The reigning Ford Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Craig Alexander, will headline a star studded field entered for the inaugural Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore the exciting debut event for Ironman 70.3 racing in Asia set for September 2nd 2007.
Number one seed for the race, Alexander joins three other athletes to have won world titles in triathlon. Bella Comerford of the United Kingdom was the 2006 World Long Distance Champion and a four time winner of Ironman Florida while Dutchwoman, Yvonne van Vlerken is the reigning world long distance Duathlon Champion and winner of the 2006 Ironman 70.3 Antwerp, Belgium. The international duo are joined by Australian Olympian, Rina Hill, the 1998 World Long Distance champ and the first woman ever to win an Ironman swim (3.8km) outright enroute to a fifth place in Ironman Switzerland 2000.
Alexander, a US based Australian athlete, remains unbeaten over the Ironman 70.3 distance, but his entry in Singapore sets up a 'battle royal' between himself and one of the sport's fastest stars, Australian Luke Bell, already a winner of Ironman 70.3 races in Lake Stevens, Buffalo Springs and California and second placed in Ironman New Zealand this year and Ironman Brazil last year!
The Aussie duo will be also put under pressure from Swiss number one, Ronnie Schildknecht, the remarkable triathlete who has just completed an impressive double in winning both the 2007 Ironman Switzerland, and the 2007 Ironman 70.3 Switzerland!
The Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore elite field features a total of 34 of the world's top triathletes - all heading to Singapore for what will be arguably be the best international field at an Ironman 70.3 race this year!
Attracted by the first ever Ironman 70.3 in Asia, the largest purse outside of the USA, and the excitement of preparing in Singapore for both the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 world champs in Hawaii and Florida (Singapore conditions closely emulate those of Florida and Hawaii), elite athletes have been drawn from the four corners of the world.
There's also the added attraction of the Aviva Excellence Awards that have boosted the prize money for the pro racers by $12,000 SGD to close to $38,000USD!
From Europe, the entries are led by Schildknecht and the Swiss No# 2, Mathias Hecht, joined by Germany's Uwe Vidmann, a consistent performer in European Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races, and Denmark's national Champion, Oyvind Johannessen. Stephen Bayliss from Great Britain was fifth in Ironman Brazil and two time British Olympian, Andrew Johns, second in the 2007 Ironman Malaysia event join the Euro based athletes.
In the women's field the Netherlands's van Vlerken is joined by two UK stars in Comerford and rising star, Chrissie Wellington, fifth at her first Ironman 70.3 start in the UK just weeks ago.
From the Americas there's Canada's Michael Simpson, 5th in the Ironman 70.3 World Champs last November, and Brazilian superstar in the making, Reinaldo Colucci, second in this year's Ironman Brazil, plus a team of US based Australian athletes in Alexander, Bell, Mirinda Carfrae (third in the 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Champs), and New Zealand's Bryan Rhodes who has twice won Ironman Malaysia and the Ironman UK once...
Add in an Anzac invasion of New Zealand and Australian based stars from the global Ironman 70.3 series, such as Australian Ironman 70.3 winner and four times Ironman Korea winner, Belinda Granger, reigning Ironman Australia champion Rebekah Keat and Ironman West Australia winner, Jason Shortis, plus Olympian, Maxine Seaar, top five finisher in Ironman Switzerland, Ali Fitch, and top Aussie internationals, all regulars on the Ironman 70.3 or Half Ironman podiums in Peter Jacobs, Cameron Watt, Tim Berkel, and young guns, Tom Jepson, Josh Rix and Aaron Farlow.
New Zealand will also have some rising stars present in Hamish Johnson and Scott Larsen!
The remarkable race through the CBD of Singapore has also attracted the biggest challenged athlete field of 2007, with five individuals and a trio of PC athlete teams taking on the awesome Ironman 70.3 challenge and the organisers and field taking on an an assistance program for the SDSC.
And behind the flying pro athletes will be over 1200 age group triathletes and team swimmers, cyclists and runners - the individuals competing for 75 qualifying slots to the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship and all competing for the unique Ironman Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore finisher's medal.
Entries for this ground breaking event have grown to represent 44 countries from around the world, meaning Singapore on September 2nd will the global sporting focus of the Ironman 70.3 world!
Entries remain open for the spectacular Singapore event; but with the field nearing capacity, it's time to act. Enter now.
Further event information is available through the official website at www.ironman703singpore.com.
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