ST. CROIX, V.I.-Defending St.Croix Half-Ironman champion Joanna Zeiger and three-time Ironman World Champion Natascha Badmann lead what looks to be a strong womenıs field at the St. Croix Half Ironman, taking place on Sunday, May 5.

Zeiger, a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Triathlon team, claimed the St. Croix Half-Ironman title in 2001 with an overall time of 4 hours, 38 minutes and 53 seconds. The win marked the second straight St. Croix title for Zeiger, who has bested such Ironman standouts as Lisa Bentley, Wendy Ingraham, Fernanda Keller, and Karen Smyers over the past two years in St. Croix.

Badmann has claimed three of the last four Ironman World Championship titles, and has four Ironman titles to her credit. Besides the three Ironman World titles, the 34-year-old Badmann also posted a victory at the 2001 Ironman California triathlon. A second Ironman World Champion, American Karen Smyers, will also compete in the event. Smyers claimed the 1995 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, posting an overall time of nine hours, 16 minutes and 46 seconds. Besides her 1995 title, Smyers has finished in the top five at the Ironman World Championship five other times, including a fifth-place finish in 2001.  Smyers is no stranger to St. Croix, having posted five St. Croix International wins in her career. (1992-1994, 1997 and 1999)

Fernanda Keller of Brazil is another standout competitor in the field. Keller has posted  12 top-10 finishes at the Ironman World Championship and claimed the top spot at Ironman Brazil in 2000. Others top competitors in the field include Americans Nicole DeBoom (3rd at Ironman California in 2000 and fifth at Ironman California in 2001) and Laura Drake (2nd at Subaru Ironman Canada in 2000, 3rd at Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2000) and Canadian Teresa Macil.