Posted: May 13, 2005

Triathlon: Ishigaki, Japan Hosts Round 4 of the ITU Triathlon World Cup

Ishigaki, Japan, 13 May, 2005: For the 8th year in a row, the island of Ishigaki in the Okinawa region of Japan will host the next stop on the ITU World Cup Series.

The start list features the best of the Australians, with the current World Cup leader Loretta Harrop headlining the women’s team along with Nicole Hackett, the 2000 World Champion and Pip Taylor who has more than one World Cup podium to her credit. On the men’s side it is a veritable Aussie powerhouse led by 2003 World Champion Peter Robertson, 4th place Olympian Greg Bennett and Simon Thompson who won the last stop on the World Cup circuit in Mooloolaba, Australia.

The team from the USA is led by Hunter Kemper, the current World Cup leader with a win in Mazatlan and 2nd place in the season’s opener in Honolulu. Kemper will be supported in the swim and bike by teammates Seth Wealing and Andy Potts.

The British team is led by Tim Don, who won the World Cup in Honolulu earlier in the season, along with veteran Olympian Andrew Johns and 3rd place in the 2004 World Cup standing, Stuart Hayes. The women’s team is led by Michelle Dillon who was 2nd at this event in 2004, as well as Kerry Lang from Scotland who came out of nowhere in Mazatlan to post an impressive top 10 finish.

The largest team of all is the Japanese who boast one of the best women’s teams in the world led by Kiyomi Niwata, who on any given day can be a threat for a podium spot, as well as their other Olympic team members Machiko Nakanishi and Akiko Sekine. The men’s team will undoubtedly see Hiroyuki Nishiuchi exit the swim-bike section first and could very well hold on for a strong finish.

The team from the People’s Republic of China is the largest ever to begin a World Cup event, with Olympian Dan Wang leading the women and Jing Huang and Sheng Yang leading the men.

The event features a 2 lap swim in the Ishigaki port, followed by a 6 lap bike up and over the Southern Gate Bridge, then a 3 lap run through the streets of the city. If past years is an indicator, an estimated 40,000 spectators are expected to line the course to cheer on their triathlon heroes.

Ishigaki is fast becoming a favourite tourist destination for Japan and Asia, and the support that the citizens of the town provide for the World Cup event is dramatic. The mayor of Ishigaki, Dr. Ohama has attached a slogan to this year’s event, “Go For World Peace”, which has been embraced by ITU and the capable organizers from the Japanese Triathlon Union.

Triathlon.org will be covering the event online with live results, photos, text updates and live audio featuring ITU’s “Voices of Triathlon”, Jackie Fairweather and Barrie Shepley.

Live coverage begins with the start of the women’s event at 12:30 local time, 05:30 in Madrid, 13:30 in Sydney, 20:30 in Vancouver and 23:30 in New York.

For complete pre-race stories and start lists, please visit www.triathlon.org.