Aussie domination at Ironman 70.3 Singapore 2008

Singapore, September 7, 2008 – In one of the closest finishes on the Ironman 70.3 circuit this year, Australia's Simon Thompson edged out Kiwi pre-race favourite Terenzo Bozzone by a mere 15 seconds to win the Ironman 70.3 Singapore 2008 in a time of 3:55:40, to make up for missing out on the Australian Olympic team for Beijing last month.

Bozzone had been touted as the pre-race favourite after winning more 70.3 races this year than anyone else, and true to form, the young Kiwi was quickly out of the water in third place, with Thompson hot on his heels, 10 seconds behind early race leader Pete Jacobs of Australia, who eventually finished third.

After keeping amongst the leaders during the bike leg, which featured a spectacular ultra-fast all-expressway route, Bozzone and Thompson managed to establish a clear lead in the run leg over the rest of the world-class field, which included former Olympian Peter Robertson of Australia, multiple Ironman winner Bryan Rhodes of New Zealand and defending champion Reinaldo Colucci of Brazil.

They were helped somewhat by Colucci's unexpected pullout after the first lap of the run leg with cramps, with the Brazilian well-placed in fifth at that point.

After racing racing neck-and-neck for practically the entire race, it was Thompson who prevailed in the final stretch to power home to bag the US$8,500 top prize purse. It was Thompson's first victory in Singapore on his maiden trip here, but predictably, he is already thinking about returning to defend his title next year, when the event will move to March 22.

"The conditions make it a really exciting place to race in, the swim leg was beautiful and the bike leg was magnificent," said Thompson. "I would love to come back next year as the race was so well organized and had such great atmosphere."

On the close fight with Bozzone, he added: "I wasn't going to just give it to him obviously. He was happy to give me the lead but kept behind me all the way. I gave everything I could and the last two kilometres felt like forever. But I was really glad to pull up to the line.

"This win makes up for missing out on the team in Beijing. It was disappointing not to make the team, but I fell that I have really turned it around with this victory."

Completing the double for the Australians was Keat, who saw off the challenge of last year's women's winner Belinda Grainger, who could only come in fourth this time round after suffering a punctured tyre and losing some five minutes while getting a replacement.

But Keat was a worthy winner of the US$8,500. Her winning time of 4:25:43 was more than four minutes ahead of second-placed New Zealander Gina Ferguson. Fellow Aussie Alison Fitch rounded up the top three in the women's elite category.

"I didn't really expect to win," admitted Keat after the race. "Belinda and Alison went out really hard and there was not much wind making it really hot. It was my first time racing in these conditions.

"But definitely I look forward to being here next year. It was a great event and I am going to be prepared for the weather next time round."

So dominant are the Aussies that seven of the top ten men and five of the seven women finishers in the pro category hailed from Down Under, underlining their dominance of the 70.3 events this year.

Despite his obvious dismay at being forced to drop out of the race, Colucci had kind words for the winners and the new route. He said: "The winners did a great job, congratulations to them.

"The bike route this year was a big improvement over last year. While I did not complete the run route this time round and so I cannot pass a judgment on it, but from what I could tell, it was good."

He then threw his name into the hat for next year's March date when he added: "I hope to be back next year to try and win back my title. March is better for me and I am sure it is it is the same for many of these guys as well."

One highlight of the race that stood out was the bike route along the East Coast Parkway (ECP) Expressway. While cycling up the slopes had some crawling along at 15km/h, the flip side was that coming down the ECP saw riders hitting highs of 45km/h though there were the inevitable spills at such high speeds.

Said a participant, brianlivestrong, on the triathlon family forum: “Bike leg is a killer. The organiser mentioned that (it) is a flat route. In which part of the leg other than East Coast is flat? The expressway is really killing me. First round still managed to keep a constant speed of 30km/h. 2nd round dropped to 27 km/h. Uphill is hard but down (the) slope is super cool. Do nothing but just keep in aero-position and can go as high as 45km/h.”

Results

Men Pro
1st: Simon Thompson, 03:55:40 (AUS)
2nd: Terenzzo Bozzone, 03:55:55 (NZL)
3rd: Pete Jacobs, 03:57:47 (AUS)

Women Pro
1st: Rebekah Keat, 04:25:43 (AUS)
2nd: Gina Ferguson, 04: 29:46 (NZL)
3rd: Allison Fitch, 04:31:45 (AUS)

Top Local Finishers
Men
George Lawson, 04:28:17 (1st in 35-39 age group)
Daniel Plews, 04:29:29 (1st in 25-29)
Assad Attamimi 04:36:29 (3rd in 30-34)
Wilson Low 04:55:33 (4th in 25-29)

Women
Rachel Gaudry, 05:04:50 (1st in 35-39)
Sarah Thompson, 05:28:52 (1st in 30-34)
Elizabeth Crighton, 05:36:45 (4th in 25-29)
Jeanette Wang, 05:41:23 (5th in 25-29)

REDpoll

 Loading ...