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Abu Dhabi Triathlon Foursome Out To Grab Ironman Title In Hawaii |
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Four members of the Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team are all set to capture the title of ‘world’s best’ as months of rigid multi-event preparations, conditioning and qualification are finally put to test at the 2010 Ironman World Championship - the sport’s pinnacle event happening in Kona, Hawaii this weekend. Led by Faris Al Sultan, team captain and 2005 Ironman world champion, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed elite athletic squad also boasts Australia’s Pete Jacobs, Germany’s Andi Böcherer and the UK’s Rachel Joyce, who will all compete for top honours at the strictly by-qualification only race. And as the annual culmination of a year-long series of Ironman events, only a limited number of athletes from across the globe have been given the chance to challenge the Big Island’s tough terrain and weather conditions and stake their claim as Ironman’s toughest athlete. “We are pumped up for the World Championships, we’ve been working so hard all season and now it’s here. We’re ready to go out there and challenge for top honours,” said Al Sultan, who has three Ironman titles after Arizona 2005, the World Championship 2005 and Malaysia 2008. Al Sultan, Jacobs and Joyce qualified for this year’s race following their sterling top-10 finish last year, while Böcherer’s runner-up finish at the inaugural Regensburg triathlon event in Germany earned him the coveted slot. A fifth member of the team, Swen Sundberg of Germany, also qualified for the race following a runner-up finish at Switzerland’s Ironman Zurich. However, last minute health issues forced him to pull out of the 9th October event. With a multi-continent, multi-race training regimen behind them, Al Sultan, Jacobs, Böcherer and Joyce said they were fired up for the Hawaiian showpiece. “In spite of a bad season in 2009, I was still able to pull off a good race in Hawaii last year to qualify for this year’s championships after a solid training block in California. With a far better performance in the 2010 season’s races, I want to be the best in Hawaii,” added Al Sultan, nicknamed the Sultan of Sweat. “My dream was to form a professional triathlon team and Abu Dhabi helped me fulfil that dream. It is an honour for me to represent Abu Dhabi as it has given me so much. For more than 10 years it offered me some of the best training conditions anyone can find. It has been the base of my continued success.” Buoyed by his recent victory under hot and humid weather conditions at the Philippines Ironman 70.3, Jacobs said he was in top form going into the physically draining Kona event. “My victory in the Philippines was an enormous boost to my confidence and my ability to race well in hot conditions like in Hawaii,” said the Sydney native, who finished 8th last year, just 10 minutes off 2009 Ironman World Champion and compatriot Craig Alexander’s winning time of 8h20m21s. “I believe my chances of winning are much higher than last year, and I am confident of finishing in the top three. “The support of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has been much greater than anything I have had before,” Jacobs added. “It takes away a lot of distractions and makes me proud to be winning not just for myself, but for Abu Dhabi and the entire team.” Böcherer, a short-course expert, was modest about his chances of winning the race but believed the considerable time spent in Abu Dhabi completing his training regime had given him a timely boost. “Looking at my results since I joined the team, it is obvious that the relationship between Abu Dhabi and I has been very successful. I am able to train in Abu Dhabi’s sunny winter climate and that made my preparation for the season very easy and pleasant,” he added. “After experiencing its excellent training conditions and friendly people, I feel like a true representative of the emirate, and I want to show that through race victories and good sportsmanship.” As the sole Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team entry in the female professional category, Joyce, who finished sixth at last year’s Ironman World Championships behind 2009 champion and compatriot Chrissie Wellington, knows too well that the race is not just a battle against the competition but also against the harsh elements of the island. Hoping to use her absence from some of the season’s races as an advantage, she believes the support she received whilst injured allowed her to concentrate on rehabilitation and training and has put her in good stead for Hawaii. “I feel mentally fresh and hungry to race in Kona,” said Joyce. “I haven’t raced as much as I would have liked, but I hope I can use this to my advantage in Saturday’s race. I will be going into the race looking for a top ten finish. “The support I have received from ADTA has been incredibly important,” she added. “It means that I have been able to concentrate totally on my training. In previous years of racing as a professional tri-athlete, I needed to spend quite a lot of time working to fund my training and racing. “This year I had an unfortunate injury which meant my racing plans were changed slightly. Being part of the team made an incredible difference as it meant I still had all the support whilst I rehabilitated my injury. Having facilitated my return to racing, the support from Abu Dhabi adds an extra dimension as this further encourages me to perform well and validate the support I have had during the year.” Weather forecasts for Kona on Saturday predict a sunny morning and cloudy afternoon, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 28 degrees Celcius. However, choppy and unforgiving sea conditions await world-class athletes as they swim through 3.8km of the Kailua Bay, and tackle the 180km bike and 42km run against menacing cross winds and lava covered terrain on the island. This year’s male and female professional categories will have 68 and 53 participants respectively, led by defending champions Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington. Abu Dhabi Triathlon Team, created by ADTA to further the emirate’s performance athletics’ credentials globally, has competed in more than 40 top international events this season, including the Ironman and 70.3 series and the French Championships. |
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