Preview: Neyedli Looks For Win At Ironman Australia
Published: Mar 26th 2010 10:27 AM UTC by TriEurope
This weekend marks the 25th Anniversary of Ironman Australia, with the race promising to live up to all the hype.
But while the triathlon media will be focusing on the tussle for first place, the whole of Australia will be watching a man who is expected to finish in around 14-hours. The Right Honorable Tony Abbott MP – the leader of the Australia opposition – has managed to fit Ironman training into an election year. Can you imagine Cameron, or Brown for that matter, lining up at IMUK? Didn’t think so.
Anyway, back to the head of the field. All eyes will be on the same two athletes who took top spots at Ironman Western Australia at the tail-end of 2009: Patrick Vernay and Scott Neyedli.
Neyedli has had a chequered build-up to the race, fracturing a toe at a triathlon in Perth, and then sustaining injuries in a bike accident. However, as he told us in this interview, he remains confident that he can push Vernay all the way.
Vernay, though, is the man to beat. Already a four-time winner of Ironman Australia, the New Caledonian is looking to add to a string of wins down under.
“I have won five Ironman titles in Australia since 2007, but this year will be the first time that my wife will be able to be on the finish line,” Vernay said. “So I really want to win, even if I know it’s harder and harder every year with the strong field we have to fight”.
Home hopes rest on the shoulders of Leon Griffin and Tim Berkel. 25-year-old Berkel is already has one Ironman crown to his name, and has made this race the focus of his season. Griffin, meanwhile, is knocking on the door for his first MDot win. Picked out by Craig Alexander as a future Ironman World Champion, Griff will push Neyedli and Vernay all the way fr a spot on the podium.
The women’s race is a much less open affair, with 2007 champion Rebekah Keat all-set to re-claim the title. She won’t have it all her own way, however, with Desiree Ficker and Diana Riesler both capable of making the journey onto the top-step of the podium.
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