Tuesday, September 5, 2000
Triathlon News Online

Dibens forced to withdraw from Games

THE Great Britain triathlon squad, which is expected to get the nation off to a medal-winning start at the Olympic Games in just over a week's time, suffered a blow on Monday when one of the six-strong team was forced to withdraw through injury. Julie Dibens, the leading British woman at the European championships two months ago, has been unable to run for ten days because of calf trouble and was advised that she could do lasting damage if she attempted to compete.

The women's triathlon will take centre stage on Saturday week as the first event in which the medals will be decided. For Dibens, the European bronze medal-winner this season, pulling out of an occasion that marks the sport's Olympic debut was the hardest decision that she has faced in her competitive career. Furthermore, it is the second time she has narrowly missed the Olympics. In 1992, as a 100 metres backstroke swimmer, Dibens was fifth in the trials.

"The last few days of not knowing have been a nightmare for Julie and, now the decision has been taken, she is relieved," Greg Millet, the Great Britain performance director, said. "It is heartbreaking for her." Any temptation for Dibens, 25, to experience the Olympics by tackling the swim and the ride only - the run is the final discipline - has been resisted. "It shows what a responsible person she is," Millet added.

Dibens is not, however, going home early and will remain on the Gold Coast at the British pre-Olympic training camp, near Brisbane, then travel with the team to Sydney next Tuesday. "She is still young and there is little doubt she will still be in the sport in 2004," Millet said. "It is important she stays here in Australia and watches the race to help prepare her for the next Olympics." Michelle Dillon, who has lived in Australia for much of her life, will replace her.

While Sian Brice and Steph Forrester are outsiders for medals in the women's race, British medal prospects centre on Simon Lessing and Andrew Johns in the men's event. With Tim Don, the 1998 world junior champion, as the third member of the team, Britain possesses the world's No 1 trio and Millet is optimistic, especially as final training here has gone to perfection. "All three are in their best shape ever," Millet said.

The same cannot be said of the Australia squad, at least not if the reported remarks of Martin Vinnicombe, the coach to one of the team, are to be believed. Vinnicombe's alleged comments have further disrupted an already unsettled host nation squad. He coaches Peter Robertson, one of the three-man Australia team, and is reported to have described the other home Olympic triathletes as "fat and unfit".

Vinnicombe has been asked by Triathlon Australia and the National Olympic Committee to account for the comments, and risks having Olympic accreditation denied, while Robertson has attempted to distance himself from the remarks. The Australians are considered the main challengers to Britain's medal prospects.

Such has been the acrimony surrounding the Australia selection procedure that Emma Carney, a former world champion, went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Sydney after she was not picked. The CAS ruled against her, saying that she had failed to establish that the proper selection criteria had not been followed.

David Powell
The Times