Renata aims to reclaim XTERRA crown

  Six-time XTERRA Saipan Championship winner Renata Bucher will be in seventh heaven if she regains the Crown Jewel this year.

“This race means a lot to me. When I look back it was hard for me not to be the XTERRA Saipan queen anymore,” Bucher said in a message to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The Swiss triathlete had her winning streak snap at six last year when she lost to American pro Shonny Vanlandingham, who won XTERRA Saipan for the first time. Vanlandingham timed in at 3:01:09, about seven minutes ahead of Bucher, who clocked in at 3:08:10 and dropped to third behind Austria’s Carina Wasle (3:06:33).

“Sometimes it is good not always to win. It helps to keep you on the ground. Shonny is my friend and I was happy for her win. Now, I am said she is not coming this year,”

Vanlandingham decided to skip next month’s race to continue her rehabilitation after undergoing a knee surgery late last year, leaving Bucher, Wasle, CNMI pro Mieko Carey, and newcomer Jacqui Slack of United Kingdom to battle for the women’s championship.

Bucher said the race will still be difficult even without Vanlandingam with Slack debuting in next month’s event, Wasle returning, and Carey getting stronger.

“A lot of things can happen in this tough race,” said Bucher, who is coming off a break in Switzerland and is now in Australia getting ready for a tournament.

“I had good break back home in cold Switzerland and did just one cyclo cross race [Swiss Champs] and finished fourth. Next weekend, I will race in a long distance event here in Australia as a first form test to see where I’m with my training and where I still have to work,” Bucher added.

The 34-year-old triathlete is in Wollongong, New South Wales and training with Slack and fellow XTERRA pro Ben Allen. From the Land Down Under, Bucher and company will go to Guam (XTERRA Guam/March 10) and then in Cebu, Philippines (XTERRA Philippines/March 18) before heading to Saipan for the March 24 event.

The Lucerne native, who is now racing for a new team-the Tempo-Sport-exersciences-will stay on Saipan for another week to compete in Tagaman Triathlon. Bucher also had a sub par showing in last year’s Tagaman, coming in at fourth place (2:38:55) behind champion Suzie Snyder (3:20:41), Carey (3:27:30), and Wasle (3:28:55).