On
the womens side, Brazils Sandra Solden
placed 13th at the Gamagori WC and took first place
at the Puerta Vallarta ITU race earlier this season.
Compatriot Mariana Ohata was seventh at the St. Anthonys
WC in April and American Jenny Marine was third at
the Guatemala ITU race in the spring.
The
mens elite field is expected to top 70 athletes
and the womens 40 from Canada, USA, Brazil,
New Zealand, Chile and Costa Rica. The Age Group/Sprint
and Relay field is anticipated to top 250 racers.
In
addition to being an ITU race, the Nike Victoria International
Triathlon is hosting the Canadian Elite Triathlon
Championships (Championnats canadiens de triathlon
délite) and the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Trials. The second male and female athletes named
to the team will be the first two Canadians over the
finish line apart from Whitfield and Montgomery
- and the fifth spot will go to the next male or female
Canadian across the line who has the highest ITU ranking
based on Commonwealth Games selection criteria.
Canadian
athletes will also have the opportunity to qualify
for the 2002 World University Triathlon Championships
and the U23 and age group categories for the 2002
Triathlon World Championships. $40K in prize money,
ITU points for the top ten finishers the fifth stop
on the Tri BC Race Series make the Nike Victoria International
Triathlon a not-to-be-missed event on the triathlon
circuit.
The
Age Group start is at 7:00 a.m. and Elite at10 a.m.
For start list and more information, visit www.pacificsport.com
or call (250) 744-3583, ext. 24.
The
PacificSport National Triathlon Centre is one of six
national sport centers at PacificSport Canadian Sport
Centre - Victoria. It is a partnership of Triathlon
Canada, Triathlon BC and PacificSport Canadian Sport
Centre - Victoria. The PacificSport Group is the BC
Network of Canadian & Regional Sport Centres committed
to world-class athlete services, coaching excellence
and long-term sport development. PacificSport includes
national centres in Victoria and Vancouver and regional
centres serving Vancouver Island (Nanaimo), Fraser
Valley (Abbotsford), Interior BC (Kamloops) and Northern
BC (Prince George and the Okanagan (Kelowna). The
national sport centres in Victoria and Vancouver are
part of the Canadian Sport Centre Network that includes
Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and
Calgary.
Media
Contact: Joanna Fox, PacificSport Canadian Sport Centre-
Victoria, (250) 595-1955, cell 882-5426.
Pre-event
Media Conference: Friday, June 14 @ 10:30 a.m. at
the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort, 45 Songhees Road, Victoria.