NICOLE ROJO announced her arrival as a rising force in Philippine triathlon after becoming the first Filipina finisher in the Ironman 70.3 Lapu-Lapu while multi-titled Irienold Reig Jr. continued his remarkable run of form with another age-group victory in Cebu last Sunday.
Rojo final struck big after a string of victories in smaller endurance races to finish her first Ironman with a flourish in five hours, 15 minutes and 27 seconds.
It’s not easy completing the 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run race but Rojo got off to a strong start in the swim and sustained her charge through the bike and run legs with split times of 19:16 and 2:59:38, respectively before making it in1:49:37 in the run.
The South Cotabato pride beat Melona Yucot (6:06:54) and Rachel Wong (7:38:52) to dominate the women’s 18-24 age-group in the 12th staging of the premier endurance race presented by Megaworld and organized by Sunrise Events Inc.
Reig, meanwhile, further cemented his status as one of the country’s most promising young triathletes by ruling the men’s 18-24 division in 4:23:03 on splits of 18:24, 2:26:00 and 1:32:49.
He beat Dutchman Rik Beugel, who clocked 4:34:28, and fellow Filipino Eryk Omandam who placed third in 4:45:41.
The victory came months after Reig also topped the Ironman 70.3 Davao, giving further weight to the Quezon City standout’s emergence as a potential next big name in Philippine triathlon.
Jewin Ochea provided another local highlight after he ruled the Elite Category put up by the Philippine Sports Commission in 4:26:10-splits of 20:09 in the swim, 2:27:55 on the bike and 1:32:38 in the run.
The specialized Elite Category featured top-tier athletes, including members of the national pool as well as high-performing local elites, placing them in a separate division from the standard age-group competition while running parallel to the international professional fields.
The race drew more than 1,400 triathletes from 48 countries, with South Africa’s Henri Schoeman and Natalie Van Coevorden of Australia taking the professional men’s and women’s titles, respectively.
Schoeman captured his second title in the event, while Van Coevorden won for the first time.
Japan’s Kazuhiro Oishi topped the men’s 25-29 division in 4:03:39, beating Frenchmen Fabien Celeste (4:10:07) and Sebastien Refane (4:19:12) and multi-titled Bea Quiambao ruled the women’s side in 5:22:12, ahead of Aira Lopez (5:37:02) and Cynthia Ras (5:39:54).
Another Japanese standout, Maeda Ryosuke, topped the men’s 30-34 division in 3:56:26, beating Julian Teves (4:26:36) and Mervin Santiago (4:29:48) as Canada’s Casey Logan claimed the women’s crown in 5:20:59, ahead of Nicole Andaya (5:30:34) and Pauline Fornea (5:34:35).
Hong Kong’s Ho Tin Kwok ruled the men’s 35-39 division in 4:34:40, beating Britain’s Matthew Gibson (4:40:06) and Junrey Cabarrubias (5:55:20). Malaysia’s Eva Wong took the women’s title in 5:21:25, edging Japan’s Yui Matsumoto (5:23:30) and ultrawoman Jennifer Uy (5:50:15).
Other age-group winners were Japan’s Ryosute Ohata (4:12:51) and Yuko Takahashi (5:16:35) in the 40-44 divisions; Germany’s Andreas Wuestenberg (4:57:03) and Ines Santiago (5:20:54) in the 45-49 categories; Singapore-based Australian Assad Attamimi (4:19:07) and Japan’s Masami Suzuki (5:46:15) in the 50-54 divisions; Dutchman Marnix Beugel (4:40:13) and Australia’s Michelle Boyes (5:37:11) in the 55-59 categories; and Britain’s David Boyes (5:33:20) and Celma Hitalia (5:59:19) in the 60-64 divisions.
Japan’s Yoshihisa Takase topped the men’s 65-69 division in 5:36:40, while compatriot Toshikazu Kobayashi won the 70-74 category in 6:41:21.