Posted: October 28, 2004

Triathlon: Snowsill and Walton return to Noosa

Snowsill Domination Set To Continue At Noosa Tri

The rise and rise of Emma Snowsill is set to continue at the Noosa Triathlon on November 7 as the 22 year will line up to defend her title following an outstanding US season.

Ever since the Noosa Triathlon first captured her imagination aged 15, Emma dreamt of winning the event. That was 1997 when Craig Walton set the course record of 1:44:13 which still stands today and another Emma (Carney) took out the Noosa title, as Snowsill watched from the sidelines.

"This is my favourite race in the world" she said "The first time I ever saw a triathlon was at Noosa and I thought, oh my God, imagine winning this".

Six years later that dream became a reality when Emma Snowsill claimed her first Noosa Tri victory, made even sweeter as partner Craig Walton also took out his third Noosa title. She not only won the event but decimated the field winning by the biggest margin ever seen at Noosa.

Emma is no overnight sensation but looking at her results from a junior in 2000 when she won the World Championships in Perth in the 16-20 category through to her first international win in Makuhari, Japan in 2003 just two weeks before her Noosa Triathlon victory has been a steady climb to the top.

In December 2003 Snowsill cemented her position as the number one female triathlete in the world winning the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Queenstown, NZ by an incredible margin of 1:23sec. Snowsill capped off 2003 with yet another title - ITU World Cup Champion.

In 2004 Snowsill has continued her dominance of every event she has entered, the Sylvan Lake Half Ironman in Canada by 20 mins, the Chicago Triathlon, the world's largest triathlon with 7,500 participants by 4 mins and just two weeks later decimated the field at the LA Triathlon from start to finish.

The reigning ITU World Champion is now back home on the Gold Coast as she prepares for her Noosa assault in just three weeks time.

"It's so good to be home, there's no place like it. I'm really looking forward to Noosa, it's my favourite race and I'm hoping to wrap up 2004 with a win."

Snowsill admits she has been a little weary since returning but simply puts it down to all the travelling.

"I'm back into my full training program in preparation for Noosa and I'm injury free and hoping for a good result."

Athens Olympian Rina Hill who was a confirmed starter in the triathlon has withdrawn following the announcement of her pregnancy.

"It was a bit of a surprise to fall so soon, I was planning on hopefully falling after the Noosa Tri. I'll have to wait and make 2005 my comeback event as I did after the birth of my daughter Rochelle in 2003."

Rina will however, still compete in the Eyeline 1000 Noosa Ocean Swim on Friday night and back up on Sunday to do the swim leg for her husbands team in the triathlon.

Walton Back On Track To Retain Noosa Title

The Noosa Triathlon is well known around the world for setting and breaking records of all kinds, but with the nomination of reigning Noosa champions Craig Walton and Emma Snowsill, there will now be some very personal records which will be under threat on the big day in November. Walton and Snowsill, who are not only the reigning champion-duo but also a couple in life outside triathlon, are determined to repeat their championship winning performance of 2003 with the same number one placing for each of them in 2004.

Walton, who was probably the world's most consistent and dominant triathlete in 2003, has had a less than fantastic 2004 season. It started out on a winning note at the Mooloolaba Triathlon, Australian Championships in April. After heading over to the U.S to mount his 2003 campaign he was struck down with recurring sickness hampering his ability to train and perform at his normal record breaking level. He discovered soon after the Los Angeles Triathlon that he had actually been affected by a bout of glandular fever which had been lingering for some months. Walton is still trying to get the ongoing effects of his illness under control but is almost back to normal training levels. He is planning to get as close to peak performance as possible at Noosa on Sunday, 7 November and prove he is the best all-round triathlete in the world with a record win at Australia's largest and most prestigious triathlon.

Even though suffering the debilitating effects of glandular fever, Walton managed to finish second in the Chicago Triathlon but was bed ridden for five days afterwards. "I just had a raging fever for five days and was bone tired, it really wiped me out," said Walton.

"I actually lost a lot of muscle mass over a seven week period not being able to train properly and I had no appetite at all which compounded the problem. It has been a real struggle trying to train and race through it but I'm hoping the worst is behind me now."

"I don't know if I'll be able to crack my race record but I'm hoping to create history by being the first to claim a hat trick of wins and four Noosa titles," says the affable Walton, "and it would obviously be a real buzz for Emma and I to take the double again this year in the last and most important race of our 2004 season."

Snowsill on the other hand has enjoyed another great 2004 with wins in Sylvan Lake Half Ironman, Canada, Los Angeles Triathlon and the biggest triathlon in the world Chicago Triathon. Her first ever win at Noosa in 2003 was a dream come true for the determined 23 year old who saw her first triathlon in Noosa at the age of 15 and has dreamt of winning the Noosa Triathlon crown ever since. Her rise to fame, and a solid position in the world's top few female triathletes, was cemented in 2003 with her World Championship win in Queenstown, NZ. Her goal now is to repeat her 2003 performance at Noosa and then retain the Noosa champion's crown for more years than her partner Walton. Some say this is a big task for a younger, less experienced campaigner such as Snowsill, but they obviously haven't seen the steely look in the eyes of this champion when she talks about her aspirations and goals in this gruelling sport, and what she plans to achieve in Noosa this November on the biggest triathlon stage in Australia.