| Makuhari,
Japan, 5 October 2002: For immediate release: The
new high-tech city of Makuhari, just 30 kilometres from
downtown Tokyo, is the site for Sunday's face-off between
many of the world's best triathletes. The 2-lap, 1.5km
swim will feature a pontoon dive start into the Pacific
Ocean, followed by a 7-lap, 40km flat and very fast bike
course and a 3-lap, 10 km run through Makuhari Kaihinn
Park and around the Chiba Marine Baseball Stadium. The
event is organised under the expert management skills
of the Japanese Triathlon Union.
In
the women's event, Jill Savege of Canada has to be the
odds on favourite after her sprint finish upset of World
Ranked #1 Siri Lindley of the USA at the Hamburg World
Cup. Savege's biggest challenge will come from Nicole
Hackett, Australia's 2000 World Champion, who could
use her swimming prowess to join forces with Russia's
Olga Generalova and make a break on the bike. Another
strong contender has to be Lenka Radova from the Czech
Republic who has two international victories in Japan
this year including the World University Triathlon Championships.
Japanese running specialists Kyomi Niwata and Machiko
Nakanishi always race very well at home, and could create
some excitement for the hometown crowd of 50,000 expected
to line the course.
On
the men's side, the strongest contenders have to be
Australian team-mates Miles Stewart and Peter Robertson
who will be looking to increase their cache of 2002
World Cup titles. Stewart will be sharp after his recent
victory at the Nice World Cup, with Robertson claiming
titles at the Geelong and Ishigaki World Cups earlier
this year. Filip Ospaly of the Czech Republic, winner
of the Lausanne World Cup is also in a strong position
to land himself the Makuhari crown. A string of 2002
World Cup podium finishers also look hungry to move
up to the top step, including Hamish Carter (New Zealand),
who was third at both the Edmonton World Cup and the
Commonwealth Games in Manchester; Hunter Kemper (USA)
who nearly beat out Olympic Champion Simon Whitfield
at the Corner Brook World Cup, and Andrew Johns, who
has been on the podium three times this year, and is
looking to knock off all other would-be contenders for
Sunday's title. As well, Dimitriy Gaag of Kazakhstan
can never be ruled out.
With
the qualification deadline for the 2002 Cancun ITU World
Championships looming, everyone in Sunday's event will
be hoping to move up into the top 50 World Rankings
as a guarantee of a spot on the starting line in November
in Mexico, land of the Aztecs, Mariachis and sun blessed
beaches.
The
highly successful live coverage of the World Cup events
on ITU's web-site www.triathlon.org will begin from
Makuhari at 8:30 a.m. local time.
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