First U.S. male finishes second to Canadian
| • | Top female bounces back from 2000 trials |
| • | 'People's race' draws almost 700 |
By Katherine Nichols
Special to The Advertiser
Canadian and 2000 Olympic triathlon gold medalist Simon Whitfield won the U.S. Olympic Trials Triathlon yesterday in 1 hour, 55 minutes and 52 seconds. But it was Hunter Kemper, who came in second in 1:55:57, who got the real prize: a trip to Athens, Greece, on the United States Olympic team this summer.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
As the first American finisher, he secured his berth, and couldn't have been happier. "It was such a hard day and a hard course, and I got through it," the 27-year-old said. "It's a great relief."
American Hunter Kemper, who finished second behind a Canadian triathlete, is headed to Athens for the Summer Olympics. He was the first American finisher in 1:55:57.
Australian Miles Stewart, 32, finished third in 1:56:09.
At about 3:15 p.m., American flags lining the pontoon where 21 of the top male triathletes in the world started the swim were standing stiff at attention in the gusting wind. White caps lined the ocean, and swirling currents made it challenging for the men to maintain a straight line on the course.
A fast and furious run to the transition area proved vital. Every second lost meant potentially riding the bike on your own, without the aid of others in the draft-legal race. And on a day like this, it might have determined the outcome.
A pack of three Australians broke away during the 40-kilometer bike ride that included five hilly laps around Diamond Head — with climbs up Kilauea to Kapi'olani Community College. Top-ranked Greg Bennett, who has already secured his place on the 2004 Australian Olympic team, pushed the pace with Richie Cunningham and Miles Stewart.
A majority of the remaining athletes trailed in a large pack.
"I thought it was over," said Whitfield about being left in the second group. "You don't let Australians get away."
U.S. coach Gale Bernhardt watched Bennett lead the bold surge up Kilauea, and thinks it might have cost the three Australians some energy in their legs during the run. Bennett ended up sixth in 1:56:46.
An estimated 500 spectators predicted this type of action on the punishing hill. They gathered at the top of Kilauea, ringing cow bells and yelling encouragement.
"This is where us bike snobs hang out, because this is the toughest part of the race," said engineer Bert Nakagawa, 43, a cycling enthusiast.
A slight rain shower greeted the athletes at the beginning of the 10K run, which took them around three loops down Kalakaua past cheering throngs of visitors and residents.
"I actually felt terrible at the start (of the run)," said Whitfield, who said that he and Kemper had to work hard to make up the 1-minute gap the lead group had put between them after the bike ride. "But I think that's just lack of race fitness."
This was his first competition since December.
Working together, Kemper and Whitfield closed in and overtook the leaders. About 8 kilometers into the run, Whitfield caught Stewart and surged away by himself, sealing the win.
Meanwhile, Kemper didn't want to be rushed into predictions for Athens. Like women's winner Barbara Lindquist, he wanted to savor the moment. "Right now," he said, "it's all about enjoying this victory and enjoying Honolulu."
FINAL RESULTS
- Simon Whitfield 1:55:52
- Hunter Kemper 1:55:57
- Miles Stewart 1:56:09
- Brad Kahlefeldt 1:56:21
- Andy Potts 1:56:31
- Greg Bennett 1:56:46
- Bryce Quirk 1:56:54
- Simon Thompson 1:57:01
- Victor Plata 1:57:25
- Michael Smedley 1:57:53
- Doug Friman 1:57:58
- Brian Fleischmann 1:58:23
- Andrew Kelsey 1:58:48
- Seth Wealing 1:59:34
- Joe Umphenour 1:59:55
- Matthew Reed 2:00:21
- Richie Cunningham 2:00:34
- Marcel Vifian 2:04:24
- Teppei Takeuchi 2:04:32
- Jeff Sneed 2:06:04
- Mark Fretta 2:06:30
Correction: A previous version of this story stated an incorrect time for winner Simon Whitfield.
