Triathlon Begins ‘Life After Carter’

20th March 2007

For immediate release from Triathlon New Zealand Inc, for further information visit www.triathlon.org.nz

Triathlon Begins ‘Life After Carter’

The sport of triathlon will this weekend experience life for the first time (officially) without Hamish Carter.

The Mooloolaba ITU World Cup round this weekend signals the first major event since the retirement announcement of the 2004 Olympic champion but in a testament to the depth of the sport in New Zealand, there are a number of candidates to fly the flag.

The obvious heir to the throne is the man beaten so narrowly on the streets of Greece 3 years ago, Bevan Docherty. Now consistently ranked inside the world’s top 5, Docherty knows he is first in line to follow in the footsteps of his former great racing rival and is keen to begin well on Sunday.

“After so many years of great rivalry it will be a little different without Hamish racing, us Kiwis like to stick together when necessary and we keyed off each other so many times so yes, it will be tough. But I won’t be short of company a the head of the field as I’m sure Kris (Gemmell) like me is equally keen to take on that responsibility. Plus I still have plenty of friends and alliances out there so once the gun goes it will be business as usual.”

Docherty is in a good frame of mind as he looks to defend his Mooloolaba title.

“Training has gone well and I’m feeling good and confident and looking forward to getting a good first up race under my belt. Geelong was just a training race, the real action starts here, and I know I am good enough and fit enough to win it.”

With the race officially signaling the start to the 2007 ITU World Cup season, a high quality field has been assembled. Six of the current top ten on the ITU points leader board will be chasing first prize, including current number one and winner at the Oceania Championships Brad Kahlefelt (Australia).

The women’s field is similar in quality and with three athletes currently ranked in the top ten on ITU points; New Zealand stands as good a chance as any of being on the podium.

The battle within the race will be intriguing with Andrea Hewitt (8th), Debbie Tanner (9th) and Sam Warriner (10th) closely matched for leading Kiwi honours. Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Hewitt is like Docherty confident of a good race but wary of the competition.

“I am in good shape and have enjoyed two weeks training with Coach John Hellemans in Dunedin. The different scenery and training squad down there has been great. The field is not only high on quality though with the Australians and Europeans lining up but it is large in numbers. 80 on the start line will mean a mad dash to the first marker buoy on the swim, so the start will be crucial.”

Hewitt says while she may wear the same colours as her countrywomen, they are racing as individuals.

“We are fiercely competitive amongst ourselves and will race according to our own tactics on the day. There is no team racing with so much on the line. There is no doubt however that having such a strong Kiwi team keeps us all on edge and racing that much quicker, the competition certainly makes me stronger.”

The start of the ITU World Cup season signals what could become a mad scramble for ranking points as New Zealanders vie for the top six New Zealand ranking spots that will earn them starts at the Hamburg World Championships in August this year.

High Performance Director Stephen Farrell says the competition amongst the Kiwi athletes will be intense.

“The ITU World Cup is fiercely competitive and the depth of the sport is such that any one of 20 athletes on the start line at each race is a realistic chance of winning. On top of that however is the ‘race within the race’ between the Kiwis as they battle to earn the necessary ranking points to ensure they are on the start line at the World Championships in August and in Olympic qualifying races later in the year. Athletes simply cannot afford a bad day at the office, the pressure is intense.”

Celebration Dinner
The New Zealand athletes are assembling in Auckland at the Novotel Hotel Ellerslie tonight for a Triathlon New Zealand Celebration Dinner, looking back on the 2006 season.

Interviews can be organized with leading athletes by phoning either of the contacts below between 6.30pm and 7pm:

Tom Mayo Stephen Farrell
Chief Operations Officer High Performance Manager
Triathlon NZ Triathlon NZ
021 318 798 021 348 367

Mooloolaba ITU World Cup
Sunday 25th March 2007

The race will be covered live at www.triathlon.org and results will be posted immediately upon the conclusion of each race via press release.

A detailed release including athlete quotes and race summaries will be posted on press release within 2 hours of the men’s race concluding.

Elite Women Race Start: 1.00pm (NZT)
Elite Men Race Start: 3.30pm (NZT)

New Zealand Athletes at Mooloolaba

Female Athletes (ITU points rank) Comments

Andrea Hewitt (8th)
Christchurch
3rd Commonwealth Games 2006, 10th World Champs 2006, 4th at the recent Oceania Championships in Geelong suggests Hewitt is in reasonable shape this early in the season.
Debbie Tanner (9th)
Auckland

A podium finish at the Oceania Championships was once again on the back of a fast run. Will need to carry that form over into Mooloolaba. Key is to be close after the swim and bike. Won Ishigaki W/Cup 2006 and 2nd at Hamburg W/Cup. 4th Commonwealth Games 2006.
Samantha Warriner (10th)
Did not compete at the Oceania Championships but on form is still New Zealand’s number one. Will want to stamp her mark on this race and perhaps her team mates to reinforce that position.
Nicky Samuels (22nd)
Whangarei Reserve for 2006 Commonwealth Games. Steady at Geelong with an 8th place finish, looking more comfortable in this company with each race.
Evelyn Williamson (50th)
Kapiti Coast 2000 Sydney Olympian. Missed out on qualifying for Athens due to injury plagued year. Top 20 at 2006 World Tri Champs
Carmel Hanly (132nd)
Auckland 6th ranked NZ athlete. On the cusp with regards World Championship selection and must pick up good points to keep others at bay.
Male Athletes (ITU points rank) Comments

Bevan Docherty (2nd)

Third place in a blanket sprint finish at the Oceania Championships indicate Docherty is in great shape at this time of the season. Defending his title in Mooloolaba
Kris Gemmell (7th)
Didn’t compete in Geelong so form is a question but on his day is clearly amongst the very best in the world, capable of winning.
Shane Reed (16h)
New Plymouth
Confirmed his gradual return to form with a steady 9th (second Kiwi) in a closely run Oceania Championship race at Geelong, currently ranked 3rd of the NZers
Clark Ellice (46th)
New Plymouth 18th at Geelong and 5th Kiwi. 16th at 06 W Champs. Stepping up from U.23 last season.
Ben Pulham (78th)
Auckland 5th ranked NZ athlete and confirmed this with a solid 14th at the Oceania Championships.
Graham O'Grady (120th)
Hamilton 6th ranked NZ athlete at the time of selection for Mooloolaba but has since fallen down the rankings (9th Kiwi) after a poor race at Geelong. Will know he must make the most of this chance to make up ground on the Kiwis that moved ahead of him following that race.

Ends

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