Honolulu, Hawaii, 15 April 2005: Take the azure blue Pacific Ocean that rolls
onto Waikiki Beach, add tens of thousands of tourist who stroll up and down Kalakaua
Avenue, the natural beauty of Kapiolani Park, and the silent majesty of Diamond
Head in the background, and you probably have the perfect setting for staging
the opening round of the ITU Triathlon World Cup Series.

The start list is jam-packed with Olympic and World Champions, and the course   is stunningly beautiful with a killer hill on the bike section that is guaranteed   to break a few brave hearts during the race.

The powerhouse triathlon nations have pulled out their big guns for the opening   of a very exciting season of World Cup Triathlon racing ahead.

The home county USA favourites are led by the Olympic bronze medalist, {exp:tag_this}Susan   William{/exp:tag_this}, Barb Lindquist, who one the Olympic Trials on this course a year ago,   and Laura Bennett (nee Reback), who has stood atop several World Cup podiums   in the past. The America men are led by their Olympians, Hunter Kemper, Andy   Potts, along with the former Kiwi and perennial threat (especially on a hilly   course) Matt Reed.

The biggest attraction on the womens side has to be Austrias   Olympic Champion Kate Allen and the woman she out-sprinted in Athens, {exp:tag_this}Loretta   Harrop{/exp:tag_this} from Australia. The course at Waikiki is very similar to the venue for   the Olympic Games, so excitement is mounting for a repeat head-to-head between   Allen and Harrop.

Emma Snowsill from Australia, the 2003 Triathlon World Champion is also off   to a great start this year with a win at the recent Oceania Triathlon Championships.   Annabel Luxford, #2 in the 2004 World Cup rankings promises to be with the lead   pack from the start.

Joelle Franzmann of Germany, who is always at the front on a hilly course,   will be someone to watch, as will Canadas Olympic team of Jill Savege,   Carol Montgomery and Samantha McGlone.

On the mens side New Zealands Bevan Docherty, the Olympic silver   medalist and reigning Triathlon World Champion is the star of the show. Docherty,   who is known also for his dry sense of humour, is cautiously optimistic about   the seasons opener. He is joined by team-mates Shane Reed and Nathan   Richmond.

It wont be a cake-walk for Docherty as the start list is filled with   the whos who of planet triathlon.

The Aussies are led by Greg Bennett (4th at the Olympic Games and known for   eating up hilly courses,) Simon Thompson, Brad Krahlefelt, Bryce Quirk (the   Oceania Champ,) and perennial media favourite, Chris Hill.

Denmarks Rasmus Henning, who won the Hamburg World Cup in 2004, is also   looking for a podium finish here, as are the French duo of Cedric Fleureton   and Stephan Poulat.

Spains 2002 World Champion Ivan Rana is also on the start list along   with Jose Merchan and Javier Gomez. The precision teamwork of the Spanish team   is always a joy to watch.

The German team including Maik Petzold, Sebastian Dehmer, Jan Frodeno and {exp:tag_this}Justus   Stephan {/exp:tag_this}should also be tracked through the action. Together they are becoming   a well-oiled triathlon machine, but individually they are capable of achieving   one of those coveted podium steps.

Hiroyuki Nishiuchi and Junichi Yamamoto of Japan are also exciting young triathletes   to watch on this course, particularly with hundreds of Japanese triathletes   in town for the JAL Honolulu Triathlon, and thousands of Japanese tourists who   consider this island their holiday home.

Event organizer Bill Burke is bursting at the seams with pride when he speaks   about the elite athletes in town for first World Cup event to touch down on   Waikiki Beach. Burke is also justifiably proud of bringing Japan Airlines (JAL)   on board as the naming rights sponsor for the ITU World Cup event, as well as   the JAL Honolulu Triathlon. Having these elite athletes here for the   ITU World Cup makes all the work of staging an event of this magnitude worthwhile.   Without the JAL sponsorship and the wonderful support we get from the city of   Honolulu, this dream would not be possible

Triathlon.org will be covering the event live with live results, photos, text   updates and live audio featuring ITUs Voice of Triathlon,   Barrie Shepley.

Live coverage begins with the start of the womens event at 9:00 a.m.   local time and continues through to the end of the mens race, about 1:30   p.m.

For complete pre-race stories and start lists, please visit www.triathlon.org   and for more media information email ituhdq@triathlon.org