BROWN SET TO CAP OFF BIGGEST WEEK IN IRONMAN NEW ZEALAND

Auckland's Cameron Brown is set to cap off the biggest week in his sporting career at Ironman New Zealand in Taupo on Saturday. Brown took out the Sportsman of the Year title at the Halberg Awards in Wellington last night before flying back to Taupo to defend his Ironman New Zealand crown tomorrow. The 29-year-old Brown became only the second triathlete to be honoured at the annual Sports Awards, following in the footsteps of the legendary Erin Baker. That link is closer as Baker's husband, American Scott Molina, coaches Brown.

Brown sought the guidance of the former Ironman Triathlon World Champion 18 months ago, leading to the Kiwi's breakthrough victory at Ironman New Zealand last year. Brown followed this with third place at the prestigious Ironman Germany and capped it with a brilliant second place at the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona, Hawaii last October.

The top seed faces an interesting test in Taupo tomorrow, including a talented pair from the Czech Republic, Petr Vabrousek and Jan Rehula. Vabrousek won three Ironman titles in 2000 and last year enjoyed four top-five finishes, while Rehula won the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics before stepping up to the Ironman distance following recovery from a serious training accident.

Canadian Garrett MacFadyen enjoyed three top-four finishes in Ironman races last year, while Australian John Van Wisse, a former national swim champion, returns to improve on his fourth placing last year.

There are a number of New Zealanders ready to test Brown's mantle as the best in the land, including Gisborne's Stephen Sheldrake, Christchurch's Scott Ballance and Australian-based Paul Amey. Sheldrake finished eighth in Taupo last year, Ballance is the only other Kiwi male to win Ironman New Zealand, while Amey recently set the fastest-ever time (3hr 48min) half ironman time recorded in Australia.

The women's race features two international icons, American Wendy Ingraham and Brazilian Fernanda Keller.

Ingraham has four Ironman victories to her credit, while fellow 38-year-old Keller won her native Ironman Brazil two years ago and has a remarkable record of six third place finishes at Kona in seven years.

Sweden's Lena Wahlqvist, a two-time winner of Ironman Lanzarote, returns after placing third last year, as is Robyn Roocke (Australia) who was third in Taupo two years ago. The New Zealand charge will be led by Christchurch's Karyn Ballance, who has finished runner-up in Taupo for the past three years.

Ballance can lay claim to being one of the sport's best amateurs, holding down a fulltime career as a podiatrist. She will have to foot it with two strong-charging Aucklanders, Jo Lawn and Lynley Allison who are keen to claim her mantle.

Lawn, the 1998 Commonwealth Games cycling representative, was the top Kiwi finishing 11^th at the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, while Allison took out the 25-29 years age-group title in Hawaii, following in the Lawn's footsteps who took out the same age-group title the previous year.

There is a record 1060 starters in tomorrow's 18^th Ironman New Zealand, contested over a 3.8km swim 180km cycle and 42km marathon run starting at 7am. The first man is expected home by 3.30pm, first women by 4.30pm and a final cutoff at midnight.