Welcome back my readers and sports fans! The past weekend at Gamagori, Japan, Philippine triathletes managed to land in the Top 10 categories in all four contests of 2023 Asia Triathlon U23 and Junior Championships. Take note that the U23 and Junior races all had 750 M swim – 20 Km bike – 5 Km run courses.
In the U23 Men event, Cebu-based Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) medalistAndrew Kim Remolino finished 7th place overall with an official time of 59 minutes and 27 seconds. In the U23 Women’s contest, Raven Faith Alcoseba of Cebu Province clocked 1:06:02 finishing 9th place.
Among the Juniors, SEA Games medalist Matthew Justine Hermosa finished 7th among the Men with 1:01:51 while in the women’s race, the Philippines had two Top 10 finishers thanks to SEA Games medalistKira Ellis (1:09:14) and her teammate Samantha Corpuz (1:09:31) ranking 6th and 8th place respectively.
Other Filipino triathletes who finished were as follows: U23 Men – Joshua Ramos 1:02:21 at 26th place, Iñaki Lorbes 1:02:39 at 28th place, and Juan Baniqued 1:06:21 at 34th place. U23 Women – Erika Burgos 1:10:01 at 22nd place. Junior Men – Dayshaun Ramos 1:05:43 at 19th place. Junior Women – Gene Quiambao 1:10:22 at 11th place.
The Philippine Team’s campaign at the 2023 Asia Triathlon U23 and Junior Championships in Japan is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). The Philippine team will be competing in more events overseas.
On the side, the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) announced election of Philippine officials at the Asian Triathlon Congress which goes as follows:
Asia Triathlon Executive Board: Tom Carrasco Jr. – Senior Vice President
Asia Triathlon Technical Committee: Sarita Zafra
Asia Triathlon Coaches Committee: Coach Ani De Leon – Brown
Asia Triathlon Women’s Committee: Maya Montecillo – Bono
Asia Triathlon Para Athlete Committee: Coach Anthony Lozada
Watch out for more Philippine multisport updates right here!
Filipino-Spanish Fernando Jose Casares displayed his awesome form to claim victory in the sprint men’s elite category of the National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) Series at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority on Sunday.
Casares, born in Madrid to a Spanish father and a Filipino mother, clocked 57 minutes and 16 seconds to prevail over Cebu City’s Matthew Justine Hermosa (57:34) and Andrew Kim Remolino (59:12) in the swim (750m)-bike (20km)-run (5km) event.
Casares earned the standard distance swim (1.5km)-bike (40km)-run(10km) gold medal at the 2022 Vietnam SEA Games. He pocketed the mixed relay gold medal with Chicano, Kim Mangrobang and Claire Adorna at the 2019 Manila SEA Games.
Cebu City’s Raven Faith Alcoseba topped the women’s category in 1:04:36, beating Erika Nicole Burgos (1:08:03) and Karen Manayon (1:08:25).
Alcoseba, who hails from Talisay City, also won the sprint gold medal the duathlon competition in New Clark City last year.
Meanwhile, Dayshaun Ramos and Kira Ellis were crowned champions in the junior elite division of the tournament organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) headed by Tom Carrasco Jr.
Ramos won the men’s category in 1:01.56 while Akio Habana (1:03:43) and Aidanreed Mercado (1:03:51) finished second and third, respectively.
In the women’s category, Ellis posted 1:05:51 to grab the gold medal. Gene Heart Quiambao (1:06:15) took the silver medal and Lady Samantha Jhunace Corpuz (1:07:18) settled for the bronze medal.
“This tournament is part of our national athletes’ preparation for the Cambodia SEA Games in May,” Carrasco said after the awarding ceremony.
Note: The above press release and details were sourced from the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP). Some parts were edited for this website.
For the newcomers reading this, the event organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), HOKA, Filinvest New Clark City, Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP), Fissan and Fitbar with Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), New Clark City and the local government of Capas, Tarlac as the venue partners, attracted hundreds of registered participants locally as well as some from overseas. It is also part of the selection process of choosing athletes who will compete in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia (for references, click here and here). Casares and Alcoseba, who are members of the national team, are among the top triathletes of Southeast Asia. Casares is the SEA Games gold medalist in men’s triathlon and Alcoseba the SEA Games bronze medalist in women’s triathlon.
To put things into perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of the PNA. Some parts in boldface…
Filipino-Spanish Fernando Jose Casares lived up to expectations after ruling the sprint distance men’s elite category of the 2022 National Duathlon Championships at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac on Sunday.
Born in Madrid to a Spanish father and a Filipino mother, the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games gold medalist Casares finished the 5,000(run)-20,000-(bike)-2.500(run) race in 58 minutes and 3 seconds to beat fellow national athlete John Chicano Leerams of Olongapo City (58.09) and promising duathlete Maynard Pecson of Baguio City (58.13).
“I’m glad I had a good performance here,” said the 26-year-old Casares, whose mother is from Valenzuela City. He got his dual citizenship in 2018.
Casares had competed at the World Games in Alabama, USA last July. He also won the mixed relay gold medal with Chicano, Kim Mangrobang, Clair Adorna at the 2019 Manila SEA Games.
In the women’s category, Cebuana Raven Faith Alcoseba clocked 1 hour, 6 minutes and 32 seconds to claim the gold medal.
“The course was challenging, I’m happy to win,” said the 20-year-old civil engineering student from De La Salle University. She debuted in the 2021 Vietnam SEA Games with a bronze medal in triathlon.
The 5-foot-2 Alcoseba, who hails from Talisay in Cebu, defeated Singaporean Louisa Middleditch (1:07.10) and Merry Joy Trupa of Tarlac City (1:08.50).
Matthew Justine Hermosa, also a native of Talisay, registered 1:01.46 to pocket the gold medal in the junior elite men’s category of the tournament organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) headed by Tom Carrasco Jr.
Irienold Reig Jr. of Batasan Hills in Quezon City took the silver medal with a time of 1:02.40 while Aidan Reed Mercado, a grade 12 student from Muntinlupa National High School, settled for the bronze medal with a time of 1:03.24.
The top three winners in the junior women’s elite category were Jena Valdez (1:11.35), Lady Samantha Jhunace (1:11.39) and Sophia Kyra Capistrano (1:14.49).
Meanwhile, Bases Conversion and Development Authority Senior Vice President for Corporate Services Group Arrey Perez appreciated the feedback from the participants of the race supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
“They are happy that the event was held here. The set up was very nice. The venue was really world-class,” said Perez, who served as mayor of the 2019 SEA Games Athletes Village inside the New Clark City Sports Complex.
The forthcoming 2022 National Duathlon Championships (NDC) will feature the finest Filipino competitors in the run-bike-run event along with a strong foreign participation as the races form part of the selection of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (32nd SEA Games) in Cambodia.
Over 450 duathletes across the country are expected to troop to the New Clark City in Tarlac in time for the December 4 race where they will see action in the Standard Distance races as well as in the Sprint and Super Sprint events along with the best from Singapore and Malaysia.
“The main actions are in the sprint events since the events in the Cambodia SEA Games are all sprints with Singapore and Malaysia sending their best to measure up with our elites,” said TRAP president Tom Carrasco.
The races will be supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), HOKA, Filinvest New Clark City, Standard Insurance, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines (ACIP), Fissan and Fitbar as major sponsors while the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), New Clark City and the local government of Capas, Tarlac are the venue partners.
According to Carrasco, the signature event of the TRAP is the 13-15 age group category (Super Sprint) starring the country’s Youth Olympic Games aspirants and the next generation of duathletes/triathletes in the national team.
“The top Filipino finishers will be in the short list for the SEA Games in Cambodia, but we will also consider the other duathlon events results in 2022,” said Carrasco.
More entries are expected to sign up prior to the races where Pocari Sweat serves as hydration partner and PTV Sports and Radyo Pilipinas 2 as media partners.
A total of 103 team will participate, most of them from 26 cities and provinces in the country and foreign contingents from Australia, Brazil, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.
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Note: This is an official press release issued by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP).
There is no denying that the Philippines had a big weekend winning 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal and a bronze medal in the triathlon and duathlon events of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (AKA the 31st SEA Games, SEA Games 31 and Hanoi 2021) in Vietnam. To be specific, Fer Casares and Andrew Kim Remolino won the men’s triathlon gold and silver medals on May 14 while Marion Kim Mangrobang and Raven Faith Alcoseba secured the gold and bronze for the country in the women’s triathlon event that same day. The next day, Mangrobang won the gold in the women’s duathlon which fully established her as Southeast Asia’s reigning queen of triathlon and duathlon until the next SEA Games in Cambodia.
Deservedly, the medalists and their coaches were warmly welcomed at the airport upon arrival from Vietnam as seen in the following images released by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) through Facebook. Check out the images below…
The Philippine triathlon team welcomed at the airport upon arrival from Vietnam. (photo source – Philippine Sports Commission)
SEA Games gold medalist in men’s triahlon Fer Casares. (photo source – Philippine Sports Commission)
SEA Games double-gold medalist (women’s triathlon and women’s duathlon) Kim Mangrobang. (photo source – Philippine Sports Commission)
SEA Games silver medalist in men’s triathlon Andrew Kim Remolino. (photo source – Philippine Sports Commission)
SEA Games bronze medalist in women’s triathlon Raven Faith Alcoseba. (photo source – Philippine Sports Commission)
On the future of the SEA Games, the next edition – the 32nd Southeast Asian Games – will be hosted by Cambodia in May 2023. What is significant about next year’s games (promoted as Cambodia 2023) is the fact that it officially has triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon among its many events. In relation to this, the Philippine Star published a report about the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) looking forward to winning even more gold medals in the 2023 SEA Games with the three mentioned multisport events in mind.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Philippine Star report. Some parts in boldface…
After coming short of its sweep bid, the Triathlon Association of the Philippines is looking forward to the next edition of the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where it has chance to rake in more gold medals.
“Next year in Cambodia, there will be three events each for triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon,” said TRAP president Tom Carrasco. “We’re back to the drawing board because we also have to prepare for the World Games Duathlon in July.”
The official logo of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
The country came into the Hanoi event eyeing 1-2 finishes in all four events but wound up with just three gold medals, including two from Kim Mangrobang, a silver from Kim Remolino and a bronze from Raven Alcoseba also in triathlon.
Fer (Casares) delivered the other gold in men’s triathlon.
John Leerams Chicano, a two-time triathlon SEA Games gold winner, failed in his SEA Games duathlon debut as he wound up just fourth.
The Filipinos hope to bounce back big in Phnom Penh.
The above report ended with the TRAP president stating that in Cambodia, they were allowed eight to nine events to include duathlon, aquathlon plus mixed relay teams. For the newcomers reading this, aquathlon is a multisport race or activity that consists of running and swimming.
In ending this post, let us all thank our Lord for what the Philippine triathletes achieved in the SEA Games in Vietnam. Thank the Lord that He will bless the medalists and the coaches for their achievements as the government will release cash incentives to them in accordance to Republic Act Number 10699. For future multisport events that the triathlon team will engage in, pray to our Lord for His guidance on them so that they can achieve victories and bring in more glory and honors for the Philippines. Pray to the Lord with the holy scriptures posted below.
I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (AMPC)
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 (NASB)
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)
O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty rest upon us. Come work with us, and then our works will endure; you will give us success in all we do.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the CNN Philippines article. Some parts in boldface…
The country’s triathlon team is boasting a lineup of household names eyeing to continue its regional dominance in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam next month.
Speaking to CNN Philippines, Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco emphasized that the bunch of household names should give the country some considerable edge over opponents.
Kim Mangrobang, who ruled the 2019 SEA Games women’s individual event at Subic Bay, is set to banner the female team anew as she will be backed by former De La Salle University varsity swimmer Raven Faith Alcoseba and Lauren Plaza as a reserve.
Mangrobang secured the gold while compatriot Kim Kilgroe clinched the silver three years ago.
The same finish was tallied by the Philippine men’s triathlon team that year, with John Chicano taking home the gold and Andrew Kim Remolino nabbing the silver.
Come Vietnam, Remolino and fellow star Fernando Casares will aim to duplicate the feat, while defending champion Chicano sits kingly on the reserve list.
Meanwhile, Chicano is shifting focus to rule the duathlon event as he will be joined by Raymund Torio and reserve Casares in the men’s squad.
Mangrobang will have no rest as she will anchor the distaff side along with Alexandra Dumaran and Alcoseba as a reserve.
In 2019, Monica Torres snagged the gold in the women’s individual duathlon event while Joey Delos Reyes settled for a silver medal for the men’s side. Torres, Efraim Inigo, Paui Fornea, and Emmanuel Comendador clinched the bronze medal in the mixed relay category.
Ani De Leon, Melvin Fausto, and George Vilog are tapped as coaches of the Hanoi-bound Philippine triathlon team.
For the newcomers reading this, the mentioned Philippine Team triathletes/duathletes will be competing first in the Subic Bay International Triathlon set for May 1 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone before proceeding to Vietnam for the SEA Games triathlon and duathlon races. If you happen to be here in the Philippines and you are interested to see Mangrobang, Chicano, Remolino, Casares, Alcoseba and Torio in person, then I encourage you to visit Subic Bay and watch the May 1 triathlon live.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you excited about the triathlon and duathlon events of the SEA Games in Vietnam? Do you think that the Philippines will successfully win the gold medals in both multisports events at the SEA Games? Do you plan to watch the Subic Bay International Triathlon on May 1 in person to see the above mentioned Philippine Team triathletes/duathletes perform? How many triathletes or triathlon enthusiasts are there in your local community right now?
If you are looking for nice place for vacation and you also want to watch a triathlon event live, then you should come to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone where the 2022 edition of the Subic Bay International Triathlon (SUBIT) will be held at on May 1, 2022 (for external references, click here, here, here and here).
For a quick look at who the Philippine Team triathletes are racing and what impact SUBIT had on Philippine triathlon in general, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin sports news report. Some parts in boldface…
The race is actually a tuneup for the PH team going to the biennial meet where it aims to maintain its 1-2 finish in the men’s and women’s division.
Racing in SUBIT are Fer Casares, Kim Remolino, John Chicano, Kim Mangrobang, Raven Alcoseba and Lauren Plaza.
“The SUBIT will be a good tuneup race for our SEAG-bound athletes, especially sa game strategy,” said Triathlon Association President Tom Carrasco.
“SUBIT has been at the forefront of development of Filipino triathletes. I’m proud to say that SUBIT has produced Southeast Asian Games champions and notable Asian Games performers.”
Among the SUBIT products were SEAG winners Chicano, Mangrobang, Nikko Huelgas and (Claire) Adorna, Youth Olympics qualifier Vicky Deldio, Columbia World Games qualifiers Carlo Pedregosa and Mirasol Abad, Birmingham World Games qualifier Casares, and 2018 Asian Games top 10 finisher Kim Kilgroe.
This year’s SUBIT – formally called the NTT AST Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) 2022 – will have race distances of 1.5 kilometer swim – 40 Km bike – 10 Km run (Standard Distance), 750 M swim – 20 Km bike – 5 Km run (Sprint Distance) and 500 M – 13 Km bike – 2.5 Km run (Super Sprint Distance) which will cover lots of places in the freeport. With regards to schedules, posted below are the details sourced from the event page at RaceYaya.com
Pay close attention to this.
This year’s SUBIT is a joint project of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP), the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and I Love Fun-tastic Subic Bay supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Standard Insurance, FINIS Philippines, Gatorade, Subic Bay Travelers Hotel, POCARI Sweat, and Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines Inc.
Where to enjoy food and drinks in Subic Bay?
Visit Gourmet Garage and Xtremely Xpresso on your next visit to Subic Bay.
Apart from being a sports tourism hot spot, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone also has nice places where you and your family or group of friends can spend time at and enjoy good food and drinks together such as Gourmet Garage Subic (social media here and here) and Xtremely Xpresso Café (social media here and here) to name a few. Personally, I enjoyed the two mentioned places a lot during my past visits. I would suggest you who read this to visit them on your next visit to Subic Bay.
Located at 1143 Argonaut Highway (very near the Starbucks Coffee shop there), Gourmet Garage Subic is one very fine place to dine in with others and their cooks specialize preparing really tasty meals such as the Truffle BBQ Orange Baby Back Ribs, the Grilled Salmon Tamari Quinoa, Grilled Javier’s Burger, Sake-marinated Fish Fillet, the Lamb Madras Curry, Gourmet Garage’s Beef Tapa and their signature pasta the Luglug Spaghettini to name a few. Looking for drinks, snacks, cakes, condiments and bread? They have them too! Their venue also has a fine-looking design. If you have any catering needs, they are willing to serve you.
Over at 1 Dewey Avenue corner Sta. Rita Road in the freeport, Xtremely Xpresso is a café that offers customers really good coffee plus meals that families and friends can enjoy together. For the coffee lovers, they got the Jump-start Espresso, Vienna Coffee, White Mocha and Vietnamese Coffee plus their very own lineup of frappe’s such as the Shockwave, the Coffee Cradle and Ekimocha to name a few. For those looking for hearty meals, they have Baby Back Ribs, Korean Beef Ribs, Salisbury Steak, the Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich, pasta and their Big Ben pizza!
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you excited to visit Subic Bay for the May 1 triathlon event and the local places to enjoy good food? When was the last time you visited Subic Bay?
And here are the most notable news for the people who love multisports – triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon are officially part of the 2023 SEA Games events! Very recently, a high-profile meeting about the next SEA Games was held in Cambodia.
The official logo of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games (also referred to as Cambodia 2023).
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…
Cambodia will be putting on a showcase as a first-time host of the Southeast Asian Games in 2023 with 39 sports already on its competition program.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said Cambodia has shown its readiness to host next year’s Games during a SEA Games Federation meeting held over the weekend in Siem Reap, a resort town that’s the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Angkor Wat.
“Cambodia is ready to host and they promised an excellent edition of the Games,” Tolentino said in a news release on Monday.
Tolentino was joined in the meeting by POC Deputy Secretary General Bones Floro, triathlon head Tom Carrasco, volleyball chief and POC broadcast committee chair Ramon “Tats” Suzara, soft tennis Capt. Bob Moran and bowling legend Bong Coo representing women’s sports.
Cambodia scheduled the 32nd edition of the SEA Games from May 5 to 16—a year after Vietnam hosted this year’s Games—with the capital Phnom Penh as the main hub.
Tolentino said centerpiece athletics and aquatics tops the sports program as Category I sports with the marathon for men and women starting and finishing at Angkor Wat as well as the road and mountain bike (MTB) cycling.
The other sports under Category II are badminton, basketball (5×5 and 3×3), boxing, billiards, cycling (road and MTB), canoeing, rowing, Ok Chaktrong, Asean and Xiangxi), dancesport, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (aerobic and artistic), hockey (including indoor), judo, karate, muay, petanque, sailing, sepaktakraw (including chinlone), soft tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, traditional boat race, triathlon (including duathlon and aquathlon), volleyball, wrestling and weightlifting.
Take note that Cambodia will be hosting and organizing the SEA Games for the first time ever. The official website of the 32nd SEA Games is located at http://cambodia2023.com/ and their focus on preparing for the games is real. Check out the video below from the Cambodia 2023 YouTube channel.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are an enthusiast of triathlon, duathlon or aquathlon, what is your reaction towards their declared inclusion in the 2023 SEA Games? With regards to Cambodia’s first time hosting the SEA Games, are you excited to see the region’s biggest sports event to be held there?
A special campaign to help raise funds and donations in-kind for national athletes, both regular and the differently abled ones, and dubbed AYUDA SA ATLETA, was launched recently as an initiative of the private sector to help them in these difficult times of the pandemic.
Triathlon President and former Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Tom Carrasco and veteran sports journalist and management consultant Lito Cinco, who wrote about the need for a community pantry of assistance to national athletes in his column The Bottom Line last April 21, co-lead the group. Joining them are sepak takraw President and POC official Karen Tanchanco Caballero, sports science figure and former national archer Nino Sinco, and sportsman/sports patron Alex Wang of Wang’s Ballclub.
The group is tasked to plan and manage the program, from raising funds all the way to distribution of the assistance to the recipients, initially with the differently-abled athletes who are more in need, “We know we cannot cover the total 1,500 number of national athletes and coaches, that is why decided to start off with the differently-abled ones and are in touch with PHILSPADA to get the complete roster,“ said Carrasco.
“We have categorized the assistance in the form of vitamins, sports drinks, energy bars, and personal hygiene items for those who would like to give in kind. Fortunately, Cebuana Lhuillier President/CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, himself a sports man and long-time supporter of Philippine sports has jumpstarted the program with a P250,000 donation. We hope other sports-loving companies and individuals will follow his lead, our national athletes who have brought us honor certainly deserve to be helped during this pandemic,“ added Carrasco, whose company, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines also donated P25,000 to the cause.
On his part, Cinco who has been long involved in projects for the needy, including current community pantries in Mandaluyong, said, “I was inspired by what I have seen about this community program that has grown all over and I thought, why not initiate one for athletes, and wrote about it . The following day after my column came out, I got a call from Cebuana Lhuillier pledging assistance. I was not really surprised about the help extended as I have known Jean Henri as sports patron for a long time.”
Solicitation letters will be sent to various companies and individuals for cash and in-kind donations, with the group promising transparency for all funds received and expenses made.
“Our target is to start the distribution to athletes by June to give us time to raise more donations so we can cover more athletes,“ concluded Carrasco.
For interested parties, contact persons for the program are Carrasco, 0917 8992999, Cinco, 0920 9241981 and lito_cinco@yahoo.com, Wang, 0943 0119811, and Tanchanco, dsgkarencaballero@olympic.ph
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Note: Some parts of the above press release were edited for this website.
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