Triathlon: Whitfield wins Honolulu ITU International Triathlon

Victoria, Canada’s Simon Whitfield, has won the Honolulu ITU International Triathlon. It is was his first ITU race of the season, and he demonstrated that he is ready for this Olympic year. The event in Honolulu was also an American Olympic Team qualification race.

The race was filled with drama – at the start of the men’s race the surf had picked up and the waves were breaking over top of the athletes. Through the rough waves Whitfield was struck in the eye and was forced to backstroke through part of the swim until he regained his composure. By the end of the race his eye was visibly blackened.

Onto the bike there was much initial jockeying for position in the first two laps but the leaders of the bike were established in the final laps as Greg Bennett (AUS), Miles Stewart (AUS) and Richie Cunningham (AUS).

As the athletes started onto the run course an intense flash rain storm began pelting down – but the storm departed as quickly as it arrived and was finished by the second lap. Bennett led over Stewart for the first lap of the run but Stewart quickly reeled him in as Hunter Kemper (USA) and Simon Whitfield also ran through the group.

By teh final lap and into the finish chute Simon Whitfield, with a phenomenal run split, was the leader. Hunter Kemper finished in second position overall but as the first American across the finish line he claimed a position on the American Olympic team. The event was one of three American Olympic team qualifiers. Miles Stewart (AUS) completed the podium.

Simon Whitfield has met the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) standards for Olympic Qualification – the Canadian Olympic team members will be submitted to the COC prior to July 12, 2004.

In the women’s event American Barb Lindquist, currently ranked number 1 in the world, won the event and the Olympic qualifying position. Canada’s Lauren Groves, the only Canadian woman entered in the event, was unable to finish.

For results and more on Canadian Olympic qualification visit www.triathloncanada.com; for more event photos and stories visit www.triathlon.org..

Women’s Top Ten

1. Barb Lindquist (USA), 2. Liz Blatchford (AUS), 3. Susan Williams (USA), 4. Sheila Taormina (USA), 5. Julie Swail (USA), 6. Brigitte McMahon (SUI), 7. Evelyn Williamson (NZL), 8. Kelly Cook (USA), 9. Jessie Stensland (USA), 10. Laura Reback (USA)

Men’s Top 10

1.Simon Whitfield (CAN), 2. Hunter Kemper (USA), 3. Miles Stewart (AUS), 4. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS), 5. Andy Potts (USA), 6. Greg Bennett (USA), 7. Bryce Quirk (AUS), 8. Simon Thompson (AUS), 9. Victor Plata (USA), 10. Michael Smedley (USA)