Santa Cruz will have a stake in a triathlon on the other side of the world Saturday, when two semi-local triathletes compete in the next ITU World Triathlon Series race in Sydney.
Bevan Docherty, a double Olympic medalist in the sport from New Zealand, has been living in Santa Cruz since 2010. He won this race that year, and now he’s back on his home continent and hoping to repeat. If he does — or if he’s the top New Zealander and finishes among the top eight overall — he’ll be guaranteed a spot on the New Zealand Olympic team.
Joining Docherty will be top American triathlete Matt Chrabot. Chrabot hails from Colorado Springs but has been spending most of his winter training in Santa Cruz with Docherty and aspiring 2016 triathlete Tommy Zaferes. Chrabot cannot claim a spot on the Olympic team in this race, but will use it as a tuneup for the May 11-12 ITU World Triathlon San Diego, which serves as the second and final US Olympic Trials in the sport.
This will be Chrabot’s first race of the 2012 season, while Docherty famously overtook Lance Armstrong in the final stretch to win the Ironman Panama 70.3 triathlon in February.
