Top 10 list missing a U.S. man's name

By JOHN SCHWARB and LAURA LEE
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 27, 2003

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ST. PETERSBURG - Unlike the women's St. Anthony's International Triathlon Union World Cup race in which Americans claimed half of the top-10 finishes, the men's race was far less successful for the United States.

Jacksonville's Brian Fleischmann was the top American, finishing 14th, and the top-ranked U.S. athlete never saw the finish line.

Longwood's Hunter Kemper walked off the course midway through the run, well behind and in no mood to complete the race.

"It wasn't a good day for me," he said. "I had a tough swim and on the bike, I don't know. It's just one of those days in sports where things don't go right for you."

Kemper, second in 2001, was 39th of 75 coming out of Vinoy Basin after the .93-mile swim and started the 24.8-mile bike leg in the second pack. But by the second lap he had fallen behind that group and never caught up.

"Once I got all the way down to the third pack and was that far back, I was shaking my head," Kemper said. "I've never really been in that situation where I've been that far back."

At that point Kemper said he began thinking about dropping out. Midway through the 6.2-mile run, he did.

Fleischmann knew the feeling last year, quitting early after falling well behind on the bike. This year he hung with the big packs and turned in a consistent run, passing several athletes during the last two laps.

"It was devastating last year. I have so many friends that came down and watched, I just wasn't prepared for it," Fleischmann, 26, said. "I wasn't in as good a shape as I am now. I'm at a different level, and I want to keep going from here."

NO SEVENTH HEAVEN: Australia's Michellie Jones has been so dominating at St. Anthony's, it's almost a surprise when she doesn't win. But after a 36th-place swim, she was thrilled to finish 14th.

"I had a shocking swim," said Jones, who had won six times in eight previous starts, including last year. "I had another game plan, and I just chased. There's no point in getting demoralized. You've still got to finish."

MEEK & MIGHTY: The morning skies looked threatening, but the Meek & Mighty Triathlon went on without delay.

In the 7-10 girls division, 10-year-old Kaitlin Frehling of St. Petersburg finished first in 24 minutes, 59 seconds. David Morgan, a 9-year-old from Oldsmar, won the boys division in 22:56. In the 11-14 division, Jana Willsey, 14, of Belleair won the girls in 29:00, and John-Paul Newfield of St. Pete Beach, 14, was first for the boys with a time of 25:53. Nineteen-year-old Melinda Marta of Brandon won the 15-and-over girls division in 28:27, and Jeremy Meyer, 18, of St. Petersburg won in 26:46.

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