Falconer wins bronze at ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships
26 year old Central Otago Winter Triathlete Ben Falconer won New Zealand’s first ever Winter Triathlon World Championship medal on Sunday at Flassin, Italy.
Winter Triathlon consists of running, mountain biking and cross-country skiing (skating) – all on snow.
It is the first time New Zealand has been represented at the Winter Triathlon World
Championships, with just two competitors qualifying and making the journey to Northern Italy to compete in their respective age groups, with sponsorship from Iconic New Zealand Merino Apparel Company Icebreaker.
Team manager and fellow competitor Geoff Matthews says Ben’s third placing in a time of 1 hour 10 minutes and 35 seconds, is stunning.
“Ben only took up the sport last New Zealand winter and to come to the northern hemisphere and beat the best athletes in his age group in the world, most of who have been skiing since they could walk, is simply sensational.â€Â
“Ben’s story is also quite inspirational and he is a young man with his eyes firmly on the future,†says Geoff Matthews.
Ben says ever since traveling to the Athens Olympics in 2004 to watch a good friend compete for New Zealand in rowing, he has wanted to compete on the world stage.
“I remember leaving the main stadium after watching the track and field and thinking to myself, ‘I can do this’, says Ben.
“I tried to find a sport I was passionate about and had some talent for, and the run, bike, ski format of winter triathlon suits me perfectly - and I love competing.â€Â
Ben says the talk of Winter Triathlon being in the 2010 Winter Olympics drives him to race and train harder.
“When I was out there competing today, all I could think about was how cool would this be if it was at the Olympics!†Ben says.
“Winter Triathlon is a sport New Zealanders can do well at.
“I think both of our performances today should attract more people to the sport in New Zealand.
“We have found that while we have some catching up to do in terms of cross country skiing technique, both of us are naturally very strong on the climbs.
“Neither of us was passed on a hill today and Geoff’s strength on the climbs is awesome, the steeper it gets the faster he seems to go!â€Â
Ben also said having a former international top Ironman competitor as a training partner and mentor also helped in his build up.
“Geoff taught me heaps of stuff about technique on the bike and race preparation, which really helped today and he really pushed me in training.â€Â
45 year old, Geoff Matthews also performed with distinction with a very credible 12 placing in 1hour 13 minutes and 11 seconds, but was disappointed not to have a top ten finish after another competitor crashed into him on in the final descent before the finish.
“I had moved up well into the top ten on the ski leg and an Italian competitor who I had just passed lost it totally on the big sweeping downhill and just wiped me out,†Geoff says.
“The cross country skis we use are long (190cm), have no edges for cornering, and have non-release bindings, so any crash is ugly. By the time I got everything pointing in the right direction again I lost all the places I had gained on the climbs.â€Â
Both New Zealand athletes were disappointed the Flassin triathlon course was shortened due to warm temperatures and rain, causing snow melt, as a longer race would have suited them better.
The 3.3 kilometre run and 9.9 km bike courses were a mix of slushy snow, ice and mud, and conditions for the 12km cross country ski course were variable making it tricky for the athletes.
Winter Triathlon consists of running, mountain biking and cross-country skiing (skating) – all on snow.
It is the first time New Zealand has been represented at the Winter Triathlon World
Championships, with just two competitors qualifying and making the journey to Northern Italy to compete in their respective age groups, with sponsorship from Iconic New Zealand Merino Apparel Company Icebreaker.
Team manager and fellow competitor Geoff Matthews says Ben’s third placing in a time of 1 hour 10 minutes and 35 seconds, is stunning.
“Ben only took up the sport last New Zealand winter and to come to the northern hemisphere and beat the best athletes in his age group in the world, most of who have been skiing since they could walk, is simply sensational.â€Â
“Ben’s story is also quite inspirational and he is a young man with his eyes firmly on the future,†says Geoff Matthews.
Ben says ever since traveling to the Athens Olympics in 2004 to watch a good friend compete for New Zealand in rowing, he has wanted to compete on the world stage.
“I remember leaving the main stadium after watching the track and field and thinking to myself, ‘I can do this’, says Ben.
“I tried to find a sport I was passionate about and had some talent for, and the run, bike, ski format of winter triathlon suits me perfectly - and I love competing.â€Â
Ben says the talk of Winter Triathlon being in the 2010 Winter Olympics drives him to race and train harder.
“When I was out there competing today, all I could think about was how cool would this be if it was at the Olympics!†Ben says.
“Winter Triathlon is a sport New Zealanders can do well at.
“I think both of our performances today should attract more people to the sport in New Zealand.
“We have found that while we have some catching up to do in terms of cross country skiing technique, both of us are naturally very strong on the climbs.
“Neither of us was passed on a hill today and Geoff’s strength on the climbs is awesome, the steeper it gets the faster he seems to go!â€Â
Ben also said having a former international top Ironman competitor as a training partner and mentor also helped in his build up.
“Geoff taught me heaps of stuff about technique on the bike and race preparation, which really helped today and he really pushed me in training.â€Â
45 year old, Geoff Matthews also performed with distinction with a very credible 12 placing in 1hour 13 minutes and 11 seconds, but was disappointed not to have a top ten finish after another competitor crashed into him on in the final descent before the finish.
“I had moved up well into the top ten on the ski leg and an Italian competitor who I had just passed lost it totally on the big sweeping downhill and just wiped me out,†Geoff says.
“The cross country skis we use are long (190cm), have no edges for cornering, and have non-release bindings, so any crash is ugly. By the time I got everything pointing in the right direction again I lost all the places I had gained on the climbs.â€Â
Both New Zealand athletes were disappointed the Flassin triathlon course was shortened due to warm temperatures and rain, causing snow melt, as a longer race would have suited them better.
The 3.3 kilometre run and 9.9 km bike courses were a mix of slushy snow, ice and mud, and conditions for the 12km cross country ski course were variable making it tricky for the athletes.