Defending male champion keeps his cool in the blazing heat to retain title while a new female champion blows the competition away with a new record this year

(Singapore, 21 March 2010) – Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander conquered intense heat and a slow start to emerge as champion of the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon for the second consecutive year today. Despite coming out of the 1.9km swim leg in 5th position, the hot favourite clawed his way back to 3rd position coming out of the 90.1km cycling leg, and turned in a fine performance during the 21.1km run to beat the 15 other elite male athletes to the crown. 



Completing the race at a time of 3hr 53min 31sec, around 6 minutes slower than his winning time of 3hr 47min 24sec last year, the Australian was drenched in sweat and visibly affected by the blazing morning temperature of 33 degrees Celsius as he crossed the finish line.

“The conditions this year were a bit tougher, as it wasn’t this humid last year. It was also a more competitive race this year, and I was up against a strong pool of elites, so I’m really pleased to have won,” said 37-year-old Alexander.

The male competition was close, as Alexander beat 27-year-old James Cunnama (South Africa) by a mere 52 seconds. Cunnama came in second with a time of 3hr 54min 23sec, and 29-year-old Aaron Farlow (Australia) finished third with a time of 3hr 55min 45sec.



The race between the female elites was a less competitive affair, as Swiss Caroline Steffen continued her recent fine form to claim the women’s title in her first Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon race. Coming off a win in the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Geelong last month, Steffen persevered despite a bad jellyfish sting on her right arm during the swim leg to complete the race in 4h 18min 14sec, setting a new female record timing by breaking Jodie Swallow’s 2009 record by 57 seconds.  

Steffen topped the pool of 11 female elites, blowing the competition away by crossing the finish line around 8 minutes earlier than second-placed Jodie Swallow (UK), who completed the race in 4h 26min 32 sec. Margaret Shapiro (USA) came in third with a time of 4h 31min 37sec.

“This was an unexpected victory for me as it is my first time taking part in the race in Singapore. I believe my recent training and competition in Thailand helped me to acclimatise to the weather condition here and gave me an edge today,” said Steffen.

Steffen and Alexander earned for themselves prize money of USD$5,000 each, and secured slots in the 2010 Foster Grant World Ironman 70.3 Championship in Clearwater, Florida this November.

Close to 1,400 triathletes from 61 countries competed in this year’s Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore triathlon, a record participation in the event’s four-year history. In the local category, Singaporean Loo Chuan Rong, 27, was the fastest local male to complete the race, topping the male 25 – 29 year old category with a time of 4h 35min 26sec. Tan Cheng Yin, 35, was the fastest local female, winning the female 35 – 39 year old category with a time of 5h 22min 40sec. (more details on local results can be found in Annex)

Commenting on her performance, Cheng Yin said, “I was really happy with my timing today. The heat was almost unbearable out there, but thankfully there were plenty of water stations to keep me hydrated.”

“I had a great experience today and I’m definitely looking forward to taking part again next year,” she added.

The Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore looks set to continue its success as Asia’s biggest Ironman 70.3 triathlon, and will continue to attract the world’s best in triathlon to our shores. Aviva Ltd, a leading financial services provider and title sponsor of the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore, has renewed its sponsorship of the event up till 2012.

For more information, please log on to www.ironman703singapore.com

Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Men’s Professional Results

Position	Name	Country	Time
1	Craig Alexander	Australia	3:53:31
2	James Cunnama	South Africa	3:54:23
3	Aaron Farlow	Australia	3:55:45

Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Women’s Professional Results

Position	Name	Country	Time
1	Caroline Steffen	Switzerland	4:18:14
2	Jodie Swallow	Great Britain	4:26:32
3	Margaret Shapiro	United States	4:31:37

Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Local Men’s Results

Position	Name	Age Category	Time
1	Loo Chuan Rong	Male 25 – 29	4:35:26
2	Ashley Liew	Male 18 – 24	4:48:40
3	Shem Leong	Male 30 – 34	4:52:56

Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Local Women’s Results

Position	Name	Age Category	Time
1	Tan Cheng Yin	Female 35 – 39	5:22:40
2	Elvia Suryadi	Female 30 – 34	5:28:13
3	Ping Hui	Female	5:30:43

 

For more information, you may contact IMSG, appointed PR Consultants for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore at:

Cheryl Ng
cheryl.ng@imsg.sg
+65 9690 6489

Linda Hazis
linda.hazis@gmail.com
+65 9630 8125

Nicole Han
nicole.han@imsg.sg
+65 9828 1538

About the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore
www.ironman703singapore.com

The Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore is one of a global series of qualifying Ironman 70.3 triathlon events held around the world, in which qualify athletes for the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 held every November in Clearwater, Florida.

An Ironman 70.3 consists of a 1.9km swim, 90.1km ride and 21.1km run. Since its inception in 2006, there are now many Ironman 70.3 races around the world, with Singapore the oldest in Asia. This year’s event offers 35 qualifying slots to the Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater Florida and carries a total prize purse of USD$25,000.

The Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore is presented by Hi-Tri (Singapore) and proudly supported by Naming Rights Sponsor, Aviva.



About Aviva
Aviva is the world’s fifth largest* insurance group, serving 50 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

Aviva's main business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of S$133.64 billion and funds under management of S$789.20 billion at 31 December 2008.  

We are the largest insurance services provider in the UK and one of the leading providers of life and pension products in Europe.

*based on gross worldwide premiums at 31 December 2008