2020 National Age Group Triathlon Season Kicks Off at Subic Bay on January 26
After delivering the first two gold and silver medals of the recently concluded 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), triathlon opens a new decade in the country with the launch of the 2020 season of the National Age Group Triathlon series which will fire off with close to a thousand participants on January 26 in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
A joint project of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the season opening race will have participants challenging themselves with the Standard Distance (1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run), Sprint Distance (750 M swim – 20 Km bike – 5 Km run) and Super Sprint Distance (500 M swim – 13 Km bike – 2.5 Km run) prepared for them with San Bernardino serving as the main venue for starting, transition and finishing.
At stake in the event supported by the SBMA, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Standard Insurance, FINIS and Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP) are gift packs and winners’ medals for the Top 3 winners of each age-group category per distance as well as the Team Relay category.
Entry fees are set at P3,750 for Standard Distance, P3,000 for Sprint Distance, P2,500 for Super Sprint Distance and P7,500 for the Team Relay. Inclusive with the entry fees are the post-race meal, the finisher’s medal and race t-shirt. Registration will end on December 31 or when all slots have been filled up.
December 1, 2019 will be remembered for a very long time here in the Philippines specifically with regards to the followers and enthusiasts of the multisport of triathlon (swim-bike-run) as the Philippines won two gold medals and two silver medals of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) triathlon events for men and women held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. As I write this, the triathlon victories continue to generate buzz around the nation through social media and the news media.
Specifically, John Chicano won the gold in the men’s triathlon (1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run) with a time of 1 hour, 53 minutes and 26 seconds! Literally speaking, he upgraded from the silver medal he won in the 2017 SEA Games (2nd to then gold medalist Nikko Huelgas) to gold medal. The silver was won also for the Philippines with the 2nd place finish of Cebu’s prized triathlete and 1st time SEA Games participant Andrew Kim Remolino who clocked in at 1:55:03. Indonesia’s Muhammad Ahlul Firman won the bronze after coming in at 1:57:10.
Philippines’ Andrew Kim Remolino and John Chicano won the silver and gold medals of the 2019 SEA Games men’s triathlon event at Subic Bay on the morning of December 1. (source – 2019 SEA Games Facebook page)
Among the ladies, the event of which started around 2 hours after the men’s race stated, Marion Kim Mangrobang proved once again she is Southeast Asia’s best female triathlete as she won her 2nd SEA Games gold medal with a time of 2:02:00. The Santa Rosa, Laguna native now has a grand total of three SEA Games medals. She won a silver in the 2015 SEA Games (Claire Adorna won the gold back then) and her first gold medal in the 2017 SEA Games (Adorna meanwhile got the silver).
Mangrobang’s teammate Kim Kilgroe won the silver medal finishing 2nd with 2:05:02. She said to the reporters that she felt so great and happy with her achievement. Like Remolino, this was her first SEA Games performance.
The women’s triathlon bronze medal went to Indonesia’s Nethavani Octaria who finished the race in 2:16:33.
Kim Mangrobang of Santa Rosa, Laguna won her 2nd straight SEA Games women’s triathlon gold medal! She previously won a silver medal in the 2015 SEA Games and the gold in the 2017 SEA Games. (screenshot of CNN Philippines video)Teammates Kim Kilgroe (silver medal) and Kim Mangrobang (gold) during the awarding ceremony. (screenshot of CNN Philippines video)
Notable details
Chicano’s gold medal performance was very notable given the fact that his time of 1:53:26 is noticeably faster than the 1:59:30 Nikko Huelgas achieved in 2017. In an ABS-CBN report, coach Melvin Faustino said that Chicano previously timed 1:56:00 and they were aiming for 1:55:00. Of course, things turned out even better with today’s race and Faustino claims that the 1:53:26 time Chicano achieved is a Southeast Asian record for men’s triathlon.
For the newcomers reading this, the Standard Distance (AKA Olympic Distance) for triathlon is set at 1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run. This is the same distance of triathlon implemented in the Asian Games and the Olympics.
For her part, Kim Mangrobang stated to the reporters that her achievement was meant to inspire youth to get into sports and also contribute to the growth of triathlon here in the Philippines.
With the single-day haul of two gold medals and two silver medals in the two SEA Games triathlon events, the Philippines got boosted in the medal standing. Medal competition aside, rewards from the national government will follow soon.
According to Section 8 of Republic Act Number 10699 (RA 10699 or “AN ACT EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF INCENTIVES GRANTED TO NATIONAL ATHLETES AND COACHES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9064”), SEA Games gold medalists who won in individual events will be rewarded P300,000 each while the silver medalists will receive P150,000 each.
Gold medal victory in Mixed Relay (December 2, 2019)
The triathlon glory continued for the Philippines on December 2 when the team composed of Chicano, Mangrobang, Claire Adorna (2015 SEA Games gold medalist and silver medalist in 2017) and newcomer Fer Casares won the gold in the Mixed Relay triathlon event of the SEA Games.
Thank the Lord for His blessing of victory!
Let me stress to all of you reading this that these major victories of the Philippines in the SEA Games would not have been possible with God’s blessing.
Before the two triathlon events happened, I made a public call to viewers on my official Facebook page to pray for the SEA Games victories of not only the Philippine triathlon team but also the duathlon team. I also reached out to my church mates to pray as well.
And the Lord answered our prayers! The blessings in the form of twin gold and twin silver medal victories of the two triathlon events plus the gold medal of the mixed relay team triathlon event of the SEA Games prove that the Philippines is the best in triathlon in Southeast Asia and take note that the next SEA Games won’t happen until the year 2021. Apart from being congratulated by many, gold medalists Chicano and Mangrobang, and silver medalists Remolino and Kilgroe will be remembered for many years to come not only among the triathlon enthusiasts of the Philippines but by Filipinos in general and among people all over Southeast Asia!
On her official Facebook page, Kim Mangrobang acknowledged the Lord!
When it comes to victory, God is the source of it apart from the blessings, opportunities and progress He provides to His creations who are faithful to Him. The Lord rewards the faithful abundantly and there is no denying that!
In closing this, here is a scripture from the Holy Bible.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4: 13 (NKJV)
For continued triathlon and multiport updates, come back here.
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. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris 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 and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
Hey everyone! Is your local community print media news publication still practicing propaganda or irresponsible journalism? Is your local community print media news publication secretly colluding with authorities or fake news makers? Is your local community print media news publication plagiarizing articles of bloggers and printed pretentious reports and articles to mislead you?
In this era of fake news and social media, publishing credibility is more crucial than ever. I personally oppose fake news, irresponsible journalism and propaganda (that is both self-serving and insulting to the public’s intelligence). I’ve seen others (who see themselves as keyboard warrior-type activists) mislead others via social media with lies and wrongful images (note: the #SEAGamesFail movement on Twitter made waves temporarily damaging not only the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee but also the nation as a whole).
On this website of mine, I strive to inform you, my readers and anyone concerned reading this, with precise and truthful information backed with evidence.
As for the title of this article, I can confirm to you all that the City Government of Parañaque confirmed to me directly that any resident of the city who wins a medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (2019 SEA Games) will be rewarded!
This past week, I reached out to City Administrator Fernando “Ding” Soriano and asked him if the administration of mayor Edwin Olivarez has any reward planned for Parañaque-based 2019 SEA Games medalists
“The mayor will give rewards,” Soriano responded.
Eva Nono, the former head of the Parañaque Public Information Office who remains with the Olivarez administration, gave the same response when I also inquired with her.
What kind of rewards await Parañaque-based athletes at the SEA Games if ever they win at least a bronze medal? Will it be a cash incentive? A citation by the City Government? A photo session with the mayor? No solid details have been revealed by Soriano and Nono respectively. We will just have to find out.
Back in the year 2017 at nearby Las Piñas City, I personally witnessed their mayor Imelda Aguilar and the City Councilors meet with then SEA Games men’s triathlon gold medalist Nikko Huelgas who was a confirmed resident of BF International. They were very delighted to find out about his being a local of theirs and eventually an agreement was made by the City Government to give him a cash incentive for his gold medal victory as well as for bringing honor to the city. The 2017 SEA Games gold was Huelgas’ 2nd gold.
Speaking of SEA Games triathlon, Huelgas is NOT participating in this year’s edition of the games and you can find out precisely why right here.
The 2019 SEA Games triathlon and duathlon events will be held at Subic Bay very soon and the great news is that tickets are NOT required for people who intend to watch the events live on-location.
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. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris 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 and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
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.
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.
During the recent edition of the Usapang Sports forum held at the National Press Club in Intramuros, Manila, 2-time SEA Games medalist Maria Claire Adorna expressed that the Philippines campaign will achieve success in the triathlon events (Individual Men, Individual Women and Mixed Team Relay) of the 30th Southeast Asian Games (30th SEA Games) which will be held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Adorna, who won the SEA Games triathlon gold in 2015 in Singapore and the silver medal in 2017 in Malaysia, was confident that the team will do well this year.
“We have strong chance to win especially because we will host the SEA Games,” Adorna said during the forum.
To put things in perspective, in the Men’s race, the Philippines will be represented by John Chicano and Andrew Kim Remolino. 2-time SEA Games medalist Kim Mangrobang and Kim Kilgroe will race in the Women’s competition. Adorna has been shortlisted with Mangrobang and Kilgroe in the mixed team relay for women while 2-time SEA Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgashas been shortlisted with Chicano and Fer Casares on the men’s side. Specifically, a decision will be made as to which triathletes will do the mixed team relay event the day before the race begins.
The distance of the triathlon will be 1.5-kilometer swimming, 40KM biking and 10KM running.
Hard-earned SEA Games Gold Medal
It is recalled during the 2015 SEA Games, Adorna revealed to reporters and bloggers that winning the gold medal was very hard to achieve not only because of competition from other Southeast Asian nations but also due to the fact that she had been injured along the way. Check out the video below.
Back to the sports forum, the 2-time medalist pointed to Singapore and Malaysia as the likely biggest rivals.
When it comes to entering the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Adorna said that local triathletes need to participate in many Asian-level tournaments as possible in order to accumulate the essential ranking points in order to qualify in the said Games. She urged the entire nation to pray and support for the entire Philippine team.
The Usapang Sports forum was presented by the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) and sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, National Press Club, Pagcor, Community Basketball Association, and HG Guyabano Tea Leaf Drinks. TOPS president Ed Andaya and Games and Amusements Board (GAB) Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra were present during the forum.
No Three-peat in SEA Games Men’s Triathlon
With Chicano and Remolino (who is preparing in his native Cebu) representing the Philippines in the Men’s race in the SEA Games triathlon, there definitely will be no “three-peat” this year in reference to Nikko Huelgas who won the Men’s gold medals in 2015 and 2017. The Triathlon Association of the Philippines announced this past August its SEA Games lineup for the triathlon event.
Huelgas however still has a chance to share the glory of winning another gold medal in the men’s mixed team relay.
Among the ladies, 2017 SEA Games gold medalist Kim Mangrobang has a chance to win a 2nd consecutive gold medal. Recently she finished 5th in the Elite Women category of the 2019 ATU Triathlon African Cup in Morocco. Her teammate Kim Kilgroe finished 8th in that same race.
For more triathlon updates, visit the TRAP Facebook page here.
For updates of the 30th SEA Games, click here for the website and here for the Facebook page.
As the anticipation for the 30th Southeast Asian Games (30th SEA Games) grows, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC)announced on September 18 that they expected more than 35,000 people to sign up for the biennial sports meet which will open on November 30 and last until December 11.
According to Alona Quintos (director for accreditation and uniforms), the PHISGOC has received close to eleven thousand applications for accreditation from athlete and officials of the eleven nations participating in the big event.
Already 9,552 have been screened while more than eight thousand personnel have been granted access to the SEA Games. The organizers have been paying close attention to security to make sure that each and every person who got accredited is cleared. Quintos added that pre-valid accreditation cards or PVACs of the eleven national Olympic committees will start printing on September 30.
With regards to media, close to 1,500 personnel composed of journalists, photojournalists, videographers and broadcasters have applied to cover the 30th SEA Games.
So far, the preparation for the SEA Games here in the Philippines is looking good. In fact there were technical delegates from various sports who lauded the local organizers for the preparation and the venues. For one thing, Valson Cuddikotta (technical delegate for athletics) cited the track-and-field stadium in New Clark City as a world-class facility and noted PHISGOC’s efforts to come up with such fantastic venues. Cuddikotta believes the Philippines can conduct any event of the highest magnitude.
Historically speaking, the Philippines hosted the SEA Games in 1981, 1991 and 2005. The very first SEA Games were held in Thailand way back in 1959.
Tickets to the Games
For those who want to watch the SEA Games in person here in the Philippines, the organizers have teamed up with SM Tickets and tickets are being sold at www.SMtickets.com
Nikko Huelgas Tops TRI-Factor Standard Distance Triathlon In Indonesia!
Nikko Huelgas of the Philippines as the Standard Distance (1.5 Km swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run) champion. (photo contributed by Huelgas)
Nikko Huelgas, the 2-time Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) gold medalist who resides in BF International, Las Piñas City, brought honor again to the Philippines by winning the championship in the Tri-Factor Indonesia Standard Distance triathlon event held this past Sunday (July 7) at the island of Belitung in Indonesia.
According to Huelgas, he completed the 1.5 Kilometer swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run event in an estimated time of 2 hours and 9 minutes. I state estimated because as of this writing, the complete and official results of the event have yet to be published.
For his victory, the BF International resident thanked his coaches and sponsors.
When I asked him through Viber about the experience of the race in Indonesia, Huelgas said that it was a relaxing one as it was held on the island (note: Belitung is located on the east coast of Sumatra) and he was mostly away from the competitors. This helped him lessen his social anxiety as well as the typical pre-race anxiety.
Nikko Huelgas running during the race in Indonesia. (photo contributed by Huelgas)
“It was a hot day but staying on the beach front made it manageable and stress-free. No problems happened whatsoever and no diet adjustments. It was able to do a great race that I’ve been longing for the past months,” Huelgas wrote.
When it comes to the quality of the competitors, he described them as not as big as the Asian Championships of triathlon and he was not there to actually win.
“I was there to deliver the best possible performance I can give, as a way for my comeback (in) triathlon,” he added.
With this latest triathlon victory now etched in history, I asked Huelgas what does he plan to achieve for the next six months. He stated that he has a lot of plans up until the end of December and that “things are looking very great” in relation to his most recent performance. He will be joining a race in Cebu very soon.
More notably, Huelgas hopes that his victory last Sunday will help him inch closer to qualify for a slot in the Philippine Team that will compete in the triathlon event of this year’s Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). The said triathlon event will be held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone which itself is very established as the nation’s main destination for triathlon events.
For the newcomers reading this, Nikko Huelgas won for the nation the gold medals in the triathlon events of the SEA Games of 2015 and 2017. In September 2017, I was with him when he visited Las Piñas City Hall where he met Mayor Imelda “Mel” Aguilar, the Vice Mayor and members of the City Council. I witnessed first hand how proud the City Government officials and personnel were to meet him knowing the fact that a fellow Las Piñero like him won great honors for the country.
With regards to the BF Homes community, Huelgas’ name was heard some people I encountered around. A few people living in the Parañaque City part of BF Homes – or specifically Barangay BF Homes – even wished that Huelgas was part of their barangay and city.
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. Also my fantasy book The World of Havenoris 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 Carrascoand follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com
For your reference regarding the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup that was held this past weekend (April 27 and 28) at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, here are the post-race photo releases that got published in the Manila Times, Malaya Business Insight and People’s Journal.
Hong Kong, China Share in Day’s Glory in Subic Bay
Subic Bay, Philippines – April 28, 2019 – Fresh from its domination of the sprint events a day earlier, powerhouse Hong Kong found the men’s and women’s elite field in the 26th edition of the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup , a tougher nut to crack and had to settle for a share in the day’s glory with HK winning the men’s side and China ruling the distaff side at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
HK’s Oscar Coggins , now campaigning in the men’s elite from the junior ranks, took advantage of his familiarity with hot weather racing conditions, took first place in 1:49.20 , repulsing the challenge of the feared Japanese team that took the next 5 slots after Coggins with reigning Asian Games champion and top seed Jumpei Furuya settling for a very close second place in 1:49.30 while Takumi Hojo placed 3rd in 1:49.45. Rounding out the top 5 finishers were Shiruba Taniguchi who negotiated the 1standard distance race in 1:50.11 , and Yuichi Hosoda in 1:50.36.
” I like the hot weather, I have been training n Australia the past two months , but I really did not ease up until the finish line. I am happy with my time, ” said Coggins who took the lead at the 6K mark and steadily pulled away from the rest.
Another surprise however was in the local side where 19 year old Cebuano Andrew Remolino upstaged his older and more experienced national team mates with his 17th place finish in 1:54.49, his first sub two hour race, target ko sana majasali sa top 10 malalakas lahat ng kalaban, sa mga locals, nakauna ako sa swim leg at na maintain ko yung lead, wala ng nakahabol, ” said Remolino who trains under his father, coach Andoy Remolino.
With his finish, the younger Remolino has positioned himself as a contender for a slot in the forthcoming SEA Games, : hopeful ako na ma select ako sa national team , ” added Remolino after the race supported by the POC, the PSC, SBMA and its Tourism Department, Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP), NTT, ACEA Beach Resort & Hotel and Pocari Sweat.
On the women’s competition, defending champion Mengying Zhong, reasserted herself anew and led practically led from start to finish but pulled away in the final run leg en route to a solo finish in 2:04.17 with the Japanese afain relegated to runner up finishes with Aoi Kuranoto a far second in 2:04.41, followed by Yurie Kato who negotiated the 1.4K swim -40K bike – 10K distance race in 2:05.32. HK’s Yan Yin Hilda Choi took 4th place in 2:05.37 while in 5th was Macau entry Long Hoi with a finishing time of 2:05.57.
Best placed Filipina was national triathlete Kim Kilgroe who finished in 12th place overall with her time of 2:10.10 even as she is practically assured of a slot in the SEA Games together with Kim mangrobang who is training and competing in Europe, and SEA Games gold medalist Claire Adorna who ended in 15th place in yesterday’s race in Subic. Adorna clocked 2:13.01.
” This was definitely a strong field with several world ranked participants . For the national team, we will have our final qualifying race in Korea in June where we will bring our national training pool for a camp and race in the Asian Cup, then we will announce the final selection for the SEA Games, a minimum of 3 , maximum of 5 triathletes, ” said Triathlon Association of the Philippines ( TRAP ) president Tom Carrasco Jr. who cited the performance of Remolino in the race.
2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup Day Two awarding Awarding of the Male and Female Elite Top 3 winners at the recently concluded 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup inside the freeport led by Men’s champion Oscar Coggins from Hong Kong and back-to-back Women’s champion Mengying Zhong of China.2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup Men’s Champion Men’s Elite champion Oscar Coggins from Hong Kong at the finish line during the 2019 NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) Asian Cup held yesterday (Sunday) inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Press release and photo captions composed by Lito Cinco.
Author Carlo Carrasco 