Carter and Hammond Win the Inaugural MetaMan Bintan Triathlon

Satisfied athletes and spectators, a fairy-tale story, and a come from behind victory mark a successful MetaMan Triathlon

BINTAN, Indonesia, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Brett Carter and Candice Hammond have respectively won the Men's and Women's professional categories of the inaugural MetaMan Triathlon held at Bintan, Indonesia.

Brett Carter of Australia took first place in the Pro Men's Full Triathlon receiving US$ 15,000 in prize money.  The former Australian lifeguard, who only turned professional three months ago, posted an overall finish time of 08:43:58. The MetaMan Triathlon is his first iron-distance win.

Carter was followed home some 16 minutes later by Swedish, Fredrik Croneborg, coming in second place with a time of 08:59:10.  Petr Varbrousek of the Czech Republic completed the top three, finishing in 09:07:33.  The second and third placed athletes won US$7,000 and US$3,500 respectively.

Carter said after the race, "I'd like to thank MetaSport, Nirwana Gardens, and all the volunteers that steered us around the course.  All the locals from Bintan that came out and supported us, including the school kids."  He adds, "I'm so happy with this win. I quit my job in Australia a few months ago, sold everything I had, in order to pursue a full-time career as a professional triathlete and I've been training with Brett Sutton in Switzerland."

In the Pro Women's Full Triathlon, Candice Hammond of New Zealand won in a time of 09:31:08, also picking up a winner's cheque of US$15,000. Hammond came from behind after trailing the swimming and cycling legs to eventually overtake multiple Ironman Champion, Belinda Granger of Australia, who finished second in a time of 09:40:16.  Erika Csomor of Hungary took the third podium place with an overall time of 09:52:29.

"I knew I was quite far back from Belinda Granger after the swim.  I thought I'd go as fast as I could go in the cycle and see how it went from there.  I was so disappointed in my swim but I think that fired me up for the cycle," said Hammond after her win. "It's a beautiful course here in Bintan and I want to thank the wonderful volunteers - I really enjoyed it."

Over 250 athletes crossed the start line in the "Metaman Full" and "Metaman Half" triathlons to compete in warm conditions on the island of Bintan in Indonesia.  The race began at the beachfront of the Nirwana Gardens Resort with the first wave starting at 7am with scores of triathletes vying for an early lead in the first leg of the triathlon.

The fastest Singapore finisher was Melvin How in 12:56:09.

Weather conditions for the inaugural MetaMan Triathlon was hot, with temperatures reaching above 30 degrees Celsius during the bike and run segments. The event saw an estimated 250 athletes start the triathlon on island of Bintan in Indonesia. Competitors represented more than 35 countries.

MetaMan Triathlon Placings:

For complete race day coverage, results and images from the 2012 MetaMan Triathlon please visit: www.metamanbintan.com.

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