No favourites in the land of the Ironmen

28/01/2001

THE Ironman Malaysia triathlon 2001 rolls off today and it would be
foolish to place your money on the big names before they come out of the
water at the Dataran Lang jetty.
The men's professional defending champion Kaoru Matsuda from Japan,
Lothar Leder from Germany, who comes with an impressive resume of having
finished third twice in Hawaii in 1998 and 1999, and the women's pros
favourites Susan Peter from Australia and world's top woman triathlete
Natascha Badmann will have to swim, cycle and run like their lives
depended on it to reach the finish line.
This is because almost all the 320 triathletes assembled in Langkawi
have only one goal, and that is to dip below 8 hours and 40 minutes.
And after they emerge from the 3.8km swim, seen as the most gruelling
stage for most Ironmen, a clearer pattern will emerge on the eventual
champions of their respective categories.
Bryan Rhodes from New Zealand, yet to win any Ironman title after four
years of competing, has a special reason to topple champion Matsuda and
Ironman Europe 2000 champion Leder.
"I will be turning 28 tomorrow (January 28) and since the race is also
on the 28th, I hope to celebrate my birthday by reaching the finish line
first," said the Kiwi.
Natascha, who said she would not sleep until her bicycle arrives from
Switzerland, finally went to bed at 10am yesterday when her second bike
arrived in Langkawi. The handle of her bicycle broke while she was in
training on Friday.
The professionals, numbering 24 men and 12 women, are expected to finish
the race ranging from 8-10 hours after the 7.0am start but the rest of the
age group and special athletes are expected to trickle in at around
midnight.
Last year Matsuda clocked 8:49:12 for the title while Susan clocked
9:55:17 for the woman's crown.
As for the Malaysian athletes, Mohamed Razani Hussain is the only entry
in the professional category.
Since it is his first full triathlon, he might find the going tough.
Razani arrived at midnight on Friday and will only have one full day of
training on the island as compared to most foreign triathletes who have
been in Langkawi for the past two weeks.
(END)