Van Berkel Clinches 111.5kms Abu Dhabi International Triathlon Victory, Reinders Snatches Ladies Title
Abu Dhabi, UAE. 13th March 2010: Crack endurance squad, Team Abu Dhabi Triathlon, dominated the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon’s (ADIT) testing 111.5kms short course after clinching both the male and female competitions with a world-class display of mental and physical prowess.
The team’s latest recruit, Dutchman Jans Van Berkel, made light work of the ‘pure power’ short course, after finishing in first place with a combined time of 3h20m47s – more than 17 minutes ahead of second placed Ciro Tobar Ortiz De Urbina and 22 minutes in front of AJ Anderson.
And first past the post in the female short course was the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) backed squad’s Ina Reinders, who finished with a lung-bursting time of 3h52m34s – a commanding 9m17s ahead of Anja Heijen in second place and 10m45s over third placed Jane Westley.
“Winning both the male and female categories is a great way to start the season and is a fantastic opener to the long course competition. We’ve been training hard over the winter, much of it in Al Ain, which has been important in acclimatising to the heat and brushing up on our skills,” said Van Berkel.
It was a wire-to-wire victory for Van Berkel – a top short-course expert who is expecting to qualify for the 2010 London Olympics following an impressive showing in last year’s (ITU) International Triathlon Union World Championship series – after opening up a 3m23s lead over the chasing pack at the end of the opening 1.5kms swim leg.
He only continued to dominate after building up an unassailable lead in the 100kms city-wide cycling leg, which saw him stretch his advantage to 12m43s over his nearest rival, Glenn De Vos.
And with only a 10kms running leg between the enigmatic Dutchman and the finishing line, Van Berkel powered home to clinch the maiden ADIT title in front of hundreds of supporting fans lining the sweeping Abu Dhabi Corniche.
“With the long straight cycling course especially, you have to be mentally strong to stay focussed and keep pushing. For me, this leg was the toughest and most important. My coach told me to go flat out in the opening 10kms and from there I kept opening up my lead. It was phenomenal to go round the Yas Marina Circuit too; I got goose bumps and I was imaging I could hear the engines roaring!” added Van Berkel.
Reinders, who clinched triathlon gold in her home town of Xanten in North West Germany at the end of last year, continued where she left off with a powerful opening swimming display to put her more than two minutes ahead of her nearest rivals.
And just like her Team Abu Dhabi Triathlon comrade, Reinders dominated the cycling to open up an 11 minute lead, which she capitalised on in the final run with a dominating display of world-class athleticism.
“I came out from Germany only last week for this event so getting used to the heat was my main concern. I think I handled it well and I know I could have gone faster. A flat bike course definitely worked in my favour as I could just power on. This is a great way to open the season and it has given me a lot of confidence as I look to compete in Germany in the summer,” said Reinders.
With such a dominating display, ADTA was full of praise for the Al Ain-based outfit’s early success.
“This is a major boost for Abu Dhabi’s triathlon credentials and Van Berkel and Reinders achieved a commanding result. Both have proved themselves as world-class athletes and we are looking forward to following their progress throughout the year as they compete under the Abu Dhabi banner around the world,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Head – Major Events Division, ADTA.
For further information on ADIT, please go to www.abudhabitriathlon.com