce dedication to no-drafting. Each of them also said that, no, the Olympics are NOT their goal at all in 2000. Quipped Glah, who makes most of his living racing the Ironman distance: "I have zero ITU points, and I'm proud of it!"
But others such as Galindez and Marceau are using the race as a test to check their fitness, as they are Olympic-hopefuls.
So, too, is Australia's Michellie Jones, although for once, the four-time winner of the race is not in Santos. Race officials expected her until she indicated recently that she wouldn't be making the trip south from San Diego after all.
Her absence opens up the race -- Jones won the last four years -- to Neilsen, Schaefer or one of several top Brazilian women, including Fernanda Keller, Mariana Ohata or Carla Moreno.
Australia's Andrew Noble arrives on Satuday to fill out the field. The Brazilian men will be represented by Emerson Gomez, Alexandre Manzan and 18-year-old Santiago Alves.
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Brazilian race makes room for women
February 6, 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Women are welcome after all -- to the “Triple Super Sprint” announced on January 15 that was intended for men only.
Race organizers have now changed their plans to do everything for women, that they are doing for the men. Prize money of $10,000? That much for women, that much for men. Live television? Women get it, men get it. All-expenses paid (partial airfare) invitations to the event? There are 15 for women, 15 for men.
Pressure from the triathlon community -- men and women both -- resulted in the changes by Freddy Carvalho, the race director. “We listened, and we made the changes,” Carvalho said. “And unlike both the St. George series (in Australia, now seven seasons old for both men and women) and the Fast Triathlon (in Brazil, two seasons old and still for men only), we are having women in our very first event.”
The race will take place on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on March 19. The format is 300m swim, 5k bike, 2k run - times three. The venue is the very same that will be used one week later, on March 26, for the ITU World Cup opener.
By preceding the bigger race, the fields that show for the March 19 event are likely to include some World Cup overlap.
Any woman interested in racing -- whether or not they are slotted to race the World Cup -- should contact Carvalho at (fredmktg@linkexpress.com.br). There are remaining slots available for men, too: That field hasn’t been fully selected yet.
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Reid, Newby-Fraser to race new Mexican half-Ironman
January 29, 2000, Bays of Huatalco, Mexico (www.slowtwitch.com):
Put up some reasonable prize money, and watch the pros take notice: That's what has happened for the first-time Bays of Huatalco Half-Ironman that its Mexican organizers are keen to get on the international triathlon map.
The $25,000 announcement has drawn the likes of Canada's Peter Reid, Denmark's Peter Sandvang and the USA's Paula Newby-Fraser, among others. Kerry Classen (USA), Billy Contreras (USA), Eric Harr (USA), Bob Korock (USA), Richard Pady (CAN), Humberto Romero Rios (MEX), Josh Roy (USA), Andrea Fisher (USA), Alison Hayden (USA) and Beth Zinkand (USA) have all signed up so far.
The race, which also offers 20 Hawaii Ironman-qualifying slots, shakes up the season's order a bit. That is, the first big, west-coast half-Ironman has traditionally been California’s Wildflower in early May, with its half-Ironman slots, $30,000 prize money list and competitive field. Wildflower will continue to draw the pros for its money, but 2000 will be the first year in some time that it hasn't offered Ironman-qualifying.
The prize list, equal for men and women, goes five places deep ($5,000, $3,000, $2,000, $1,500, $1,000).
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Fast Triathlon goes to Carter, Americans
February 1, 2000, Guarujá, SP, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
The second "Fast Triathlon" -- a triple sprint for five four-men teams -- was a sprint to the finish, with the Americans just edging out the Brazilians for team honors on Sunday.
By the time the third of the quick (about 14-minute) races was done, both teams ended up with 144 points. But Kevin Carter's topping the field in the third race gave the edge to the Americans.
Carter, a newcomer to this kind of made-for-television racing, took 2nd-1st-1st in the three races to win the overall title as well. Argentina's Oscar Galindez, who was 1st-2nd-4th, finished second when the points were added up.
Carter (1st overall), Abe Rogers (7th), Andrew Kelsey (9th) and Jimmy Riccitello (11th) were the winning Americans. Racing for Brazil were Leandro Macedo (3rd), Armando Barcellos (4th), Juracy Moreira (8th) and Marcus Ornellas (12th). The Brazilians won the first race, the Americans the second, and the two teams tied (by points) in the third.
All 20 triathletes finished all three races. The format was similar to the invitation-only, limited-field Formula 1 style of racing that has developed so well in Australia over the last six seasons.
(RESULTS)
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Santos: Michellie Jones back for more
January 22, 2000, Santos, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
Michellie Jones, Australia's six-time winner of Brazil's biggest non-ITU
triathlon, will try for a seventh Triathlon Internacional de Santos title
on February 13.
Filling out the field will be several more triathletes familiar to the
Santos spectators. True to his word to make good after a sudden prize-money
reduction in 1999, race director Nubio de Almeida has kept his pre-race
promise and offered round-trip airfares in 2000 to all those who placed in
1999's top 10.
So far, those who have taken up the offer and will race again in Santos are
Australia's Andrew Noble (2nd), USA's Ken Glah (3rd), Brazil's Leandro
Macedo (4th), Argentina's Oscar Galindez (5th) and France's Olivier Marceau
(6th).
For women, Jones will be challenged by USA's Sian Welch (3rd in '99) and
Susanne Nielsen (4th), plus Germany's Ute Schaefer.
Greg Welch, the 1999 men's winner, won't be back for the medical reasons
that forced his retirement last week.
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Santos returns for Year No. 9
January 19, 2000, Santos, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com)
The Triathlon Internacional de Santos, traditionally the world's richest non-ITU Olympic-distance triathlon, fell on tough economic times in 1999. Its prize purse dropped from US$74,000 to US$30,000 at the last minute, due to Brazil's economic downturn last winter.
The race returns on February 13 for its usual pre-season place on the calendar -- with $30,000 back on the table. First prize will be $5000, followed by $3000 (2nd) and $2200 (third), through $250 for 10th place.
The winners in 1999 were the Australians Greg Welch and -- for her sixth straight time -- Michellie Jones.
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Carvalho Announces Second Men-only, Big-money Race in Brazil
January 17, 2000, Sao Paolo, Brazil (www.slowtwitch.com):
The announcements of two special-format triathlons in Brazil are coming fast and furious, just as the race directors hope the pace will be for their live-television events. But slower to travel north is the news that women will be welcome in the races -- in spite of a call from the president of the South American Triathlon Confederation to reconsider the structures and include equal fields for women.
Not only is there no prize money for women in the events in Sao Paolo (January 30) and Rio de Janeiro (March 19): There is no field for women at all for the so-called America's Challenge events. In Sao Paolo, the men race for nearly US$19,000; in Rio, they will race for about US$10,000.
Twenty men have been announced for the January 30 event for five teams: Argentina (Daniel Fontana, Oscar Galindez, Raul Lemir and Francisco Pontano); Brazil (Armando Barcellos, Leandro Macedo, Juraci Moreira and Marcus Ornellas); Canada (Shane Armstrong, Mark Bates, Barry Foster and Stefan Timms); Mexico (Eugenio Chimal, Alvaro Martinez, Alejandro Pena and Carlos Probert); and the USA (Kevin Carter, Andrew Kelsey, Jimmy Riccitello and Abe Rogers).
The race director for the Sao Paolo event is Helio Takai, who is also the race director for the ITU World Cup season-opener in Brazil on March 26. Although the ITU at its last Congress called for equal prize money and treatment of women in national-championship races -- at the risk of the federation losing any chance to host any ITU events, such as World Cups -- the race director appears to be in the clear this time, if he does go forward with his men-only format on January 30. This, after all, is not a national-championship event.
Nonetheless, the format has drawn the ire of João Calazans Filho, president of "Confederación Sudamericana de Triathlon." He wrote in Triathlon Digest on Monday: "I would like to request to both Mr. Julio Alfaya and Mr. Freddy Carvalho (both promoters of the second race), to change the format of the race, America's Challenge, to include men and women in equal situations ... we have to share the economic resources to do a great race for both men and women."
Takai's response: "This year, our second year, we don't include a women's race, because we are testing the race formula. But we intend to include women race in future. Maybe next year."
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A Brazilian race -- For Men Only?
January 15, 2000, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (www.triathlonlive):
The ITU Women's Committee, as well as individual female triathletes worldwide, may not care for it, but Brazilian race director Freddy Carvalho has announced a "triple super sprint" with $10,000 in prize money -- for men only.
Carvalho's race, called Triathlon America's Challenger, will gather 15 male triathletes for a live-televised race on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on March 19. The format is 300m swim, 5k bike, 2k run - times three.
Notes Carvalho: "All participants will receive hotel, food and airport transfer and partial airfare."
His announcement included no details on any parallel event for women. Perhaps they simply aren't invited. For questions, contact Carvalho directly.
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Spain gains, Germany drops, in women's Olympic slots
January 24, 2000, Licanray, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com):
On the surface, the 6th- and 7th-place finishes of Virginia Berasategui and Maribel Blanco in the Licanray Triathlon, an ITU Points Race, went little-noticed behind the wins of South Africa's Conrad Stoltz and America's Jennifer Gutierrez.
But by finishing well in the top-10, the pair of Spanish women merely managed to steal one "country slot" away from Germany in the race for places at the Sydney Olymics. The boosts to their individual rankings now means that Spain now has two slots, and Germany has just one.
The effect of the men's race in the race for ITU points is that Italy has stolen a slot from Brazil on the strength of Stefano Belandi's third-place finish. However, warns ITU points-observer John Walker, who did the calculations on Monday, "all of these "single" slots are very tenuous at the moment, and it is still very early in the 2000 season." (UPDATED RANKINGS)
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ITU Points opener to Stoltz, Gutierrez
January 23, 2000, Licanray, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com):
South Africa's Conrad Stolz, who started his 1999 season with a win at home and finished with three more domestic wins, won the ITU Points Race opener for 2000 in Licanray, Chile. America's Jennifer Gutierrez was the women's winner.
Stoltz, the South African champion in 1999 and the African champion in 1998, beat a deep international field in claiming 375 ITU points to win. That raised his ITU ranking from No. 42 to No. 32.
Stoltz beat five Europeans who were racing out of season: Spain's Eneko Llanos (2nd), Hector Llanos (4th), Jose Merchan (5th) and Jose Barbany (6th), plsu Italy's Stefano Belandi (3rd). Over a course that ran 300 meters long in the swim and featured a hilly bike segment, Stoltz beat Llanos by three seconds in 2:07:11.
Gutierrez's win helped her move from her No. 14 ranking to No. 12. She topped a pair of surprise performers in Netherland's Lucienne Groenendijk, ranked No. 63, and Italy's Silvia Gemigani, ranked No. 68.
Seventh in the ITU World Championships in 1999, she also won two ITU Points Races last season, St. Kitts and Lake Havasu, Arizona (USA).
Gutierrez won her race on the run. She emerged from the swim alongside Brazil's Sandra Soldan and England's Heather Williams. After a breakaway on the four-loop bike with Soldan and Italy's Silvia Gemigani, Gutierrez finally made her own break from runner-up Groenendijk about 2.5k on the run.
Most of the triathletes who raced in Licanray will face each other again next Sunday at a different ITU Points Race venue, Puerto Varas, Chile. (RESULTS HERE).
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Chile ready for some hot ITU racing
January 18, 2000, Licanray, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com)
The ITU world-ranking points will run just 10 places deep, but that isn't stopping anyone from traveling south in pursuit of points. Back-to-back triathlons in Chile at Licanray (January 23) and Puerto Varas (January 30) have drawn incredibly deep fields, full of Europeans and North Americans ready to mix with the in-season South Americans.
A total of 31 men and 24 women are chasing points. They are led by the ITU's No. 8 Gilberto Gonzalez (VEN) and No. 29 Eneko Llanos (ESP), as well as No. 14 Jennifer Gutierrez (USA), No. 21 Mariana Ohata (BRA) and No. 33 Maribel Blanco (ESP).
Neither race was an ITU Points Race for 1999; however, the ITU "points season" did open on February 14 with another Chilean race in Antofagasta. That race, organized by Rodrigo Salas - the same race director behind both Licanray and Puerto Varas - was won by Chile's Matias Brain and the USA's Sian Welch.
Here's who has headed to Chile:
Men - Clemente Alonso (ESP), Jose Barbany (ESP), Rob Barel (NED), Stefano Belandi (ITA), Alessandro Bottoni (ITA), Matias Brain (CHI), Cristian Bustos (CHI), Ricardo Cardeno (COL), Kevin Carter (USA), Eligio Cervantes (MEX), Arturo Garza (MEX), Camilo Gonzalez (VEN), Gilberto Gonzalez (VEN), Andrey Gluschenko (UKR), Ricky Jorgensen (DEN), Andy Kelsey (USA), Eneko Llanos (ESP), Hector Llanos (ESP), Xavier Llobet (ESP), Leando Macedo (BRA), Garrett McCarthy (IRL), Roland Melis (AHO), Jose Merchan (ESP), Juraci Moreira (BRA), Matias Opitz (CHI), Barry Sirard (USA), Conrad Stoltz (RSA), John Freddy Tibocha (COL), Stefan Timms (CAN), Uzziel Valderrabano (MEX), Pierre Yurow (USA)
Women - Kristin Armstrong (USA), Sarah Baker (USA), Virginia Berasategui (ESP), Pamela Birsinger (USA), Maribel Blanco (ESP), Edith Cigana (ITA), Claudia Cortes (CHI), Agnes Eppers (BOL), Silvia Gemignani (ITA), Bernardita Grass (CHI), Lucienne Groenendijk (NED), Jennifer Gutierrez (USA), Lauren Jensen (USA), Gina Kehr (USA), Ana Maria Lecumberri (CHI), Maria Luisa Martinez (MEX), Laura Mata (CRC), Carmenza Morales (COL), Mariana Ohata (BRA), Amanda Pagon (USA), Celia Peniche (MEX), Silvia Pepels (NED), Sandra Soldan (BRA), Heather Williams (GBR)
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Sunshine and prize money awaits in Chile
January 5, 2000, Santiago, Chile (www.slowtwitch.com):
Northern Hemisphere triathletes in search of warm-weather, pre-season training, as well as prize money races, can find that whole combination in Chile. Here is the series that Rodrigo Salas is the race director for.
He says: "We hope to see some triathletes here in Chile. Our phone is +562 339-7075; fax is +562 339-7076."
El Quisco Triathlon - January 2
500m S, 20k B, 5k R
US $3000 prize money
Lican Ray Triathlon/ITU Points Race - January 23
1.5k S, 40k B, 10k R
US $10,000 prize money
Puerto Varas Triathlon/ITU Points Race - January 30
1.6k S, 40k B, 10k R
US $10,000 prize money
Valdivia Triathlon - February 13
750m S, 20k B, 5k R
US $3000 prize money
Papudo Triathlon - February 20
1.5k S, 40k B, 10k R
US $2,500 prize money
Puerto Velero Triathlon - February 27
1.5k S, 40k B, 10k R
US $2,500 prize money
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Eppers works her triathlon magic in Bolivia
December 1, 1999, La Paz, Bolivia (www.slowtwitch.com):
Agnes Eppers, the former American Peace Corps worker who gave up her native country for her new one, Bolivia, has found triathlon heaven there.
Now the president of the new Bolivia Triathlon Federation, she wrote this note to Triathlon Digest:
"Just a quick note to let the triathlon world know that we are having lots of fun in Bolivia doing triathlons for the kids, teenagers and adults. We had races the 14th, 21st, and 28th of November in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and we selected those who will represent our department in the National Championship on the 16th of January, also in Cochabamba. Jorge Berrios He is going to bring his Peru team to participate.
"The triathlons were a total success. The kids are awesome. We are using the awesome bikes, helmets, wetsuits, goggles, and swim caps that the ITU women's committee donated. The kids are estatic. The interest in triathlon is growing immensely and we need more of all of the above. The kids are sharing everything right now and we are developing their skills quite nicely.
"Our goal right now is to get four Bolivians to the South American Championships on March 12 in Mar de Plata, Argentina. We are having a raffle and trying to make money to get them there. I think that we have an excellent chance of winning a medal.
"We have two junior boys, Juan Felip Urquidi and Marcelo Toro, who have the makings of excellent triathletes. We also have two women, Maura Canedo -- the adopt-a-triathlete of Anne Marie Gschwend of Switzwerland -- and Ximena Escalera, a 20-year-old swimmer who is training for triathlon right now. I pray to God we make it to the S.A. Championship because I have all the faith in the world they will do really well representing our Bolivia.
"I will be getting a webpage made for our federation by the end of December that will feature our star teenagers and all the results of our races.
"God bless you all and take care and keep triathloning."
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