Australian
Michellie Jones, long considered the greatest short
distance female triathlete in history, added to her
legend by placing second in her first ever Hawaii
Ironman World Championships appearance. Jones had a magnificent
race against an elite field, leading nearly wire to wire
before being passed late in the marathon by 6-time Ironman
champion Natascha Badmann of Switzerland. Jones had a
characteristic strong swim and assumed the lead early
in the bike ride after passing swim specialists on the
lava fields. At mile 40, she reached the designated "prime" line,
earning a $5,000 bonus for being the early leader. Her
extraordinary 4:54 bike split left her with a comfortable
lead that she held until mile 18 of the marathon.
While many observes thought Jones might wilt in the home
stretch after being passed for the first time all day
by Badmann, she gamely maintained a steady pace. Crossing
the line a triumphant second, she gave only two minutes
to the perennial champion Badmann over the final 10k
and held off a furious charge from several women, including
countrywoman Kate Major only 40 seconds behind. Jones'
time of 9:11 makes her one of the fastest athletes in
the history of Hawaii Ironman and is a new record for
a debut performance. An emotional Jones exclaimed at
the finish, "this was a very tough race and I'm extremely
happy with my performance. I'd like to thank my husband
and coach Peter Coulson and my sponsors for their
tremendous support, particularly through what has been
a very difficult year. Today is a dream come true and
I am already dreaming of a return to Hawaii in 2006!"
After deciding to move up to Ironman distance racing
on the heels of a remarkable decade of domination at
sprint distance, Jones has impressed all in triathlon
with her quickly outstanding results. She won the competitive
Oceanside Ralphs Half Ironman in 2004 (long course debut)
and then her iron-distance debut at Ironman Florida in
2004. 2005 was not without misfortune however. Jones
mere presence on the starting line in Hawaii is a testament
to her unflagging optimism and tremendous ability to
overcome adversity. In June, the 9-time Escape From Alcatraz
champ was looking to add another title when she suffered
a horrific bike crash. With a concussion, a broken hip
and numerous bruises and lacerations, Jones missed weeks
of critical training time and was uncertain about her
entry into Hawaii.
What
was meant to be a low key tuneup event a month prior
to Hawaii instead became a landmark day in triathlon
history and indeed in sports history. At the Sept 17th
Caliman Half (half-iron distance) Triathlon in Davis,
CA, Jones became the first female in the history
of multisport to become the OVERALL
winner of a high level competition (500+ competitors).
Her spectacular performance, a highlight on Sacramento
evening news broadcasts, featured a 4:19 finish and
a 1:22 half-marathon split - coming from 8 minutes
behind off the bike to destroy a field of top male
amateurs by 10 minutes.
Jones resume of two ITU World Championship titles (and
an amazing TEN podium finishes), a 2000 Olympic Silver
Medal, back-to-back undefeated seasons (1992-1993),
five Triathlete of the Year awards and now a podium
spot in Hawaii puts here in rare company with Karen
Smyers and Erin Baker as the most versatile female
triathletes in history. Here are the top-5 results
for the 2005 Hawaii Ironman World Championships.
Women
1. Natascha Badmann (Switzerland) 9:09:30
2. Michellie Jones (Australia) 9:11:51
3. Kate Major (Australia) 9:12:39
4. Joanna Lawn (New Zealand) 9:14:53
5. Kate Allen (Austria) 9:22:08
|
