Kiwi Triathletes Take Out Two International Events

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Kris Gemmell crosses the finish line in first place at Corner Brook on Sunday 23 July

MEDIA RELEASE
24 July 2006
For immediate release

Kiwi Triathletes Take Out Two International Events

Two of New Zealand's top triathletes have taken out first place in international events this weekend.

Yesterday [23 July], Triathlete Kris Gemmell came in first in an International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup race in Corner Brook, Canada, while Cameron Brown won the Frankfurter Sparkasse Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt, Germany.

Triathlon New Zealand High Performance Director, Stephen Farrell, said the win at Corner Brook was an important one for Kris Gemmell, and one that he has waited a long time for.

"The Corner Brook triathlon is a key event in the ITU calendar, being one of 15 World Cup races held throughout the year in which athletes can earn points to gain entry to the World Championships,

The ITU World Championships will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland on 2 and 3 September.

Stephen said the Corner Brook course was a challenging one that suited New Zealand athletes.

"The race started with a 1.5km swim around the Glynmill Inn Pond, which has an average temperature of 18-20 degrees C.

"This was followed by a 40km cycle leg, made up of six laps with one major incline, before a challenging and hilly 10 km run," Stephen said.

Kris Gemmell completed the entire course in one hour 54 minutes and 55 seconds, just 10 seconds faster than second place winner Simon Whitfield of Canada. His best leg was the cycle leg, where he picked up two minutes on his Canadian rival.

"This is the first time that Kris has won at Corner Brook and his second win in a World Cup event. This result gives him a great chance of making the grade for the World Championships this year," Stephen said.

According to Stephen, Cameron Brown's win at Frankfurt is also a huge achievement that he has been striving towards for years.

"In the last five years Cameron has had four second placings and one third placing at the German Ironman event," Stephen said.

"It's great to see him finally come in first."

He said that New Zealand's triathletes have had some great success lately. With Kris Gemmell's win at Corner Brook, seven New Zealand triathletes have finished in the top three spots in World Cup races this year.

"It's been a great weekend for these athletes and I look forward to seeing how our athletes do in up-coming events."

For further information on Corner Brook visit www.triathlon.org

Further information on Ironman Germany is available at
http://ironman.com/events/ironman/germany/germany-wrap

ENDS

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