By TIFFANY MICHAELIS
T-H Sports Writer
Two-time Mightymite champion Victor Perini was the first to cross the finish line, but the victory went to Paducah, Ky.'s Barry Knight.
Knight crossed the finish line third with a time of 58:13, better than last year's winning time and the sixth best time in the Mightymite history.
Perini, who won the Mightymite in 1994 and again in 2000, completed the swim portion of the race in 6:39 but fell behind Knight in the bike and run legs. Perini's bike time was just over 34 minutes at a 22.9 mph clip and his run time was 17:43 seconds.
Knight, who has been competing in triathlons since 1987 joins a growing list of first-time Mightymite winners. There has not been a repeat winner in the men's division since 1997, when Chip Cooper won his third consecutive race.
The run was the most difficult event for Knight, even though his time was 33 seconds faster than Perini's run time, at 17:10.
"It hurt me at the start of the run because my muscles were tight from the bike ride, but I felt good once I got over the hill," said Knight.
Knight also bested Perini's time during the 13-mile ride -- posting a time of 32:09, almost two full minutes faster, using a 24 mph clip.
Perini finished in a tie for second with a time of 59:37 with Donny Forsyth.
Perini set the course record of 54:31 in 1994, one which still stands.
The Mahmood brothers, Rehan and Imran, are only 18 but are veterans of several Mightymites. The brothers finished in the top 10 for the first time ever.
Forrest Owens, third a year ago in the men's division, finished sixth while Darwin Davis, seventh a year ago, finished one spot lower this time in eighth.
The female champion is the same as last year's women's winner -- Lesley Brainard, now a two-time winner from Collierville, Tenn.
Brainard improved her time from last year by 10 seconds to 1:06:30.
Brainard posted times of 7:13 in the swim, 36:59 in the bike and 20:19 during the run, the final leg of the race.
The rain made the bike course slippery for the racers.
"That turn at the bottom of the bike race was dangerous because it was wet and very slick," Brainard commented. "Someone wrecked right in front of me, so I was more concerned with accidents than I was with speeding up."
Brainard averages competing in eight to 10 races a year, and she is training to compete in the Iron Man to be held in Florida.
Katie Siegal, of Germantown, Tenn., was the second woman to cross the finish line, almost two full minutes behind Brainard while Susan Ruch of Cordova ran third.
The race was dominated by Tennessee runners boaSting nine of the top 10 men and nine of the top 10 women's spots.
2002 Mightymite Triathlon
Top 10 Men Overall
1. Barry Knight, 35, Paducah, Ky., 58;13
2. Victor Perini, 34, Cordova, Tenn., 59:37
3. Donny Forsyth, 36, Memphis, Tenn., 59:37
4. Rehan Mahmood, 18, Memphis, Tenn., 1:00.42
5. Imran Mahmood, 18, Memphis, Tenn., 1:01.08
6. Forrest Owens, 34, Memphis, Tenn., 1:01.22
7. Alan Mast, 38, Germantown, Tenn., 1:01.23
8. Darwin Davis, 32, Collierville, Tenn., 1:01.58
9. Miles Fortas, 31, Memphis, Tenn., 1:03.09
10.Timmy Linn, 16, Germantown, Tenn., 1:03.30
Top 10 Women Overall
1. Lesley Brainard, 31, Collierville, Tenn., 1:06.30
2. Katie Siegal, 17, Germantown, Tenn., 1:08.26
3. Susan Ruch, 33, Cordova, Tenn., 1:09.00
4. M.C. Jermann, 35, Memphis, Tenn., 1:10.10
5. Joy Johnson, 25, Germantown, Tenn., 1:10.28
6. Marda Kaiser, 28, Memphis, Tenn., 1:11.51
7. Lucia Colbert, 44, Cordova, Tenn., 1:12.12
8. Karen Harkins, 46, Germantown, Tenn., 1:13.29
9. Ginny Wood, 50, Cordova, Tenn., 1:12.30
10. Kara Hobart, 37, Clarksdale, Miss., 1:15.10
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Despite a late start -- brought about by an early-morning thunderstorm, an apartment fire and a quagmire-like finish line, more than 300 runners started and completed the 2002 Mightymite Triathlon -- the 19th running of the race.
"I'm very happy with the overall results," said Wyndell Robertson, this year's Mightymite director. "I worried a little when the thunderstorm came through, especially about the swim portion, but it only put us about 45 minutes behind. I was happy to see the sun break through."
Robertson said there were a few bicycle mishaps, mostly due to the rain washing gravel and debris back onto the course (especially in the turns) after Mightymite volunteers had swept the critical area Friday night.
"That caused everyone to take it a little slower and be a little more cautious on the bike portion of the race," Robertson said.
Also hindering the bike portion was a fire that broke out in the Chapel Ridge Apartment complex, located along the bike route.
That helped to slow several of the bikers.
"Forrest City once again did a great job lending a helping hand to this event," Robertson said. "We can't wait until next year which will be the 20th anniversary of the race. If the A&P and the chamber will have me back, I'll be here to do that one too," Robertson said.
This year's Mightymite was dominated by runners from Tennessee.
With the exception of Kentucky's Barry Knight, who picked up a first-time victory in the men's championship, the remaining runners in the top 10 men's division all hailed from Tennessee as did all of the top 10 women finishers.
Roy Harkins, 44, of Germantown, repeated as the Male Master, while Pam Routh, 43, of Memphis took the Female Master award.
The best finish for the more than 100 Arkansas representatives, was turned in by 17-year-old Chris Petrancosta of Hot Springs, who won his age division.
Petrancosta was the sixth overall finisher a year ago in the men's division.
Rachel Barth, 26, also of Hot Springs, won the female 25-29 age group.
The Forrest City mixed team of Jim McInturff, Wilbert Dawson and Leny Kuijten, finished second.
Kuijten, who swam the first leg of the race, joined the team for the first time this year, taking over for her daughter, Gabrielle Kuijten-Celzo, who opted to run the triathlon as a single competitor this year.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Forrest City Sanyo probably could have won the adult men's District 2 slow-pitch softball tournament played Friday and Saturday at the Sports Complex.
But when one of their players went down with an injury early in Saturday night's championship game, the team decided to take the second-place trophy and call it a day.
Sanyo made the decision to forfeit the game and the district title to the Club from West Memphis.
Sanyo, currently holding down second place in the Forrest City men's league, still advances to the state tournament of their choice.
The Club will go on to play in either the Class D or E state tournament.
Also qualifying for state tournament berths were the the West Memphis Ball Hogs, who finished third, Forrest City's Gym 2000, the fourth-place team while Morgan's and Boar's Head, both Forrest City league teams, tied for fifth.
They have the option of advancing to the state tournament of their choice -- D, E or EE.
The Club finished undefeated working their way through the winner's bracket with victories over the Slobberknockers, M&T Paving, Morgan's and Sanyo twice.
The Club downed Sanyo 7-6 in the winner's semifinal game, knocking Sanyo into the loser's bracket.
Sanyo reached the semifinals with victories over Gym 2000, Kerby's and Boar's Head. Sanyo downed the Ball Hogs in the loser's semifinal to get their second shot at the Club.
In the women's district tournament, the Odd Sox came from the loser's bracket to defeat the West Helena Waves 11-4 and 7-6 to win the title.
The Waves were undefeated until the two losses against the Odd Sox.
The Odd Sox, which played in the Forrest City league a year ago, was given a forfeit win over Sisco's First in the first game and downed Mohr Sports before losing to the Waves in the winer's semifinal game.
The Odd Sox, who qualify for either D or E state competition, got back to the finals by putting away Forrest City Chism Concrete in the loser's semifinal game.
Chism finished third and will go to the state tournament of their choice.
Forrest City will hold athletic physicals on Wednesday, July 24, for all students in grades seventh through 12th, who are planning to participate in any of the school sports during the 2002-2003 school term.
The athletic physicals will be administered at the office of Dr. Sudhir Kumar, located at 1801 Lindauer Road. The cost of the physical examinations are $10.
The physicals are for both male and female athletes.
* CITY LEAGUES
ADULT SOFTBALL
Monday, July 22
Sanyo vs Greg's, 7 p.m. F3
Young Guns vs Barnes, 7 p.m. F4
Morgan vs TSM Computers, 8 p.m. F3
kerby's vs Miller Ins., 8 p.m. F4
Boar's Head vs Food Giant, 9 p.m. F3
Gym 2000 vs Bulldogs, 9 p.m. F4