Geelong Provides Warm-up for World's - Triathlon Week

Robert G. · 11-20-2003, 11:03 AM

SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 20, 2003) - U.S. elite triathlete Barb Lindquist, ranked No. 1 in the world, will lead the U.S. team at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup race in Geelong, Australia on Sunday, two weeks before the elite race at the ITU Triathlon World Championships.

Lindquist (Victor, Idaho) is the only U.S. woman competing in Geelong. The U.S. men planning

Barb Lindquist hopes to win one more World Cup race this year.
copyright ITU Media / Spomedis 2003

to compete are Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, Wash.; No. 32 world, No. 3 U.S.), Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, Fla.; No. 49 world, No. 5 U.S.), Victor Plata (San Luis Obispo, Calif.; No. 50 world, No. 6 U.S.) and Andy Kelsey (Cupertino, Calif.; No. 58 world; No. 7 U.S.).

All the U.S. athletes but Kelsey will go on to Queenstown, New Zealand to compete at the world championships.

U.S. elite Hunter Kemper (Longwood, Fla.) - No. 9 in the world and the top-ranked U.S. man - was scheduled to compete in Geelong, but had to withdraw due to illness.

Bevan Docherty of New Zealand, ranked No. 4 in the world, will lead the international competition, along with Chris Hill of Australia and Martin Krnavek of the Czech Republic.

Lindquist can expect competition from Jill Savege (No. 4) and Carol Montgomery (No. 5) of Canada, Kathleen Smet (No. 10) of Belgium and Liz Blatchford (No. 11) and Emma Snowsill (No. 22) of Australia, among others.

The prize purse is $65,000 U.S. The course is described as a one-lap, 1.5k swim in ocean waters (wetsuits will likely be necessary), an eight-lap, 40k, "undulating" bike course and a four-lap, 10k, undulating run course. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 60s and lower 70s with cloudy skies.

Geelong is the last ITU World Cup race of the year. The 2003 ITU Triathlon World Championships will take place Dec. 6-7 in Queenstown, New Zealand. Juniors and age groupers will race on Saturday, Dec. 6, while elites and under-23 triathletes will race on Dec. 7.

More information and a complete start list are available at www.triathlon.org.