The battle for honours among the Island's top triathletes will be fiercer than ever this year.

Expected to be vying for the top spots in 2003 will be Andrew Davis, Jamie Pedro and irrepressible veteran Kent Richardson, as well as youngsters Matthew Herring, Alex Jones and Geoffrey Smith who all grabbed glory of their own last season.

Davis won the Bermuda National Championships and was second in the World Championship Qualifier and the National Sprint Championships and third in the Bank of Bermuda Triathlon.

Herring beat all-comers in the prestigious Bank of Bermuda event and was a close second in the senior National Championships and third in the senior National Sprint Championships. He also competed well for the first time in the 16-19 Canadian, US and Worlds Junior Championships.

Richardson, who trained and raced for much of the season abroad, had a disappointing race at Commonwealth Games by his standards but won the overall masters titles in the competitive St. Anthony's and Great Clermont Triathlons in Florida. He was also second in the Bank of Bermuda Triathlon.

Pedro, who also enjoyed excellent races in Victoria, Canada and Memphis, took first at Bermuda's World Championships qualifier event.

Jones, meanwhile, a college student in the US, won his age group at Great Clermont and was third at St. Anthony's, but did not compete much locally.

Smith is also one to watch, having emerged as a real threat for major honours in the sprint events. He notched a number of top five finishes last season and should break into the top three in 2003.

College student Jonathan Herring did not race much in 2002 but did post a respectable 13th overall in the Nike International Triathlon in Canada. His plans are uncertain in 2003 but if fit he will be a major contender for local honours.

Neil De St Croix, former national champion, made a comeback last year and has been training hard and will certainly be in top three contention.

Newcomers Jamie Brown, a former Great Britain junior duathlete, and veteran David Cowen are also expected to be in contention for major honours.

Among the women, Karen Smith was the dominant force once again in 2002, winning her fourth consecutive national title and remaining unbeaten locally.

Overseas, she took the overall win at the Niagara Triathlon, her age group title at the St. Anthony's Triathlon, a fourth at the Ontario Championships and finished her season with a 15th place finish at Commonwealth Games.

Competition among the women is growing as 2002 also saw the emergence of Cora Lee Starzomski, Karen Madeiros, Deanna McMullen, the winner of the Shell Gold Cup Triathlon, and Vanessa Madeiros as serious contenders for major honours, while outstanding junior Flora Duffy took her first senior title winning the Aon National Sprint Championships.

Smith should dominate again in 2003 but a nagging foot injury could hinder her chances of success abroad and McMullen, Starzomski and Duffy could have a chance of upsetting her if she is not in top form.

Lynn Patchett has said she intends to focus on duathlon this year. She has won the national championship before and is planning to go to the World Championships in Switzerland this year along with Ricky Sousa.

Triathlon will be sending a strong team in July to the Island Games in Guernsey and hopes are high of some medal performances.

While Tyler Butterfield, the Island's outstanding athlete, is expected to race at the World Championships in New Zealand in December, with the travel distance involved it is uncertain how many other Bermuda triathletes will make the trip.

A proposed training clinic by former leading professional triathlete Alec Ruksuoev will also be a highlight of the season.

Ruksuoev, a Russian by birth, defected to the USA some years ago and last year obtained his US citizenship.

Now retired, Ruksuoev was once considered to be in the top three triathletes in the world and his remarkable story was featured recently in Triathlete Magazine.