SWEEP. Hong Kong's Nok Hei Wong (5th from left) and Lai Ki Nicole Man (5th from right) were crowned Youth (13-15 years old) champions in the 30th Subic Bay International Triathlon at the SBMA Boardwalk in Subic, Zambales on April 22, 2023. The top three finishers in the boys' and girls' divisions are members of the national youth team. (PNA photo by Jean Malanum)
SUBIC, Zambales – Hong Kong swept the Super Sprint Youth (13-15 years old) category of the 30th Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) at the SBMA Boardwalk here on Saturday.
The 15-year-old Nok Hei Wong finished the 750m (swim)-20km (bike)-5km (run) race with an aggregate time of 32 minutes and 05 seconds to pocket the gold medal in the boys' division.
Lok Shi Lam won the silver medal in 33:04 while Kwong Hei Anson Tsang clocked 33:07 to settle for the bronze medal.
Lai Ki Nicole Man, 15, captured the gold medal in the girls' division with a total time of 36 minutes and 17 seconds.
Petra Stamenovic placed second (36:53) followed by Sarah Elise Modiano (37:52).
"I'm happy with the performances of our athletes. It was a good experience for them," said former national athlete Arthur Cheung, who began coaching the junior and youth teams three years ago. "We expected to get into the podium but not 1-2-3. They are all members of (the) national youth team and this is their first international tournament."
Cheung assists Hong Kong's national team head coach Andrew Wright, who handles the elite teams. Also in the coaching staff are Eric Wong and Ling Lao.
In the Sprint Para-Triathlon, Cebu City's Alex Silverio bagged the gold medal in one hour, 18 minutes, and 26 seconds while teammate Cedei Nemeño Abellana got the silver medal in 1:44:22 in the men's PT4 category.
Michael Bayani topped the men's PT5 category in 1:22:39 while Edison Badillo ranked second (1:34:57).
Meanwhile, 66 men and 48 women will compete in the elite category of the tournament billed as the "2023 NTT AST Subic Bay Asia Cup” on Sunday.
Tom Carrasco, president of the organizing Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP), said "this is the best elites participation in years."
Ren Sato, the defending men's champion, leads a 12-member Japanese team that includes last year's runner-up Ryoya Tamazaki, Genta Uchida (5th), and Koki Yamamoto (9th).
Australia's Oscar Dart, who finished third, is also competing along with Hong Kong's Tsz To Wong (4th), Jason Tai Long Ng (6th), and James Tan (10th).
Spearheading the Philippine campaign in the men's division are 2022 Vietnam SEA Games gold medalist Fernando Jose Casares and silver medalist Andrew Kim Remolino, and 2019 SEA Games champion John Chicano.
Casares, who was born in Madrid to a Spanish father and a Filipino mother, saw action at the Oceania Cup in (Taupo) and World Cup (New Plymouth) in New Zealand after winning the National Age Group Triathlon (NGAT) Series last January.
In the women's division, the Philippines will bank on three-time SEA Games gold medalist Kim Mangrobang and Cebu City's Raven Faith Alcoseba and Karen Andrea Manayon.
They will be up against Hong Kong's Yan Yin Hilda Choi and Slovakia's Margareta Bicanova, who finished second and third, respectively last year.
Aside from Remolino, Alcoseba and Manayon, other Cebuanos competing are Matthew Justine Hermosa, Nicole Marie del Rosario, and Renz Wynn Corbin.
The top finishers in the men’s and women’s elite categories will earn points for their world and continental rankings.
The SuBIT, which is the longest-running Olympic distance triathlon in Asia, is co-organized by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and presented by NTT and Asian Triathlon with the Philippine Sports Commission, Standard Insurance, and Asian Center for Insulation Philippines, Inc. (PNA)
