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Brazilian Reinaldo Colucci, the 'dark horse' of one of the strongest pro field in Ironman 70.3 this season, became the first-ever winner of an Ironman 70.3 event in Asia, after he emerged victorious in the inaugural Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Triathlon.
With reigning For Ironman World Champion 70.3. Craig Alexander of Australia dropping out of the race midway through the cycling leg with a punctured tyre, the race was thrown wide open for the likes of Colucci, 2007 Ironman Switzerland winner Ronnie Schildknecht of Switzerland and two-time Olympian. Andrew Johns of the United Kingdom, to battle it out for the elite men’s title.
Colucci signalled his intentions early in the race, leading the field from the swim off the East Coast of Singapore, while it was Ronnie Schildknecht and fellow countryman Mathias Hecht who were the first to complete the bike leg.
However the remarkable 21-year-old Colucci soon wrestled the lead from the Swiss duo shortly into the run leg. He then held on to win comfortably in a time of 3:49:59, 40 seconds ahead of nearest challenger Schildknecht, who placed second in 3:50:39, and with Stephen Bayliss of the United Kingdom running into third place, some four minutes later.
Colucci said of his triumph: “All I had to do was race smart and just go as fast as I could. The conditions are similar to my hometown (in Brazil) - hot and humid - but I have been also been training in Thailand for the past two weeks so I was well prepared for the conditions here.”
On his thoughts about some of the top contenders dropping out, he added: “The bike path is very good. It is unfortunate that some riders had to pull out but these things happen. On the whole I think this event is very well organised.”
The bike leg claimed Alexander, New Zealand's Hamish Johnson, and Ryan O'Neill from the UK. Whilst the day went badly for those less fortunate, there were great results for some, including fourth place Andrew Johns, and Australia's Aaron Farlow, who surged into the top five with the fastest run of the day!
There was also an upset in the elite women’s category as Australian Belinda Granger, winner of the 2006 Ironman Canada and inaugural winner of the Ironman 70.3 Australia, blitzed the field to win by six minutes in a time of 4:11:23, heading fellow Aussie Mirinda Carfrae, who was third in the inaugural Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 and the UK's Chrissie Wellington who had won Ironman Korea, just one week earlier.
Said the 36-year-old Grainger: “The conditions actually suited me down to the ground. I have been in Switzerland and just came down on Thursday but today we've got cloud cover and it was not as humid as I expected and I was off to a good start.”
On her thoughts about the inaugural Ironman 70.3 event in Asia, she said: “It's the first year in Singapore, but it was nearly flawless for a first time event!"
“The race itself was tough and there were some very strong girls in this race, like Chrissie (Wellington of United Kingdom), who had just won Ironman Korea, so I am happy to have won here. I am a strong believer in defending my title so I am definitely coming back for sure next year.”
Behind Granger, Carfrae and Wellington, the top five placings included Australia's Ali Fitch, and Holland's Yvonne van Vlerken.
It was a case of ‘what if’ for fellow Australian Alexander, 34, the overwhelming pre-race favourite, who had flown in from Denver, Colorado, to participate in the inaugural Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore.
“I am afraid I have to say I will be disappointed at leaving Singapore without a result,” he said. “It is just one of those things that happen in racing. At the 35km mark, my back tyre got punctured. I was second out of the water in a pack of six or seven. I pulled out of the race after I lost a lot of time trying to change my tyre, but my hands were getting all sweaty."
Despite his obvious dismay, Alexander was full of praise for the scenic route. He said: “It was a beautiful course, pity I did not manage to finish. My legs felt really good and I had a very good preparation. The whole course feels really flat and the weather was not as hot as I had expected it to be.”
Expressing similar sentiments was Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports Mr Teo Ser Luck, who is also the Patron of the event and a competitor too!
The avid triathlete, who took part in the race and completed it in a little more than five hours, said: "It was a great route, especially the bike route, which was very technical with a lot of turns.
"This was the first Ironman 70.3 triathlon organised in Asia, and I have to congratulate the organising committee for their fantastic work they have put in. The success of the inaugural event is a big milestone for the Singaporean sporting scene, and it has put Singapore on the world map."
2007 Aviva Singapore Ironman 70.3 Triathlon - Elite Male and Female
Male:
Pos. Bib Surname Forename Nationality Swim RankS Bike RankB Run RankR Total RankCat Remark
1 8 COLUCCI REINALDO Brazil 00:25:28 1 02:02:39 3 01:21:53 3 03:49:59 1
2 4 SCHILDKNECHT RONNIE Switzerland 00:27:48 9 02:00:21 1 01:22:32 4 03:50:39 2
3 14 BAYLISS STEPHEN United Kingdom 00:25:35 4 02:08:48 6 01:20:16 2 03:54:37 3
4 10 JOHNS ANDREW United Kingdom 00:25:33 3 02:02:32 2 01:27:20 6 03:55:24 4
5 20 FARLOW AARON Australia 00:27:57 13 02:09:10 7 01:19:51 1 03:56:56 5
Female:
Pos. Bib Surname Forename Nationality Swim RankS Bike RankB Run RankR Total RankCat Remark
1 28 GRANGER BELINDA Australia 00:27:48 2 02:09:31 1 01:34:04 4 04:11:23 1
2 26 CARFRAE MIRINDA Australia 00:28:42 5 02:16:14 2 01:32:22 2 04:17:17 2
3 31 WELLINGTON CHRISSIE United Kingdom 00:28:00 4 02:18:13 4 01:33:05 3 04:19:18 3
4 32 FITCH ALI Australia 00:27:50 3 02:17:29 3 01:37:45 6 04:23:03 4
5 30 VAN VLERKEN YVONNE Netherlands 00:34:44 7 02:19:17 5 01:30:35 1 04:24:34 5
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