Ironman 70.3 Triathlon: Choo Ling Er and Wille Loo fastest Singaporeans

East Coast Park, Sunday, March 18, 2012 — Choo Ling Er finished as the fastest Singaporean woman at the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singpaore. Ling Er, 25, finished in 5 hours, 7 minutes and 35 seconds.

“The weather today was really hot and the run was mentally challenging. I’m glad I managed to come in first again as the local female and I will keep participating in this event as long as there is the Aviva Ironman 70.3,” said Ling Er.

The fastest Singaporean man was 29-year-old Wille Loo. Wille finished in 4:43.34 to give himself a present for his wedding next week.

“I didn’t train as much as last year and I was just trying to do what I can. It wasn’t an ideal race day for me and I was finding it hard to keep up with the guys that were around. But I’m very glad that I survived it,” said Wille.

Adrian Mok, director of Hi-Tri Pte Ltd, the race organiser, said: “To be able to complete the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Triathlon is a dream for many Singaporeans. We are very excited to be part of their triathlon journey, and also to be the birthing ground for future international stars at the world stage.”

About 1,600 triathletes from 62 countries took part in the sixth edition of the race. Of these, 400 were local participants. 32 professional triathletes took part in the race to earn points for the World Ironman 70.3 Championship race to be held in Las Vegas, USA, in September.

Australian Josh Amberger, 23, topped the elite’s men field with a timing of 3:54.49 for his third win in Singapore. He won the Osim Singapore International Triathlon and the ITU Singapore Premium Asia Cup in 2009.

Josh was second in both the swim and bike leg before taking the lead in the run leg for his first 70.3 Ironman win.

“The humidity was a challenge but I came here to win and my focus was on crossing the finish line. I’m very happy with the results and I look forward to many more races in Asia,” said Josh.

Coming in second place was Junior World Championship 2008 podium finisher Denis Vasiliev of Russia with a time of 3:59.25.

Rounding off the top three was New Zealand’s Dylan McNiece with a timing of 4:00.51. It was the first podium finish in an Ironman 70.3 race for McNeice, a two-time Singapore Biathlon winner.

Mary Beth Ellis of the USA won the women’s elite category in 4:19.35, shaving almost two minutes off her winning time last year.

Ellis finished the swim leg in 26.42, four minutes ahead of Michelle Wu, 29, who eventually finished second in 4:25.31.

“The third running lap was the hardest part for me and I feared Michelle would catch up as she’s a strong runner,” said Mary. “Fortunately, I was able to hang on for the win and it helped that I was able to pace myself with the male athletes during the bike and run. I’m thrilled to be back and I love Singapore. It’s a great honor to be able to come back and defend my title.”

Said Michelle: “My goal was just to hang on to second place and I’m really happy with it. It’s one better than last year and I hope to come back next year. The heat and humidity was definitely a challenge as it was really hot during the cycle. I felt like I was getting cooked under my helmet. For my run I just had to put one foot in front of the other to the finish line and it was a huge mental challenge.”

Australia’s Kate Bevilaqua finished third in 4:32.19.