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Top triathlete arrives early

them couldn't wait to get here.Karen Smyers, the 1995 ITU Triathlon World Champion, will be spending four days here next week as a guest of the Bank of Bermuda and the Bermuda Triathlon Association.

them couldn't wait to get here.

Karen Smyers, the 1995 ITU Triathlon World Champion, will be spending four days here next week as a guest of the Bank of Bermuda and the Bermuda Triathlon Association.

In addition to conducting a pair of clinics, she will participate in the Bank of Bermuda Team Triathlon next Sunday. The American will take part in the one-mile swim discipline, although it is not known who her team-mates will be for the 15-mile cycle or six-mile run, Bank spokesperson Karen Madeiros said.

Smyers was also overall female champion at the the 1995 Gatorade Ironman, an event that involves a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2 mile run. While still active on the ITU tour, injuries have limited her number of appearances.

She finished in the top 20 in the series standings a year ago but did not take part in the Bermuda event, which returns with $85,000 in prize money up for grabs on September 21.

Smyers, who arrives on August 20, will make a guest appearance at Harbour Nights that evening. She will conduct an adult triathlon clinic on August 22 and a junior one the following day.

"We are thrilled to have Karen with us to share her wealth of knowledge about the sport with local triathlon enthusiasts,'' Bermuda Triathlon Association technical director Patrick Hackenberg said in a statement. "Her participation in the team event will be particularly exciting both for athletes and spectators.'' Meanwhile, the ten-event, $850,000 ITU series stopped in Tiszauljvaros, Hungary, for round six on Sunday.

And Australians Emma Carney, who won the women's title here last year, and Craig Walton, rebounded to win the Olympic-distance event. Walton was clocked in one hour, 46 minutes and 19 seconds, to beat out two other Aussies, Greg Bennett (1:46:19) and Chris McCormack (1:47:05).

Carney's time of 2:00:22 topped Hungarian Erika Molnar (2:00:40) and Belgian Mieke Suys (2:00:48) for the $10,000 first prize.

Carney has withdrawn from the next the next event in the series, which begins today in Embrum, a resort town in the French Alps. It is expected to be the toughest test of the 1997 series, particularly the cycling portion, which covers 40 kilometres of undulating terrain, including a number of punishing hills and a steep descent requiring bike handling skills.

The race is the final one before Bermuda.