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Lionel Sanders to open season at Iroman 70.3 Pucon this weekend

Sanders heads to Chile for his first race of 2017.

Lionel Sanders. Credit: Julien Heon
Lionel Sanders. Credit: Julien Heon

Lionel Sanders has headed to the southern hemisphere to open his 2017, during which he will focus exclusively on the half distance, at Ironman 70.3 Pucon in Chile on Sunday.

The 28-year-old said in an interview late last year that he will not target Kona this year as he has done the past two seasons, in favour of putting all his energy into the half distance and taking another stab at the 70.3 world title.

“This will allow me to focus more on my swim, as well as allow me to continue to push my upper limits as high as they will possibly go on the bike and the run. Down the road when I do specialize in the full Ironman distance, I think this will be a huge asset,” he said of his 2017 half distance approach.

Sanders is up against lots of local talent at Ironman 70.3 Pucon on Sunday. One of the other few international athletes on the start line is American Jesse Thomas, who continues to put together a solid resume of half and full distance results including the win against Jan Frodeno at Ironman Lanzarote last summer.

Sanders also revealed the new frame of his race bike, the Garneau TR1, which he will race on at Pucon this weekend.

See the full pro start list here. TMC will provide live updates from the race via Twitter.