August 20, 2008 - Around the Rings

Courage Under Fire at Ming Tombs Reservoir(continued from cover)for a controversial decision to appoint Colin Jenkins,who finished last-place, along with Paul Tichelaaras sacrificial teammates responsible for propellingWhitfield onto the podium.Jenkins said he was happy to play the role and evenstopped on his final lap to cheer Whitfield in his latesurge to the finish line. Team tactics are commonin bicycle road racing, but the strategy is new totriathlon.“There’s a Tragically Hip song called Courage,”Whitfield explained. “We had the courage to put itout there that this is what we wanted to do. I putit out there that I wanted to win and I thought wewanted to evolve this and put a teammate forwardand I took a kick in the shin for it.”The second men’s triathlon leg underway. / Getty ImagesThe first leg done, athletes head for their bikes./ Getty ImagesThe youngest of the 56 triathletes was 18-year-oldWang Daqing of China. Volodymyr Polikarpkeno ofUkraine, 36, was the oldest.The Ming Tombs Reservoir also hosted the women’srace Monday, won by Australian three-time worldchampion Emma Snowsill. The race was marred by abike collision that forced three triathletes out.The picturesque 50-year-old reservoir is 50kilometers from Beijing and located near the burialsites of the 13 emperors from China’s Ming dynasty(1368-1644). The tombs are scattered over a 40square kilometer area.- Bob MackinSOME EXAMPLES OF MAJOR SPORTS EVENTSHOSTED IN DENMARK:World Artistic Gymnastics Championship 2006 (FIG)World Orienteering Championship 2006 (IOF)World Match Racing Championship for women 2006 (ISAF)World Standard Championship 2006 (IDSF)World Floorball Championship for women 2007 (IFF)World Sailing Farr 40 Championship 2007 (ISAF)SOME EXAMPLES OF UPCOMING MAJOREVENTS TO BE HOSTED IN DENMARK:World Taekwondo Championships 2009 (WTF)UEFA Congress 2009 (UEFA)World Wrestling Championship 2009 (FILA)121st Session & XIII Olympic Congress 2009 (IOC)World Track Cycling Championship 2010 (UCI)World Road Cycling Championship 2011 (UCI)Contact: Lars Lundov, Executive Director · P. +45 4031 4855 · ll@sporteventdenmark.com · www.sporteventdenmark.com