John Chicano and Kim Mangrobang of the Philippines are the favorites in the 31st SEA Games multisport events

While many sports enthusiasts around the Southeast Asian region are eagerly waiting for the delayed 31st Southeast Asian Games (also referred to as 31st SEA Games, SEA Games 31 and Hanoi 2021) in Vietnam to finally start, triathlon here in the Philippines is getting more active after being dormant under the COVID-19 crisis. In fact, triathlon interest among Filipinos is only getting stronger and the other day, the Philippine Daily Inquirer published an article highlighting 2019 SEA Games gold medalists John Chicano and Marion Kim Mangrobang as the favorites in two different multisport events in this year’s SEA Games.

To be specific, the Inquirer viewed Chicano (the 2019 SEA Games men’s triathlon gold medalist) as the Philippines’ best bet in the 31st SEA Games men’s duathlon event while Mangrobang (2019 SEA Games women’s triathlon gold medalist) remains the heavy favorite in the 31st SEA Games women’s triathlon event. But before going to Vietnam, Chicano and Mangrobang will be participating in the NTT AST Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) 2022 on May 1 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone!

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Inquirer sports article written by June Navarro. Some parts in boldface…

Kim Mangrobang remains as the heavy favorite in women’s triathlon of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam while John Chicano is the country’s strongest bet in duathlon.

Mangrobang, the back-to-back women’s SEA Games gold medalist, and the 2019 men’s champion Chicano will headline the country’s jaunt in the Subic International Triathlon (SUBIT) on May 1, their last big hurdle before heading to the Vietnam Games to defend their titles.

They will be tested against 30 elite foreign triathletes from Australia, Japan, United States, Poland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, India and Azerbaijan bannered by Ukraine-born Olympian Rostyslav Pevtsov.

Joining Chicano and Mangrobang at Subit, now returning at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone after a two-year hiatus, are national team mainstays Raven Faith Alcoseba and 2019 SEAG men’s silver medalist Kim Remolino.

Alcoseba and Remolino belong to the Triathlon Association of the Philippines’ new crop of young triathletes to keep the nation’s gold-medal streak in the SEA Games going since 2015 in Singapore.

On its 29th year, Subit is the country’s longest running triathlon with newly installed Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Rolen Paulino serving as assistant race director during its inaugural edition.

“I’m proud to say that Subit has produced our SEA Games champions, Asian duathlon gold medalists and notable performers in both the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Palembang Asian Games,’’ said Trap president Tom Carrasco.

The first international-flavored triathlon event in the country since the onset of the pandemic, Carrasco said the Subit plays a major role for the preparation of Chicano and Mangrobang as well as their teammates to again rule the triathlon races in the SEA Games for the fourth consecutive edition.

If you want to know more about John Chicano and Kim Mangrobang, read my separate feature articles of them on this website. Also check out the videos below.

As the SEA Games hosted by Hanoi, Vietnam slowly approaches, more and new details about the triathlon and duathlon events there should be revealed. Eventually the names of all the SEA Games competitors in the men’s and women’s events in triathlon and duathlon will be announced. Take note that host country Vietnam has almost one thousand athletes joining the SEA Games.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you excited for the duathlon and triathlon events of this year’s SEA Games? If you are here in the Philippines, would you be interested to visit Subic Bay to watch the Subic Bay International Triathlon (SUBIT) in person and watch SEA Games gold medalists John Chicano and Kim Mangrobang race? Do you anticipate that Chicano and Mangrobang will both bring home the gold from Vietnam?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Over 650 Philippine athletes counted so far for the 31st SEA Games

If you are rooting for the Philippines to become successful in the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (AKA 31st SEA Games, the Vietnam SEA Games or Hanoi 2021) in Vietnam this coming May, be aware that more than six hundred fifty national athletes have been listed to represent the country, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) article published recently. To make things clear, these athletes were collectively submitted by the varied national sports agencies (NSAs) to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). The current number of athletes is tentative at best as there are NSAs still finalizing their respective athletes for the SEA Games.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has so far summed 656 athletes who will do battle in the 31st Southeast Asian Games that are due in under two and a half months in Hanoi, Vietnam.

POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said majority of the 39 national sports associations which are fielding athletes to Vietnam have submitted tentative rosters for the May 12 to 25 Games.

The Philippines is competing in 39 of the 40 sports programmed by Vietnam for its only second hosting of the Games since 2003. In these 39 sports, the country is participating in 44 disciplines, according to Tolentino.

“Comparing the numbers when we hosted the Games in 2019, we’ll have a delegation that’s slashed almost in half from three years ago,” Tolentino said in a news release on Monday. “And a quick look at the numbers show we’ll be hard-pressed to repeat as overall champions.”

There were 1,115 Filipino athletes in 2019—an automatic privilege that host countries have—and they won 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals for a guaranteed overall title.

But we’ll have a fighting team in Vietnam, setting aside the difficulties of training and competing or training overseas because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Tolentino said.

Of the 44 disciplines, the POC has yet to receive a tentative list for athletics, men’s 3×3 and 5×5 basketball, weightlifting and jiujitsu.

The deadline for the submission of entries by names is on March 12 and Tolentino said the POC is hopeful to complete the list—including expected revisions from NSAs which already complied with the body’s February 24 internal deadline—by then.

Several NSAs were allowed to submit tentative lists because they’re still completing their final qualifications or trials,” he said.

The estimated size of the delegation is pegged at 874. Also on the tentative list are 177 team officials (coaches, team managers and/or NSA heads or representatives) and 20 members of the medical (doctors, nurses, and masseurs/therapists) and administrative staff.

Competition venues for Filipino athletes are spread out in four clusters although majority will be in the main hub of Hanoi, Tolentino said. The POC based the clusters on their proximity to Hanoi.

Filipino athletes will be competing in diving, swimming, finswimming, archery, athletics, badminton, 3×3 and 5×5 basketball, billiards and snooker, bodybuilding, bowling, boxing, canoe-kayak, chess, cycling, dancesports, esports, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (artistic, aerobic and rhythmic), beach handball, judo, jiujitsu, karate, kickboxing, kurash, muaythai, pencak silat, rowing, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon/duathlon, volleyball, beach volleyball, vovinam, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Considering the difficulty everyone had to endure with the COVID-19 pandemic, do you think that the current athletes the Philippines has right now are competitive enough to bring home SEA Games gold medals? Among the all of the above listed SEA Games sports the Philippines will compete in, what are the five sports that interest you the most right now?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/

31st SEA Games in Vietnam to open in May 2022

The SEA Games Federation had its official meeting this past Monday and the news are already spreading (refer to the reports of the Philippine News Agency, the Bangkok Post and The Straits Times)…the delayed 31st Southeast Asian Games (referred to as 31st SEA Games or Hanoi 2021) in Hanoi, Vietnam will officially begin in the middle of May 2022 although the specific date has yet to be determined. Take note that the 31st SEA Games were postponed previously due to the COVID-19 crisis that is still ongoing.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Philippine News Agency report. Some parts in boldface…

Vietnam is looking to begin the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games by the middle of May next year.

This was confirmed during the SEA Games Federation meeting on Monday.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino proposed during the online meeting for the event to formally open by May 12.

“As the debate went on, I suggested for a May 12 opening ceremony, a Monday,” Tolentino said. “The Vietnamese organizers will confirm the specific dates soon.

Originally scheduled from November 21 to December 2 this year, the SEA Games, still set to take place in Hanoi, was moved to May due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Traditionally being done every odd-numbered year ever since its first staging in 1959, the 31st edition would mark the first time the event will happen in an even-numbered year.

A total of 520 events from 40 sports will take place in Hanoi with the Philippine team participating in 39 of the sports.

However, it is expected that the SEA Games will return to its usual every odd-numbered year schedule by the 32nd edition with Cambodia finally getting a chance to host the biennial meet.

But the 2023 host is set to hold the SEA Games at an earlier date, which posed a problem during the federation meeting since the May 2022 start to the Vietnam games has been set too.

For the newcomers on this website, I previously blogged about 2019 Southeast Asian Games (2019 SEA Games) mainly focused on the sport of triathlon which itself was added to the 31st SEA Games (refer to published news reports here and here, plus my own blog post here). The Philippines won the gold and silver medals in the 2019 SEA Games triathlon events for men and women and the gold in the mixed relay triathlon. The Philippines also won the gold, silver and bronze medals in the duathlon events for women, men and mixed relay respectively. In the first quarter of 2020, I featured SEA Games triathlon gold medalists Kim Mangrobang and John Chicano. Personally, I am anticipating the Philippines’ participation in the triathlon and duathlon events of the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you looking forward to the 31st SEA Games? What is the one sport you are looking forward to watch in the Hanoi SEA Games? Do you think that the Philippines will be able to win big in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam? Are you willing to support the Philippine team athletes through the Ayuda sa Atleta program?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

No Tickets Required to Watch 2019 SEA Games Triathlon and Duathlon Events in Subic Bay

Good news for sports enthusiasts and followers of the sports of triathlon (swim-bike-run) and duathlon (run-bike-run)! Tickets are NOT required to watch live the triathlon and duathlon events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) scheduled for the first week of December in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

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This is according to 2019 SEA Games director for marketing Raoul Floresca who revealed a list of official sports events that will not be ticketed and that most of them are outdoor sports set in open areas. He also added that there will be no personnel from the marketing team and SM Tickets (the official seller of 2019 SEA Games tickets) won’t have any personnel present.

The SEA Games triathlon (December 1 and 4) and duathlon (December 2 and 5) in Subic Bay are both outdoor events and anyone who wants to watch them on location should not worry anymore about having to search for tickets. Floresca stated that spectator services must take charge of the entry of spectators at all venues of SEA Games events that don’t require tickets.

Apart from triathlon and duathlon, other SEA Games events set in Subic Bay that don’t require tickets include Canoe/Kayak, Rowing, Sailing, Windsurfing, open water swimming and shooting to name some.

SEA Games events that require tickets

When it comes to SEA Games events that will be held in enclosed areas or stadiums, tickets are required for people who want to watch live. The SEA Games badminton event in Muntinlupa City will be held inside the city’s sports facility in Barangay Tunasan and if you want to watch the games, you must buy a ticket first. This will also be applied on the SEA Games underwater hockey event that will be held at the Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus City, Cavite. For more details or to buy tickets for badminton and underwater hockey, visit SM Tickets online.

Clark Global City Duathlon 2019 in the Sports News (May 15, 2019)

Hi, sports fans! Those of you who are following the latest in Philippine multisports (triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon) are encouraged to check out the latest sports coverage of the successful Clark Global City Duathlon 2019 co-presented by Smart which was held this past Sunday at Clark Global City, Clark, Pampanga.

Below are the newspapers that published today the post-event news. Some of them with online versions that can be viewed. Just click.

Manila Bulletin

Manila Standard

People’s Tonight

Manila Times

Business Mirror

Malaya Business Insight

For pictures of the event, check out my previous post.

Race results? You can find them right here.

Also I encourage you to visit and follow Bike King on Facebook.

 

 

 

Clark Global City Duathlon 2019 Pics and Insight

As millions of people around the Philippines were focused on the 2019 National & Local Elections, the sprawling Clark Global City (CGC) in Clark, Pampanga was filled with excitement and fun yesterday morning with the successful Clark Global City Duathlon 2019 co-presented by Smart and organized by Bike King.

For the newcomers here, duathlon is a multi-sport activity composed of running and biking. The event in Clark yesterday had two distances: 6km run—60km bike—4km run and 3Km run-30Km bike-4Km run.

As with past multisport events organized by Bike King, the event handled efficiently, the field of participants was large (in the hundreds), the awarding ceremony was a nice attraction (with two emcees who are very talented) and the participants had fun.

What is also notable about Clark Global City is that it is located just a short drive away from the South Clark exit/entry of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx). If you came from Metro Manila via the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and arrive at South Clark exit, there is no way you can miss the CGC.

For your viewing enjoyment, posted below are random pictures I took from the event. Just click to enlarge.

I encourage you to visit and follow Bike King on Facebook.

 

TRI-Factor Asian Series Run-Bike-Run 2019 National Duathlon Championship In The News (April 2019)

The TRI-Factor Asian Series Run-Bike-Run 2019 National Duathlon Championship made it in the sports news yesterday and below are the publications that printed the post-race story.

Philippine Star

Manila Standard

The Freeman 

Cebu Daily News

Malaya Business Insight

People’s Journal

People’s Tonight

Tempo

Business Mirror

Manila Times

Sun.Star Cebu

Congratulations to the winners and finishers and also thanks to the supporters who made the race possible. Remember the multi-sport franchise name TRI-Factor.

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE: Chicano tops TRI-Factor National Duathlon Championship in Clark

Chicano tops TRI-Factor National Duathlon Championship in Clark

Clark, Philippines – March 31, 2019 – Hard work, dedication and strategies paid off well for John Chicano and Phoebe Kee as they topped the inaugural TRI-Factor Asian Series Run-Bike-Run 2019 National Duathlon Championship held this morning in Clark.

For the Elite Male (Standard Distance 10 Km run – 40 Km bike – 5 Km run) title, Chicano led all the way from run 1 with no letup in the grueling 40-km bike and cross the finish line in 1 hour, 58 minutes and 24 seconds almost a minute ahead of surging Emmanuel Commendador (1:59:21) and Singapore’s mien Mau Lim (1:59:33).

Among the ladies in the event organized by TRI-Factor Philippines and co-presented by Clark Development Corporation (CDC), the Bases Conversion & Development Authority (BCDA) and the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) and supported by Cignal and Oakley, Phoebe Kee of Singapore coasted to a surprisingly easy victory clocking 2:20:53. She defeated former junior champion Jelsie Sabado and national standout Mirasol Abad finished 2nd and 3rd timing 2:22:15 and 2:25:06 respectively.

Other Standard Distance champions declared were Chrissa Borja and Carl Gutierrez (20-29), Jayline Balatibat and Dan Concepcion, jr. (30-39), Martes Christabel and Rene Tayag (40-49) and Jojo Macalintal (Male 50-above).

The Sprint Distance (5 Km run – 20 Km bike – 2.5 Km run) champions meanwhile were Mary Joy Trupa and Kim Remolino (Elite), Angelo Quitlong and Erika Nicole Burgos (16-19), Celina Constantino and Reymart Songco (20-29), Noelle Frances De Guzman and Stephen Zarate (30-39), Jonalyn Unlayao and Alexander Luterio (40-49).

Super Sprint Distance (2.5 Km run – 10 Km bike – 2.5 Km run) champions: Moira Erediano and Matthew Hermosa (19-below), Jena Valdez (Female 20-above), Ryan Laurino (20-29), and Marc Dela Cruz (30-39).

For complete race results, visit https://trifactor.ph or TRI-Factor Philippines’ Facebook page.

 

Fifteen 2019 SEA Games events in Subic Bay

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority announced today that it will soon start its preparation of the facilities and other pieces of infrastructure in relation to its hosting of seventeen events of the 2019 edition of the Southeast Asian Games (30th SEA Games). The Philippines is the host country and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is undeniably playing a major role.

The 15 sports events assigned to the Freeport Zone by the SEA Games committee are canoe/kayak, TBR dragon boat, chess, muay, duathlon, triathlon, pencak silat, table tennis, aquatics-open water swim, modern pentathlon, sailing, wind surfing, sepak takraw, handball-beach and volleyball-beach. All these details were sourced from the SEA Games organizing committee.

The listed venue for duathlon and triathlon is Boardwalk, Building 229 area.

Very recently I watched the My Daily Collagen Triathlon at Subic Bay which was a nicely organized and fun event. As I’ve personally observed for many years now, Subic Bay is a great destination for sports, tourism, shopping, business and family bonding. It’s no surprise to me that duathlon (run-bike-run) and triathlon (swim-bike-run) are to be held for the SEA Games there.

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Ramon Agregado, the SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator, stated that their administration expects to being project construction in the first week of March to upgrade existing facilities and turn them into world-class sports accommodations.

“The centerpiece of Subic’s infrastructure development project for the 2019 SEA Games will be the Remy Field. Its present six-lane track will be turned into a nine-lane oval complemented by three practice lanes, as well as shower rooms, dressing rooms and a new, bigger grand stand,” Agregado stated.

The administrator also said that existing venues scheduled for rehabilitation include the SBMA Tennis Court, the Subic Gymnasium and the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. While undergoing rehabilitation, they will be closed to the public temporarily.

With regards to budgeting, Agregado confirmed that a total of P170 million has been set by the national government for the Subic Bay SEA Games preparation. The SBMA however expects a higher amount to cover the required development. In recent times, the SEA Games budget was reduced by the national government from P7.5 billion to P5 billion.

As a whole, there will be 56 sports, with an estimated 8,750 athletes and team officials; 2,050 technical officials, 1,500 press and media attendees; 12,000 volunteers; targeting more than 500 million viewers; converging, cooperating for the SEA Games this year. The event is set to happen November 30 up to December 11.

For more info visit the official 2019 SEA Games website.

For triathlon and duathlon, visit the TRAP Facebook page.


Thank you for reading. If you find this article to be engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenor is still available in paperback and e-book format. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco.