Guatemalans finish one-two in Lionman Triathlon

James Adderley, Reporting
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and we’re certainly glad you could join us for this issue of Sports Monday. The eight annual Lionman Triathlon and Corporate Relay took its rightful place on the September celebrations program with Sunday’s presentation anchored at Sandlighters Promenade, her in Belize City. The defending champion, Jose Choto, confidently registers for the main event, knowing full well that today he will be severely tested by two serious Guatemalan athletes. While our female champ, the impressive Shalini Zabaneh, comes out this morning to re-enforce her dominance as the best in the business.

Visualize the actual start of this event as all registered embark upon a swimming journey of point nine-three miles. Jose Choto feels the pressure of the Guatemalans and try as he does, he barely holds on to the pace. As a result, the winner of the swim is Jose Albert Xol of Guatemala who enjoys more than a six minute lead over the Belizean Choto. Guatemalan Fransisco Lima comes out the Caribbean next. While Choto is the fifth man to exit the swim. Congratulations to Jamie Lee Usher, who is the first female to complete the swim and is followed by the defending female champion, Shalini Zabaneh who responds to the challenge being thrown down by Jamie Lee. We join the overall leader Xol as he tries to maintain his lead in the twenty-four point eight miles of cycling. However, Choto gives as much as he gets as he cuts two minutes off the lead in this event, in the meantime, Jamie Lee’s gains in the water is quickly negated by the surge of Shalini on the bike, who now has visual contact with her target. For Lionman founder and perennial contender Beeps Philips, the objective now is mostly to finish the course and we say, we can’t say he did. We’d also like to take time out to give kudos to fourteen year old Ian Olkeefe, who in his first appearance on the scene as the younger performer finished nineteenth overall.

And of course, if you don’t know who this is, then you’re not a Lionman regular, as we salute Kathleen Tillet who demands our respect. In the meantime Xol is the man first off his bike. Still 4 ½ inches back is the defending champion Jose Choto as the switch is made to the 6.2 mile of running. Incidentally, the battle between Jamie Lee Usher and Shalini Zabaneh remains as thick as cow foot soup going into the run. At tape time it’s the Guatemalan Jose Alberto Xol completing in 2 hours 18 minutes 30 seconds to take this years Lionman title. He beat out his countryman Francisco Lima who finishes second overall some sixteen minutes later. Our man Jose Choto with the Sub Umbra Floreo must settle for third this time around after posting a time of 2 hours 35 minutes 11 seconds.

Jose Alberto Choto
“It’s nice to run here. It’s all flat, there are ruins which made it easier to maintain a constant pace. My strategy was to get out of the water first and keep ahead.”

Francis Lima
“Swimming was not my forte. I always do bad but I do much better as a rider, and then as a marathon runner, I am very strong.”

Jose Choto
“Yea, ih mi kinda rough-ish, but I think that if I mi have my complete team the train with me ih mi wah be more encouragement. But this year the hurricane mess we up because ah the bad weather and the river get high and da the river we use fu swim. And then if the swimming tek it outta yoh, ih hard fi get back ina the biking and the running because yo to tired when yoh come outta the sea with so much minutes behind right, so I just push whatever I mi could push. I noh swim like fifteen days right now and I just try my best. I seh I mih want come do the race because I noh want nobody feel like because the Guatemalan they come I fraid fu come. I ready fu compete anytime, foreigners or noh foreigners.”

In the meantime folks, give it up for Shalini Zabaneh who proudly waves the Belizean flag after out pacing Jamie Lee Usher to repeat as overall female champion in a total time of 2 hours 44 minutes 24 seconds. And guess what –-Shalini Zabaneh finishes sixth overall. Jamie Lee settles for second this time in this head to head battle with a time of 2 hours 52 minutes 11 seconds but Jamie Lee finishes ninth overall, which is big because she beat a lot of the big boys. We also say kudos to Jane Usher who completed the course to grab third place in the female class.

Shalini Zabaneh
“I guess it feels better because last year I know she wasn’t training. So it wasn’t a good win I would say, but this year it feels much better because I know she put in the work and to come out on top it feels good.”

James Adderley
“Jamie Lee, she was your biggest competition?”

Shalini Zabaneh
“I think so.”

James Adderley
“Tell us a bit about your strategy because you seem to have backed off of your speed on the bike and then you accelerated on the run.”

Shalini Zabaneh
“Well it’s only common sense you know. You don’t want to overdo it on the bike, so I just kept her as a target right in front of me and put on the fire in the run.”

James Adderley
“There seems to be a rivalry developing between you and Shalini.”

Jamie Lee Usher
“Well we’re team-mates for cycling but I think we left it up to the odds today and I came out a little weak on the ride. But I just ran my best race and I’m not displeased with the outcome. Well, I’m pleased, my sons always tell me I have to bring home something, so I have a little trophy to bring for them.”

Meanwhile folks, the Corporate Relay was won by Team Shrug Your Shoulders which includes big Mike Lewis the cyclist, Jamie Lee Usher the swimmer and Eaton Panton the runner. Their collective time was clocked at 2 hours 46 minutes 40 seconds and finishing seventh overall. Allian Trapp takes second in this category while our boy and perennial contender Kenneth Butler finishes third in this class and twelfth overall. Hey, my man, that’s good enough. We couldn’t go folks before saluting Roy Gillette, the oldest male competitor in this Lionman race. We say, you’re a true lion man dad. Nevertheless, we’ll just have to wait until next year to see if the Lionman title returns from Guatemala to the jewel we call Belize.

Turning to the cycling scene, the two stage hundred and forty-five mile Vuelta del Norte presented over the weekend at sugar city by the Orange Walk community saw Byron Pope of Benny’s Megabytes grab the W as this rider continues the good year he’s having. Giovanni Choto of Sea Rays takes second, team-mate Gian Ochaeta third, Noel Grajalez of Northern Poultry fourth, while Elston Coleman also of Sea Rays rounds out the top five.

In other cycling news, the Acros National Road Championships comes up this Sunday, September 16th, featuring elite, junior and female categories. Shane Vasquez goes in as the defending champion and you won’t want to miss this one.

Finally people, the Football Federation of Belize held a press conference this morning at the City Centre to announce the launching of the Under Sixteen Central American Football Tournament on September nineteenth at the M.C.C. Grounds here in Belize City. Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Belize will all compete in a single round robin format for the title. Come support your boys people. That’s it for now, we invite you back same time, same place next week. Jah overall, I’m James Adderley.