World Champion Threat for Brown in Bonita Ironman NZ

Adding a sixth title to his resume will be a challenge for Cameron Brown this weekend

Cameron Brown faces his toughest test if he is to add a record sixth victory in the 23^rd Bonita Ironman New Zealand triathlon in Taupo next week.

The men’s seedings for the race on Saturday 3 March have been announced with Brown set to face last year’s winner Ain-Alar Juhanson (Estonia), world long distance champion Torbjorn Sindballe (Denmark) and top Australian Luke Bell among a tough line-up.

Juhanson has been awarded top seeding ahead of Brown, Sindballe and Bell with the international interest in the race such that the top eight seeds are all from different countries.

After last year’s weather-wrecked race, a victory for Brown would give him a sixth win in the same event - a feat not achieved by any other Ironman at an international qualifying race.

Brown recognizes he will need to be at his best this weekend if he is to extend his remarkable record at the race.

“I’ve beaten several world champions in Taupo over the years but this time there’s a bunch of very good athletes,” Brown said. “It’s the deepest field that I’ve ever faced here and I will need to be at my very best. Juhanson and Sindballe are fantastic riders and Luke beat me at Hawaii.”

Brown, 33, put the disappointment of his runner-up placing in Taupo last year in what became a half distance bike-run behind him. He went on to win Ironman Europe and break the German stronghold on what is regarded as the biggest race outside of the Ford Ironman World Championship.

He can fairly lay claim to the world’s top ranked Ironman over the past five years, which has included four podium finishes at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. He has now won in Germany and has owned the New Zealand event since his first victory there in 2001.

He will need to be on song himself to make it six of the best in Taupo on March 3.

“Last year was a no-win for everyone - the competitors, the volunteers and the organisers. I’ve put it behind me and just focused on this year which is going to one hell of a race.”

Juhanson, a two time champion of Ironman Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, said he had to return to Taupo this year.

“I won the race. But it was not an Ironman. It was not even a triathlon but it was the best that we could do on an awful day,” the 30-year-old said. “I knew I had to come back and lay it on the line in a full Ironman. I think I can still win but I want to win over Cameron in an Ironman.”

The big Estonian will be top seed ahead of Brown, followed by Sindballe and

Two time world champion Sindballe, 30, believes with some troublesome injuries behind him, he is looking for success at Ironman New Zealand to

He has won the ITU Long Distance World Championship twice in 2004 and last November in Canberra where he out-lasted favourite and last year's winner of the Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3, Craig Alexander. Sindballe has been a two-time runner up in New Zealand (1999 and 2002) with a best sixth placing at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. That was in 2004 and he returned the following year to establish a new bike record with a blistering 4hr 21min 36sec.

Sindballe’s career has been punctuated by injury.

“Up until Canberra I have not had a normal run preparation for any Ironman that I have done,” Sindballe said. “I know that when things come together and I manage to stay free from injuries that I am able to run with the absolute best in the sport.”

It was a visit to the Boulder Centre for Sports Medicine in Colorado last year that made the difference after 3D computer bike and run-gait analyses.

Sindballe has also made his mark at the Ironman 70.3 distance with two wins at the

California Half Ironman in 2005 and 2002 over top fields including Brown, two time Ironman champion Tim DeBoom and Alexander.

Bell, one of Australia’s best, will be a genuine contender also. The Melbournian, who has based himself in the USA for much of his young career, has been virtually unbeatable over the Ironman 70.3 distance with six wins last year including Ford Ironman 70.3 California. He was 13^th at Hawaii in 2004 and improved to seventh last year, finishing ahead of Brown and is targeting Ironman New Zealand as a key race and a key clash.

The men’s seedings are:

1.	Ain-Alar Juhanson	Estonia
2.	Cameron Brown	New Zealand
3.	Torbjorn Sindballe	Denmark
4.	Luke Bell	Australia
5.	Rene Rovera	France
6.	Shingo Tani	Japan
7.	Kai Hundertmarck	Germany
8.	Brent Lorenzen	United States
9.	John Newsom	New Zealand
10.	Duncan Milne	New Zealand