The three times World Champion and the defending Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore champion, Craig ‘Crowie' Alexander from Australia has announced his return to Singapore for the annual Aviva Ironman 70.3 on March 21st 2010 to head a growing, but already star studded, field of athletes.

Twice Ironman World Champion, and Ironman World Champion 70.3, Alexander will make his third foray into the Aviva race that now ranks as a major stop over on the Ironman 70.3 global qualifying trail.His first start in Singapore saw him forced out of the race, with tyre problems, whilst leading the inaugural event.In that year he went on to win the Ironman World Championship 70.3, and then took his first Ironman World Championship title before returning to Singapore in 2009 in a battle royal with his nemesis, Chris ‘Macca' McCormack.

Alexander pulled away on the run, taking his first Singapore race, and then returned to Hawaii to win back to back Ironman World Championship titles there.The decision to compete in Singapore has been a tough one, with big money races bracketing the Aviva race. But Alexander has chosen to commence his season as he did in 2009; and for Singapore triathlon fans the appearance of the world champ is good news, made even better after the champion conducted a poll on Facebook, asking his fans to choose between a new event in Abu Dhabi, or the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore.

 "Crowie" as the affable champ is known, made many friends in Singapore in his first visits there and the returning champ has said he'll be out and about even more this March!Joining Alexander as the defending women's champion, is the plucky winner of the 2009 Aviva Ironman 70.3 female title, England's Jodie Swallow.
Jody raced to the 2009 Aviva crown as a virtual unknown in Singapore. However at home in the UK, Jodie is anything but unknown! A triathlon Olympian, she represented the UK at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and was twice the European Junior Triathlon Champion, as well as three times UK Triathlon Champion!Her gutsy win last year, where she destroyed a stellar line up of female stars was just the start of a big, big year for Jodie, who returns to Singapore, not only as number one seed in the women's field, but now as a world champion, racing to victory in the 2009 World Long Distance Championships last November in Australia.

Swallow has also gained more experience across both middle and short distance fields and will be again tough to beat in March. She is training with a new coach, and has recently completed an extended hot training session in Spain. The new world champ is set to prove her credentials in Singapore.Joining the two defending champions for the Singapore's biggest International triathlon race are more international Ironman and Ironman 70.3 champions than ever before with elite entries already in from Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, the UK and the USA.

The elite athletes compete for $USD 25,000 ($SGD )And with entries for the big race not closing until February 28th, organiser, Hi-Tri (Singapore), expects to see around 20 top names making for a very strong elite field within in the overall numbers that are rapidly approaching record proportions, and so far represent 56 countries from around the world!

The Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore is a qualifying race for the 2010 ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Florida USA and also to the newly announced Asia Ironman 70.3 Championship in Thailand. Contestants swim 1.9kms, ride 90kms and run a half marathon (21kms) to complete the gruelling race that has showcased Singapore to the world via international TV for the last two years.

Entry remains open for both individuals, and relay team members at www.ironman703singapore.com