Ishigaki World Cup 2011

Barbara Riveros Diaz continues great start to 2011 with win in Ishigaki....

Barbara Riveros Diaz claimed bronze in the first ITU World Cup of the season in Mooloolaba, before finishing second behind Canadian Paula Findlay in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Sydney race last weekend.Chilean Barbara Riveros Diaz has continued her stellar start to season 2011 by running away with the women’s Ishigaki ITU World Cup title in Japan.

But she came in as the highest-ranked female at Ishigaki and didn’t disappoint, proving unbeatable once she had established a lead on the run to top the podium for the first time in 2011. Ireland’s Aileen Morrisonclaimed silver, while three-time Olympian and defending Ishigaki champion Kiyomi Niwata (JPN) made a late charge to claim bronze.

The race was the first in Japan since the devastating earthquake last month and athletes, officials and fans observed a minutes silence for the victims of the tragedy. Afterwards, Riveros Diaz said she hoped she had brought a smile to the nation.

“My victory is for everyone, giving love and happiness,” Riveros Diaz said.

“I was a little tired from the last race, but have to be smart and manage myself to get to the finish line. The atmosphere was amazing.  Even if I wasn’t Japanese, they were cheering me.”

The race started in almost perfect conditions, 28 degrees celsius in the air and 23 in the water, and the attacks started right from the swim.

Kerry Lang (GBR), Line Jensen (DEN), Radka Vodickova (CZE) and Eri Kawashima (JPN) broke away in the water and took their lead into the bike.  Coming into fourth lap, the group has a sizeable 30-second gap. But the chase that included Riveros Diaz, Morrison, Mariko Adachi (JPN) and Kirsten Sweetland (CAN) turned on the pace and within a lap had caught them. A total of 30 athletes then hit transition together.

But that mass run group didn’t last for long as Riveros Diaz made her move in the first lap, from there her incredibly efficient strides took her lead further on each hilly lap heading into the finish. A chase group that included Morrison, Niwata, Erin Densham (AUS) and Marina Damlaimcourt (ESP) tried to catch her but to no avail.

Morrison did pull away from the bunch in the final lap, to add another world cup podium to her quickly growing ITU resume, and said she couldn’t have been happier.

“Absolutely fantastic and delighted to stand on the podium,” she said. “A lovely place to do a race, in Ishigaki. Fantastic people, fantastic course.  It was really hard, yet loved it and am delighted I finished second.”

The Ishigaki ITU Triathlon World Cup is the longest running ITU World Cup event, having been held every year since 1996.  The island, approximately 2,000km southwest of Tokyo, has become a triathlon mecca in Japan.  Before the women’s race, over 1,600 triathletes from all over the region participated in the age-group races.

Elite Women

1.	Barbara Riveros Diaz	CHI		02:01:57
2.	Aileen Morrison	IRL		02:02:19
3.	Kiyomi Niwata	JPN		02:02:34
4.	Marina Damlaimcourt	ESP		02:02:45
5.	Erin Densham	AUS		02:02:59
6.	Maria Czesnik	POL		02:03:15
7.	Jillian Petersen	USA		02:03:19
8.	Line Jensen	DEN		02:03:23
9.	Akane Tsuchihashi	JPN		02:03:25
10.	Non Stanford	GBR		02:03:39