Brazilian wins amateur event to begin Hawaiian triathlon season

HONOLULU — Diogo Sclebin of Brazil won the Olympic-distance Triathlon World Championships on Sunday, beating a field of more than 1,700 amateur competitors.

Sclebin, who hopes to become a professional triathlete, completed the race in an unofficial time of 1 hour, 55 minutes and 38 seconds.

The route took him on a 15,000-meter swim off the Queen’s Surf area of Waikiki, a 40-kilometer bicycle ride from Kapiolani Park to Hawaii Kai and back, and a 10-kilometer run around the park.

Marc Bonnet Eymard, 34, of Winter Garden, Fla., finished second in 1:55:48, and Jim Vance, 29, of San Diego, was third in 1:56:13.

Spokane’s Roger Thompson placed eighth in the 30-34 age group with a time of 2:02:06.

Margie Shapiro of Annandale, Va., led the women in 2:07:10. She was followed by Justine Whipple, 20, of Annapolis, Md., in 2:10:11, and Alison Coyle, 24, of Carlingford, Australia, in 2:11:01.

The Ironman Triathlon World Championship is scheduled for next Saturday in Kona, followed by the X-Terra World Championship on Maui on Oct. 23.