Posted: April 16, 2007

Triathlon (USAT): Shoemaker Top American at Ishigaki World Cup

ISHIGAKI, Japan (April 16, 2007) -- On a tough day of unpredictable weather conditions, Jarrod Shoemaker was the top American in Ishigaki, the second stop of the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series. Shoemaker crossed the line in tenth place, his fourth career World Cup top ten finish. He also gains valuable Olympic qualifying points on the road to Beijing 2008. Joe Umphenour finished in 20th place, also picking up points in the Olympic qualifying race. "I had a good swim, survived the bike, and felt great on the run," said Shoemaker. "The people of Ishigaki were really great and provided amazing support throughout the day. I would love to come back again next year." Courtney Atkinson continued his dominance of the course with his fourth career win at the Ishigaki World Cup, a course he considers lucky after losing his wedding ring in the swim two years ago. The Aussie has enjoyed tremendous success in Japan as all five of his World Cup wins have come on Japanese soil (Ishigaki in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2000 and Makuhari in 2003). With the win, Atkinson now sits atop the BG Triathlon World Cup rankings and takes home a large share of the Olympic qualifying points and the US$100,000 prize money. Final Men's Results: 1st - Courtney Atkinson (AUS) 1:53:27 2nd - Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:54:13 3rd - Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:54:26 10th - Jarrod Shoemaker (Sudbury, MA) 1:55:28 20th - Joe Umphenour (Bellevue, WA) 1:56:30 51st - Brian Fleischmann (Jacksonville, FL) 1:59:31 DNF - Matthew Reed (Boulder, CO) On the women's side, Sarah Groff was the highest American finishing in 29th place. Amanda Stevens and Rebeccah Wassner also finished inside the top 40 which earns them precious Olympic qualifying points. Former NCAA All-American swimmer Sara McLarty was first after the swim but she fell behind in the bike leg and failed to finish the race (read Sara's experiences in her own words). The women's field came down to Portuguese sensation Vanessa Fernandes and her Australian nemesis Emma Snowsill. The significant hill, which athletes had to negotiate twice on each of the three laps of the run, was where Fernandes made her move. The last time up the hill she powered away to take her 15th career World Cup victory and first in Ishigaki. With the second place finish, Snowsill maintains her spot atop the world rankings. Final Women's Results: 1st - Vanessa Fernandes (POR) 2:04:16 2nd - Emma Snowsill (AUS) 2:04:34 3rd - Debbie Tanner (NZL) 2:04:51 29th - Sarah Groff (Cooperstown, NY) 2:10:03 37th - Amanda Stevens (Enid, OK) 2:11:11 38th - Rebeccah Wassner (New York, NY) 2:11:19 51st - Margaret Shapiro (Annandale, VA) 2:14:23 DNF - Sara McLarty (Colorado Springs, CO) DNF - Jasmine Oeinck (Littleton, CO) Home to the longest running triathlon World Cup, 13 years, the tiny island of Ishigaki is also a top Asian tourist destination attracting thousands of people year- round from the region every day. For full results, schedule, race reports, athlete quotes and high-resolution images, visit the ITU's Online Media Centre. Comments from USAT Sport Performance Director Scott Schnitzspahn: "Well, it was an interesting day. Beginning with torrential rains that delayed the start slightly while the transition was moved from under a couple inches of water, the girls got off to a good start. Sara led out of the water. She raced so smart, staying out of the gale force cross winds over and back on the bridge and staying near the front of the lead bike pack the whole way. The first two laps of the run she was having the best world cup run of her career, holding solidly onto 10th place. On the third and final lap, with approximately 1.5 to 2k to go, dehydration struck hard and she was zigzagging across the run course and had to be taken off the course to the medical tent. A lap and a half previous to that Jasmine went down on the run course with two cramped legs and severe dyhydration as well. Sarah Groff, Becca Wassner, and Amanda Stevens all had solid races but lost ground on every 180 degree turnaround and corner on the course due to their lack of bike handling skills, but had solid runs. Margie Shapiro did a lot of work on the bike, riding by herself near the back of the field most of the day until she caught a small group of about 6 girls who sucked onto her wheel for the rest of the ride. On the men's side, Joe Umphenour swam perfectly and positioned himself in the lead group, which quickly became the chase group to breakaway specialists Craig Walton, Albert, and now 4 time winner here- Courtney Atkinson. The three of them rode very well together and put about 1:20 into the chase pack, to spite Joe's efforts to motivate the chasers. The two bigger men were no match for Atkinson's run and with the lead over the chasers that they had built on the bike, he cruised to an easy victory for the 3rd year in a row here and 4th of his career in Ishigaki. Joe lost some ground to the fleet footed runners in the bigger 2nd chase pack who had been saving their legs for the run and finished a respectable 20th, coming down the finishing stretch with legs on verge of cramping at any moment. Jarrod Shoemaker bided his time near the back of the second chase pack and used his outstanding running to post the fastest run split of the day and take 10th place. Matt Reed had an ok swim but ended in the second chase pack where he continually pushed the pace at the front and got no help in return for his trouble. Feeling his efforts were in vain, he pulled out shortly into the first lap of the run. Brian Fleischmann had an uncharacteristic day, losing the first chase pack on the bike and falling back to the big 2nd chase pack where he ran steady but finished 51st." Up next: In three weeks, the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series travels to Lisbon, Portugal where Vanessa Fernandes is sure to thrill the crowds as she competes on home turf with more Olympic qualifying points at stake. About USA Triathlon USA Triathlon is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,000 races and connects with more than 90,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. Website: USATriathlon.org.