Ishigaki World Cup: 9 April 2000
Ishigaki drums are calling all athletes to the tropical island of Ishigaki this weekend for round three of the 2000 ITU World Cup series. Ishigaki has played host to the world’s best triathletes many times before and boasts one of the most efficiently organized events of the series, this year will undoubtedly be no exception, thanks to the enthusiastic Mayor Dr. Okhana.
A stellar field, including 96 of the worlds top competitors will hit the crystal clear waters off Ishigaki Sunday morning for a 2 lap (1.5km) ocean swim, 6 lap (40km) bike and fast 4lap (10km) run. Residents of Ishigaki are enthusiastic supporters of triathlon and will show up in the thousands to cheer on the competitors.
In the women’s event all eyes will be on Rina Hill from New Zealand. Hill has had a lot of success in Japan with a World Cup win in Gamagori in 1998. Great Britain is also fielding a top women’s team with Sian Brice, and Stephanie Forrester after her second place in the Rio World Cup. As well, last year’s Noosa World Cup winner, Michelle Dillon from the UK will also make her series debut. For the home team Haruna Hosoya, Kiyomi Niwata and Machiko Nakanishi will lead the charge – Nakanishi will be working on momentum from the Kona World Cup last weekend, where she placed 8th.
Reigning World Champion and first place finisher at the Rio World Cup, Dimitry Gaag will lead the men’s field around Ishigaki’s challenging course on Sunday. On his heels will be the dynamic duo from the Ukraine, Volodymyr Polikarpenko and Andrey Gluschenko – who finished third in Rio two weeks ago. Japan’s hopes rest on the shoulders of team leader, Takumi Obara but he will no doubt receive much support from teammates, Hideo Fukui and Jun-ichi Yamamoto. Other men to watch out for include, Martin Krnavek from the Czech Republic and Jan Hansen from Denmark.
Athletes competing in Ishigaki will be honored with the presence of Japanese royalty as prince and princess Takamada have confirmed their attendance at this prestigious event. Also in attendance will be ITU’s vice-president and IOC Executive Board member in Japan, Chiharu Igaya and the ITU President Les McDonald.
Competitors will be vying for lucrative ITU World Cup points towards Olympic Qualification, with the cut-off looming.
All post event results will be posted immediately following the race at: www.triathlon.worldsport.com. |
