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 AFRICA: • U.S. World Cup men finally heat up in Gamagori EAST ASIA • Lindquist, Robertson make sushi of the field at Ishigaki MIDDLE EAST • The Eden of triathlon |
U.S. World Cup men finally heat up in Gamagori June 17, 2003, Gamagori, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com): U.S. elite triathlete Laura Reback was back on the International Triathlon Union World Cup podium on Sunday, but not as champion. Reback placed second to Australia’s Liz Blatchford at the race in Gamagori, Japan. On the men’s side, Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.) had his best ITU World Cup finish ever as he placed fifth in Gamagori behind winner Peter Robertson of Australia. Andy Potts (Princeton, N.J.) of the United States took his first World Cup top-10 finish, placing ninth. Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.) had won the last two ITU World Cup races, with victories in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Tongyeong, Korea. In Korea, she won a sprint finish against Blatchford. In Japan, Reback was second coming out of the swim and rode with a lead pack of nine, which also included U.S. elite Amanda Pagon (Glenn Dale, Md.), on the bike. Reback was first out of the second transition. Blatchford caught up and ran with her until the final lap, when she pulled away for the win in 1 hour, 58 minutes, 28 seconds. Reback finished in 1:58:42 and Akiko Sekine of Japan was third in 1:58:50. “I tried to take control of the race today, and maybe worked too hard in places. I think that this work may have cost me the win,” said Reback, who is ranked second in the ITU rankings behind Barb Lindquist of the United States. “But I believe that as I was the top ranked athlete here, it was my responsibility to take charge. I am very happy with my effort.” Julie Swail (Irvine, Calif.), competing in her first ITU World Cup since turning elite at the beginning of the year, finished 18th and Pagon finished 20th. Umphenour, left the swim in fourth place behind Japan’s Hirano Tsukasa, Potts and France’s Frank Bignet. The four joined Hirokatsu Tayama of Japan to form the lead pack on the bike. They maintained a lead of 30 seconds on a chase group of two -- Peter Hobor of Hungary and Nick Hornman of Australia -- and 45 seconds on a much larger pack – including Robertson - heading into transition. Umphenour left T2 in third. Robertson used a run of 30:44 to win in 1:47:29. Bignet was second in 1:47:37 and Greg Bennett of Australia was third in 1:47:53. Umphenour finished in 1:48:12 and Potts in 1:48:48. (RESULTS) ----- Reback makes it two World Cups in a row June 9, 2003, Tongyeong, Korea (www.slowtwitch.com): Laura Reback won her second International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup race in a row while Mark Fretta reached his first World Cup podium. Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.), who won the St. Anthony’s ITU World Cup on April 26 in St. Petersburg, Fla., won the Tongyeong ITU World Cup on Saturday in Korea. Reback won a sprint finish against Australia’s Liz Blatchford to win in 1 hour, 58 minutes, 7 seconds. Blatchford was second in 1:58:08 and Australia’s Emma Snowsill was third in 1:58:12. The Tongyeong race was the international distance with a two-lap, 1.5k swim, an eight-lap, 40k bike and a four-lap 10k run. The total prize purse was $80,000. Reback was part of a lead group in the swim that included Jill Savege of Canada and Maxine Seear of Australia. The three formed a lead pack on the bike, but were later caught by the chasers. Reback got out of transition onto the run first, then held off Snowsill and Blatchford for the victory. In the men’s race, Fretta (Portland, Ore.), who turned elite in 2001, reached his first World Cup podium, finishing third behind Australia’s Chris Hill and New Zealand’s Kris Gemmel. Fretta, a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center who was ranked 64th in the ITU rankings going into the race, was 12th out of the water and rode the bike with the chase pack. He turned up the heat on the run, reeling in his opponents until the final lap, when he reached third place. Fretta’s previous best ITU World Cup finish was 22nd at the 2002 race in Makuhari, Japan. (RESULTS) ----- Lindquist, Robertson make sushi of the field at Ishigaki May 20, Miyakojima, Ishigaki, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com): American Barb Lindquist and Aussie Peter Robertson took out the third stop in the ITU World Cup in Ishigaki, Japan, on Sunday. Lindquist, who was also victorious in the Accenture Triathlon Series in Australia over the winter, proved that she's still got top form as she defeated a tough women's field by running the day's fastest 10k, in 39:09. Robertson, who came out 1:30 down on the swim, made up major time on the bike ride and topped it off with a 33:42 10k, the day's fastest, to secure his win. According to a report on the ITU website, the leaders out of the water were Japan's Tsukasa Hirano and Russia's Ivan Vassiliev, but they were caught on the second lap of the bike by a chase group that included defending champion Ivan Rana of Spain, Aussie Chris Hill and Kiwis Kris Gemmell, Craig Watson and Bevan Docherty. Robertson was in the third group but managed to close the gap on the fourth lap to join the leaders heading out onto the run, where he quickly surged to the front and never looked back. In the women's race, Lindquist led out of the water with Aussie Loretta Harrop and American Sheila Taormina. Aussie Nicole Hackett and American Joanna Zeiger found themselves slightly gapped coming out of the water, and Hackett sprinted in transition to catch the leading pair. The train having left the station without her, Zeiger found herself alone for two laps until she was caught by a chase pack that included American Siri Lindley and Brazil's Carla Moreno. Out onto the run and it was Lindquist and Harrop side by side, with Lindquist surging on the final downhill to secure the win. Hackett and Taormina had a tough sprint to the finish, with Hackett coming home seven seconds clear. Moreno, on a 39:20 10K, ran herself into fifth. Top finishers split a $60,000US prize purse. (RESULTS) ----- Kropko takes third Strongman amid race's first fatality April 25, Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com): The popular All Japan Strongman Triathlon--a 3k swim, 155k bike and 42k run--was staged Sunday on Miyako Island, Japan. One athlete drowned during the swim and several others were hospitalized, according to news reports in Japan translated with the help of an American athlete living there. It was the first fatality for the race, now in its 17th year. According to the reports, with 1:25 on the race clock, a 41-year-old five-time competitor Naha City, Japan, suddenly stopped swimming about 100m offshore. He was pulled ashore by members of the dive patrol and taken to a nearby hospital, where he died two and a half hours later. Another athlete, a 71-year-old five-time competitor from Osaka, was pulled aboard a rescue boat when he appeared to be struggling about 600m from the start. He was hospitalized and reported to be in critical condition on Sunday evening. His current condition is unknown. A 34-year-old female competitor was hospitalized after swallowing water, and another five were also taken to hospital but were soon released. According to the news reports, all competitors must provide a medical certificate to race, with additional medical provisions governing athletes who are over 66. The weather at the start was reported to be clear, with waves at 1.5 meters and strong southerly winds. The Marine Safety Station described the sea as calm and said the weather presented no cause for concern. Race organizers had 44 divers, 34 people on rescue surfboards and 12 rescue boats covering the 3k course. "As there were ample safety measures in place, this loss of life is deeply regretful," race representatives were reported to have said. The men's winner--for the third time in a row--was Peter Kropko of Hungary in 7:51:22, and the women's race went to defending champion Megumi Shigaki of Japan, in 9:05:13. The race drew 1,385 athletes, including 85 internationals, and 1,321 finished before the 9:30 p.m. cutoff. (RESULTS) ----- It's Taormina early, Montgomery late in Japan August 12, 2001, Yamaguchi, Japan They women had to wait until 12:30PM to start the ITU Wold Cup race in Yamaguchi, Japan, and then had to wait a little longer after a false start. But this didn't affect Atlanta Olympic gold medallist, Sheila Taormina (USA), as she powered to an early lead in the 1500m swim. As she approached the swim-to-bike transition, however, Becky Gibbs (USA) and Rina Hill (NZL) had closed the gap to just sixteen seconds. It seemed that a tight pack of three would form to take control of the race. Taormina had other plans, and once on her bike the courageous American began an solo attack which would continue for the entire 40km bike. She led by 1:07 at the 20km mark and would hold this until the bike-to-run transition. Hill and Gibbs were soon caught by the chase pack behind them, which had gobbled up a :30 deficit out of the water. "I was really surprised when a group caught Becky and, I and that group contained Carol Montgomery," said Hill after the race. "She had a really good swim and I didn't expect to see her on the bike. Carol was just too good all-round today." Riding with Montgomery was Japan's top ranked woman, Machiko Nakinishi after a disappointing position after the swim. Australian Melissa Ashton pushed and Montgomery shared the workload on the bike. "I was concerned that we should not let Sheila get too far away," said Montgomery. "I know that she is a tough competitor. I didn't want to work on the bike, because it would be good to try to conserve my efforts for the run, but there was no choice. Sheila was really going for it." Stepping off the bike with a handy lead, Taormina punched the air in triumph. However three and a half kilometers later, the fastest runner in triathlon, Carol Montgomery cruised past Taormina and didn't look back. Hill was comfortable in second place and the only real struggle came for the bronze medal. Nakinishi ran as the shadow of Ashton for much of the race, passing the fading Taormina with four kilometers to run. 30,000 Japanese spectators helped boost Nakinishi to her personal record run split and first ever World Cup podium finish. "I knew during the warm up that I had a good chance today," said winner, Montgomery. "My legs just felt great, and even after the hard bike I felt pretty sure that I could win. I wasn't sure what Machiko could do, as I haven't run against her often, but I have been well rested this week and I had a lot of running in me." Australian Chris Hill ran to victory in the men's race, which started at 3:15PM, overcoming fellow Australians Greg Bennett and surprise sensation, Simon Thompson. The race was stacked with ITU World Cup newcomers. Race favorite Hill was upstaged in the swim by Japan's Hirokatsu Tayama. Brent Foster (NZL) trailed the junior ITU World Cup debutante from the water. The more experienced athletes attacked early, and a large pack of men soon formed, while some were dropped. The pack contained Hill, Tayama, Foster, Bennett, Thompson, Gael Mainard (FRA), Levi Maxwell (AUS), Luke Harrop (AUS), Takumi Obara (JPN), Shane Reed (NZL), Miles Stewart (AUS), Craig Alexander (AUS) and Bryce Quirk (AUS). Tsukasa Hirano (JPN) and Eligio Cervantes (MEX), just missed the lead pack and were joined by a pursuit group. Soon after the young Tayama was also ejected from the back of the lead pack, however the chase pack, led by Cervantes, were closing. Suddenly, in their desperation to catch the leaders, Jun-ichi Yamamoto and Jose Barbany (ESP) crashed on one of the tight turns inside the Yamaguchi Kiara Expo site. The confidence of the pursuers was shattered and the lead pack easily pulled away. There were several meaningless breakaway attempts by various members of the pack. The only notable absentee from the front of the pack was a calculating Bennett, who was happy to cruise on the back of the pack. Perhaps the group had relaxed when Mainard put the hammer down and found a thirty-five second lead over the final two laps of the eight lap bike course. It was a brave attempt by Mainard, however one that he paid for dearly. The run portion of the race became very difficult for him, as first a charging Thompson, then Hill, Stewart and more passed Mainard, relegating him to 17th position. In only his second ITU World Cup (22nd in Lausanne, 2000) it was a gritty Thompson who took on Hill, the World Championship silver medallist. He ran with strength at the front, while Stewart, struggling with a sinus problem, held third position for a time. Bennett began his campaign conservatively, feeling confident that he could reel the leaders back in. When he passed Stewart and appeared on the shoulder of Hill, it seemed that the dynamics of the race changed entirely. "When Greg showed up I was surprised," said Hill in the Media Conference following the race. "I knew he must have used a lot of his speed to reach the front and I thought that was a good time to lift the pace." After five kilometers Hill took a 30m lead that he would comfortably sustain until the finish line. In winning the race Hill also becomes the World number one ranked triathlete. Bennett and Thompson were next to cross to round out the Australian podium. (Thanks to ITU's Nici Andronicus for help on this report). (RESULTS) ----- World Cup racing heads back to Japan August 10, 2001, Yamaguchi, Japan Japan's rising triathlon star, Akiko Sekine, will line up at the ITU World Cup in Yamaguchi, Sunday with a point to prove. Ranked 33rd in the world, Sekine had enjoyed a string of successes in Canada this season to improve her ranking but crashed out of the World Championships in Edmonton. This weekend, on home soil, Sekine will hope to overcome that disappointment. Held on the island of Honshu, the course features a man-made lagoon to accommodate the 1500m swim and a hill built solely to increase the difficulty of the 40km bike and 10km run disciplines. The race is expected to draw more than 100,000 spectators. Sekine will face the women's race favorites, including two Olympic heroes, Sheila Taormina of the U.S. and Canadian Carol Montgomery. Also racing will be Rina Hill of New Zealand, who just missed a World Championship medal in Edmonton. Missing from action in Japan are the U.S. women who've raced well in Japan earlier in the year in ITU races—Laura Reback, Siri Lindley, and Barb Lindquist. They're racing in the U.S. pro nationals in New York City. Australian Chris Hill, who took silver in the World Championships, is the clear favorite in the men's race, and a solid performance could earn him the ITU's world No. 1 ranking. Great Britain's Andrew Johns is not racing Yamaguchi, leaving his position open for Hill to pounce. Hill will need to overcome training partners Miles Stewart of Australia and Shane Reed of New Zealand for victory. Stewart will revel in the technical twists and turns of the bike course and has an impressive career record of success in Japanese races. Having won his first world title more than ten years ago, the steadfast athlete is very popular in Japan and will benefit from the spectators in Yamaguchi. Reed, who has taken a bit of a break from racing this season, will go into the race as an unknown quantity on Sunday. With the experience of ITU World Cup podium finishes and a hunger to compete, Reed may well be the race's dark horse. "I feel really fresh," Reed said. "While the other guys have been traveling and racing all season, I have been taking it pretty easy. I am really excited to be here because it feels like such a long time since I have lined up!" (Thanks to ITU's Nici Andronicus for elements of this report). ----- U.S. women dominate everything but the win in Ishigaki April 23, 2001, Ishigaki, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com): Australian Loretta Harrop survived a hard-pressed attack from three American women to win the ITU World Cup race at Ishigaki, but the Aussie stranglehold on women’s short-course racing––dominant and intact only two years ago––is gone. Americans placed second, third, and fourth in Ishigaki, and that after America’s Laura Reback won this year’s inaugural World Cup event at Gamagori last weekend. American Barbara Lindquist predictably led a no-wetsuit swim from the beginning, and as they left the first transition she led by 10 seconds over Harrop, New Zealander Rina Hill, and Laura Reback. Pilar Hidalgo from Spain, Briton Steph Forrester––having made the jump to the top of triathlon’s world class after wintering in Australia–– and American Siri Lindley followed closely behind. Harrop, Hill and Reback quickly motored up to Lindquist and the lead pack of four immediately started putting time on the chase pack. Indeed, the pace up front was sufficiently hard that Hill dropped off, and by the end of lap two Hill was 1:20 behind. A chase pack of eight athletes including Lindley, Forrester, Hidalgo and Australian Liz Blatchford eventually swallowed Hill up. The three leaders maintained their pace and by transition into the run the chase pack was almost 3 minutes behind. As is often the case in World Cup racing––and this distinguishes women’s racing from men’s––women’s chase packs are often reticent to do the work necessary to close the gap on the leaders. Harrop and Linquist had the fresher legs off the bike and within a short span had gapped last week’s winner Reback. Meanwhile, no longer three minutes behind and closing fast were Siri Lindley and Steph Forrester. Harrop waited until the final sprint to eke out a lead on Linquist, and won the race by :02. Lindley finally reeled in Reback in the last lap, and got third. Reback held for fourth, and Forrester rounded out the top five. Lindley’s run split was the fastest of the day by 40 seconds, and she was a minute and a half faster in the run than the two who placed above her. In the men’s race Frenchman Laurent Jeanselme led a pack of fifteen athletes which included Aussie Gret Bennett, the Reed brothers––Matt and Shane of New Zealand––last year’s winner Australian Courtney Atkinson and New Zealanders Kris Gemmell and Hamish Carter. A chasing pack led by Khazak Dmitry Gaag and Dane Rasmus Henning––who is among the world’s best long course racers as well–– followed closely behind. Former world champ Aussie Chris McCormack––last week’s winner in Gamagori––and Marc Jenkins of the UK followed in a third pack. Henning led out the bike as the new larger front pack––early leaders and first pack of chasers having been amalgamated––entered the second lap of the race. This lead pack raced together throughout the bike with the chase group led by McCormack finally catching them in lap four of the bike. After a lot of hard riding and bridging the pack started to fray near the end. New Zealanders Hamish Carter and Bevan Doherty and Australian Greg Bennett were leading the field, 10 seconds in front of the main pack. Weak and shaky legs caused further separation early into the run. Greg Bennett, who had fought hard to stay in the lead pack throughout retired in the first lap of the run. Kiwi Hamish Carter took the lead in the first half of the run. Dmitry Gaag, Kris Gemmell and Atkinson followed and by the end of the first lap they were five seconds down on Carter. In the second lap of the run New Zealand teammate Craig Watson caught the leaders of the field, and it looked to be a Kiwi romp, with fellow Kiwis Hamish Carter and Kris Gemmel with him at the front. Watson was soon on Carter’s tail, eventually overtaking him, and they were one-two. The rest of the field closed in, though, and soon Briton Andrew Johns, Atkinson, Gaag and Spaniard Ivan Rana were right there. Carter and Watson were neck and neck going into the last lap of the run, with Spain’s Ivan Rana was in third place, five seconds behind. Watson jumped to a 20-meter lead over his teammate Carter. Rana moved past Carter and gained on Watson. Rana overtook Watson as the race neared its terminus, winning with the same margin as in the women’s race, :02. Although they were not always together during the race, Rana and Watson had almost identical splits throughout, with both running 32:51. Racers will now leave Asia and travel to St. Anthony’s triathlon. The venerable race in Florida has been lifted to World Cup status, and the race, on April 28th, is the only World Cup race in America this year. (RESULTS) ----- Reback, McCormack victorious in Gamagori April 16, 2001, Gamagori, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com): Laura Reback continues her climb to the top of the U.S. short-course ranks with an impressive victory Sunday at the inaugural 2001 International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup race in Gamagori, Japan. Reback (North Palm Beach, Fla.), ranked 36th in the world and sixth in the United States last year, finished the race in 1 hour, 57 minutes, 12 seconds, defeating reigning world champion Nicole Hackett of Australia by 20 seconds. Australian Olympian Loretta Harrop was third in 1:57:45. It was the first World Cup victory of Reback’s four-year elite career. Her last best finish was second in 1998 at the World Cup in Noosa, Australia. Competing in her first race of the season, Siri Lindley (Boulder, Colo.), placed sixth in 1:58:27, followed by Barb Lindquist (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) in seventh at 1:58:53. Sarah Baker (Boston, Mass.) of the United States placed 20th. Reback was in fifth coming out of the swim, but made up the time on the bike and got off in the lead. All four U.S. women are scheduled to compete in the next ITU World Cup in Ishigaki, Japan, on April 22. Reback and Lindquist are both scheduled to compete in the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, an ITU World Cup, on April 29. Former world champion Chris McCormack of Australia continues to make a case with his legs that he should’ve been chosen for Australia’s Olympic team by winning the men’s race in 1:46:55. Reed Matthew of New Zealand was second and Tim Don of Great Britain was third. (RESULTS) ----- Kropko takes Strongman April 16, 2001, Miyakojima, Japan (www.slowtwitch.com): Most of the big action in triathlon took place in Japan this weekend, as the ITU World Cup series kicked off in Gamagori, and one of the world's venerable ultradistance races celebrated its 16th annual in Miyakojima. Three thousand try to sign up for Strongman, but the field fills at 1500. They come from Europe, the U.S., Australia, and elsewhere, and many of the world's top stars have raced here in the past. On a rainy but not overly-cold day, one of the most well-liked among the world's pro men, Peter Kropko from Hungary, had just a little bit more than second place Yoshinori Tamura from Japan, winning in 7:33, with Tamura just seconds back. Kropko, an excellent swimmer, exited the water in third place. Japanese legend Hideya Miyazuka raced through the bike leg with the fastest split of the day, entering the run with a five-minute lead. Kropko and Tamura exited the bike together and in second and third place. Kropko is one of the most feared runners in triathlon, and in his prime so was Miyazuka. But not on this day. Kropko and Tamura ran identical 2:45 marathon splits to haul in Miyazuka and take the top two spots. Miyazuka held on for third, ahead of a closing Matthias Klumpp of Germany. Neo-pro Tim Luchinske from the U.S.––one of America's fastest age-groupers last year––finished as the 14th pro in 8:19. Megumi Shigaki from Japan came home first among pro women in 8:46. (RESULTS) ----- No pain, no Bahrain January 3, 2001, Adliya, Bahrain (www.slowtwitch.com): It's no San Diego, but don’t tell Bahrainis that. Not the prototypical desert sand and oil monarchy, Bahrain is a Persian Gulf state in the truest sense of the word: It is an archipelago of 33 islands which sits smack-dab in the Gulf. The biggest speck of land – Bahrain Island – would nicely cover the perimeter of Lake Tahoe. (Bahrainis compete in a footrace from shore to shore, along the width of the island – about 10 miles). Bahrain has long been famous for its greenery in the midst of the region's deserts. Parts of the island are thickly covered with date palms, and some maintain it was the site of the Garden of Eden. Area multisporters on the island of paradise are spooling up for the Bahrain duathlon, to be held Friday, January 12th (3k/20k/3k). Bahrain is surrounded by water, but finding a place to swim is no piece of cake on Bahrain’s beaches, as the water is so shallow you can wade out a quarter-mile and still only be up to your knees. That notwithstanding, they do the tri here too. "We swim in the sea," says Mr. Adnan Alqassab <ccrr@hotmail.com>, the chairman of Cross Country & Road Running Committee in Bahrain. "I know it's not too deep, but the area we've selected it's a bit deep -- say 1.5 meters deep -- and it's not dangerous, as you will be swimming not far from the beach." Mr. Alqassab is like any other race director: He’s creative, and always scouting for a good course. He’s the one who’s responsible for multisport in Bahrain. The close proximity of the ocean bottom works to Mr. Alqassab’s advantage when it comes to enticing local Bahrainis to triathlon. Running and multisport was originally the sole domain of expatriates: British, Australian, and French. But "now the locals – Bahrainis -- are getting into such sports." says Alqassab. "The Army and Police have athletes who compete. They’re becoming good at it and they enjoy it." On April 13th is the Biathlon (600m swim followed by an 8k run). October to April are the pleasant months – highs average 97F in the summer -- so there is a 6-month off-season before the Bahrain Triathlon (300mS/10kB/3kR), the crown jewel of the schedule. It takes place on the 4th of October. ----- Walton, King waltz to Laguna Phuket win December 5, Laguna Phuket, Thailand (www.slowtwitch.com): Australians Craig Walton and Joanne King -- both first-time competitors at the Thai Airways Laguna Phuket Triathlon -- captured wins and the US$4,500 first-place prize money last Saturday at the eighth race at the Thai island resort. Walton won over the 1.8k swim, 55k bike, 12k run in 2:28:37 -- five minutes faster than Aussie Craig Alexander. Aussie men managed the first five places, actually, in the field that annually draws many of the sport's biggest names. Marc Lees, the winner the last two years and the course record holder, finished third. Lees' course record had stood at 2:29.03 from 1998. Previous winners of the race include Mark Allen and Simon Lessing. Walton finished the swim two minutes ahead of the pack, and was never challenged. " "I think Craig is one of the world's strongest swimmers," Marc Lees told the Thai newspaper, The Nation. "He left me far behind in the swim course and stretched the lead in biking. He already caught fire when he ran. That was too much for me to catch up with him." King, the 24-year-old winner in 2:56:26, won by nearly three minutes over another Aussie, Robyn Roocke. (RESULTS) ----- Energade Triathlon draws all-time high for South Africa December 5, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa (www.slowtwitch.com): The finale for the Energade Triathlon Series last Sunday in Pretoria, with winners Lieuwe Boonstra and Dominique Donner, had another winner: Triathlon itself. The race at Roodeplaat Dam drew about 1,950 triathletes -- more than any other triathlon in South Africa has ever attracted. The number represents about 1,250 individual finishers and three-person teammembers, for the rest. The high of 1,950 comes on the heels of other record-setting races within the series. The 10-race series, conducted between September and early December, also had 1,400 triathletes in Germiston and 1,300 in Vanderbiljpark, both venues within easy driving-distance of Johannesburg. Two more venues, Midmar Dam in KwaZulu-Natal (near Durban), and Gordon's Bay, on the Western Cape near Cape Town, each drew 1,200. The Gordon's Bay site -- which is also where the Ironman South Africa race takes place for the second time, next March 31 -- registered double the number of triathletes who raced there last year. Boonstra and Donner won the last of the sprint races, but the series' overall winners were Raynard Tissink and Donner. Tissink, who won the first five of the Energade races, beat Glen Gore for the series title. Donner had won all seven races that she entered. Both Tissink and Donner took home checks for R8000 (about $1,050) as the overall winners. (RESULTS) ----- Dominique Donner continues to dominate at home October 31, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa (www.slowtwitch.com): Dominique Donner is now six-for-six in winning the first six events of South Africa's popular 5FM Energade Triathlon Series, and Raynard Tissink -- defeated on Sunday -- is now five for six. Fastest over the sprint distances, they are both perhaps making up for feeling the sting of recent rejections. Donner was running just third in ITU points among South Africans in the chase for the single Olympic place alloted to a South African woman. And Tissink, who seems to be South Africa's most on-form triathlete of the moment, was two weeks ago left off the Commonwealth Games team-in-training list announced by Triathlon South Africa. In the latest race at Gordon's Bay near Cape Town, Donner beat Rowena Curr by 90 seconds. Tissink finished five seconds behind Claude Eksteen, a South African who sharpened his racing last summer with a German club. The Energade Series, with races between September and December, is South Africa's most competitive short-distance series. It gives way to the post-Christmas part of the season that concentrates on longer events, such as the February 25 Vaal Ultra Tri (not quite Ironman-distance) and the March 31 Isuzu Ironman South Africa. ----- Triathlon South Africa suspends its president September 15, Pretoria, South Africa (from Runner's World South Africa editor Michael Finch for www.slowtwitch.com): On the eve of South Africa's participation in the Olympic Games triathlon, Triathlon South Africa (TSA) president Rodney Nieuwstad has been suspended from his position for incompetence. Nieuwstad's suspension comes after a meeting of the TSA executive this week. According to a press release from TSA, Nieuwstad "failed to provide sufficient evidence in his defence against many allegations of his inability to control and manage the sport, in a conduct in keeping with the aims and objectives of the TSA constitution and rules and regulations." In short, Nieuwstad had simply failed to do his job. Nieuwstad has been suspended with immediate effect, and his suspension will remain in force for one more term of two years. He cannot serve on any other provincial or national triathlon body for this period. Nieuwstad was invited to respond to all the allegations levelled at him by the executive. This he did but the majority of TSA executive members agreed that his defence was insufficient. The TSA board approved Dr. Lood Rabie to temporarily fill Nieuwstad's position until the next Annual General Meeting, when a new president will be voted. A former national marathon champion from Stellenbosch, Western Cape, Rabie now coaches his two daughters, both accomplished juniors, in triathlon. Niewstad had taken over the TSA president's role after the resignation of Jingles Ferreira at the AGM in February, 1999. ----- Zimbabwe's Marabini is tapped for Olympics July 17, Harare, Zimbabwe (www.slowtwitch.com): Zimbabwe triathlete Mark Marabini didn't hold out much hope for Olympic selection after he got third last March in the African Championships. After all, only one African athlete would gain an Olympic slot for his country, and there were two South Africans ahead of him. But when South Africa's Olympic Committee announced on June 22 that only one male triathlete, Conrad Stoltz, would be traveling to Sydney, the regional slot was passed downward to Zimbabwe. Last week, Marabini -- the world's No. 118-ranked triathlete -- was confirmed by the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee as its nomination for Sydney. "Mark is on his way," Zimbabwe Triathlon Association president Rick Fulton said on Monday. "He has qualified and has been nominated and accepted as part of the ZOC contingent to Sydney." Marabini has won the Zimbabwe Triathlon Championship a record 10 times in the 12-year history of the event. As a top cyclist as well, he won the Zimbabwe championships six times. He also won a bronze medal in cycling (road race) in the 1995 All Africa Games. The inclusion of the 35-year-old Marabini in Sydney makes him the second-oldest male triathlete in the field, after the 42-year-old Rob Barel of Netherlands. For all his years in the sport (since he started in 1985), most of Marabini's racing was limited to local events at home in Harare, the various races in neighboring South Africa and, in 1988, a stint in Britain where he actually won two British championships (even though he is not British). He will line up with the least international experience of any of the 50 men in Sydney. He has competed in just one World Championship (1999, when he DNFed), and two ITU World Cups, both in 1999 (Sydney, when he DNFed, and Lausanne, when he was 53rd). In Harare, where he is a local sports hero, he has long maintained that forging a lifestyle as a pro triathlete demands not just intensive training, but extensive cash reserves. "There is no adequate sponsorship in this country and this is hampering the development of triathlon," he told the Harare newspaper last year. "I am very grateful to those in the private sector who have consistently supported me. Without their support, I wouldn't have gone this far." His sponsors, he noted, included Motor City, Zimbabwe Express Airlines, Quench, Internet service provider Utande, plus several individuals who have also supported his international intentions through the years. Marabini's inclusion in the Olympics is inspiration for all African triathletes. It is an indication that the sport is spreading and developing beyond South Africa, which nurtured the starts of two of world's all-time great triathletes, Paula Newby-Fraser and Simon Lessing. ----- Stoltz, Moore are South Africa's Olympians June 21, Johannesburg, South Africa (www.slowtwitch.com): The African ring in the Olympic symbol that represents five continents will be represented in Sydney by a pair of South African triathletes, Conrad Stoltz and Lizel Moore. Nominated by Triathlon South Africa as its highest-ranking triathletes, they were confirmed on Wednesday as Olympians d by the National Olympic Committee of South Africa. South African men had actually secured a second spot (by region) according to the ITU's Olympic-qualifying procedures, and South African women had secured two more spots (one by ranking, one by roll-down). But those three additional places were passed over by NOCSA and additional triathletes were not named. Stoltz, the world's No. 24-ranked triathlete, is twice (2000, 1998) winner of the African Triathlon Championships. He also was the South African champion in 1999. Moore came to South African triathlon in 1998 by way of Australia. She grew up in Brisbane, and her parents are from Bloemfontein, Orange Free State. Since committing to race full-time for South Africa, Moore won the African Championships in both 1999 and 2000. She achieved her highest result, 12th, in an ITU World Cup in April in Ishigaki, Japan. Currently she is ranked No. 37. They will be accompanied to Sydney by Libby Burrell, South Africa's national and Olympic coach. ------ All-white student team is a no-go Strong field for Japan’s Strongman ------ Atkinson, Hill are Ishigaki winners ------ Rest or race? Reduced field for Ishigaki African titles for Stoltz, Moore (RESULTS) ------ Stoltz, Carter win Energade finale Conrad Stoltz and Kim Carter were winners in the 10th and last of the Energade International Triathlon Series sprint-distance races, seven of which were in South Africa since September. ------------- Asian Triathlon Cup series announced January 25, Hong Kong (www.slowtwitch.com): ------ Elite athletes sought for March 26 race in Chinese Taipei Elite triathletes who want a chance to race in the 2000 President's Enterprise Cup International Triathlon in Chinese Taipei on March 26 are asked to contact the federation's Frank Kuo. ------ December 2 is date for Laguna Phuket Triathlon
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