Special Sport
ISLAND CONNECTIONS :: EDITION 592 :: 05/06/2009 - 19/06/2009
51
SERGIO RODRÍGUEZ
Ironman Lanzarote
Photo credit: Copyright Club La Santa
Bella and Bert win again
Ironman winners Bella and Bert
1,241 athletes took part in the 18th Ironman in Puerto del Carmen on 23rd May which turned out to be a great race. It all began at 7am as they ran down the sandy beach into the sea which resembled a millpond for the 3.8 kilometre swim. Thousands of spectators who couldn’t bear to miss that thrilling moment of the gun going off also got up early. First out of the water was Brit Stephen Bayliss, followed by Scott Neyedli, Bert Jammaer and Stephen Vuckovic. The pace kept going with the bike course. To start with, several athletes rode very close to each other, until Belgian Bert Jammaer took the lead, but he was eventually overtaken by Estonian Ain Alar Juhanson who came in first on this section. During the run, Bert Jammaer overtook Juhanson, managed to keep his competitors at bay and came in first, albeit completely exhausted. So much so that he lay on the ground and needed help from the medical tent. Gathering the results of the three stages together, thanks to an incredible run, Bella Bayliss won her second Ironman Lanzarote title in a row, with a total time of 9:54:58. She too was totally exhausted. Bert Jammaer was the men’s winner, again for the second time in a row, having completed the course in 8:54:03. The good news is that he overcame his exhaustion and recovered to celebrate his own wedding the following Friday in Belgium.
José Luis Oltra Tenerife manager
Wrapped in hope José Luis Oltra was given a gift of hope for his recent birthday. The neighbours of La Esperanza gave him a cloak typical of the area called a ‘manta de Esperanza’ or blanket of hope. Presented during an official lunch with the mayor of El Rosario, Macario Benítez and various employees of Tenerife football club, the gift was in recognition of his successful management of the club so far.
Rotation promise NBA player Sergio Rodriguez promises to organise his next coaching course for children in his native Tenerife, following the criticism generated by his decision to switch to Gran Canaria this year. As reported in Island Connections, the Portland Trail Blazer star is staging a course in Gran Canaria in early July and hopes to bring several top names to assist him, including fellow-NBA player Marc Gasol, brother of LA Lakers’ Pau. The news prompted angry reaction in Tenerife, particularly since Sergio’s presence was designed to boost Gran Canaria’s hopes of hosting games ahead of Spain’s
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designation as the host country for the 2014 World Championships. Defusing the situation during a flying visit to Santa Cruz, the Portland playmaker
said he will rotate the courses every year so different islands can be used. Rodríguez has been encouraged by the chairman of Kalise Gran Canaria, who finished in the
top six of the ACB league this year and made the first round of the playoffs (losing 2-1 to Unicaja), to sign for the club when he ends his NBA career.
BARCELONA FC
FC BARCELONA
Humble Guardiola
Pedro in dreamland
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who exactly a year ago travelled to the Canaries as coach of the reserve team to play a promotion fixture against Gran Canaria side Castillo, has dismissed suggestions that his feats with the senior side in his first year in charge put him in the running for the prestigious Prince of Asturias Sports Award. The Catalan was genuinely shocked to learn that he had been nominated for the accolade, which in the past has honoured world stars such as Michael Schumacher, Carl Lewis and Rafael Nadal (2008). He immediately played down his credentials, insisting that although he was moved by the nomination as a candidate, his managerial
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Turn and turn about for Sergio’s coaching courses
Credit: Gerard Zenou
Lanzarote
Barcelona’s Tenerife starlet Pedro Rodríguez is in dreamland after picking up a Champions League medal in Rome. Pep plays down talk of an award
career was far too short to make him a contender. “I have not been a top-flight manager for even a year and the talk of a Prince of Asturias honour is way over the top. It should go to someone more deserving,” said Guardiola.
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Rodríguez said afterwards that words could not describe his elation at being part of the famous victory, which gives Barcelona the Treble (League, Cup and Champions League), the first team in Spanish history to achieve this. The forward played only the last five minutes of the final against Manchester United but his presence prompted celebrations among the Barça fans who gathered in Santa Cruz to watch the game. The late substitution was a surprise, given that most people felt coach Pep Guardiola would give one of his more established players the chance to savour the atmosphere.
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