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National athletes defend their titles in national games triathlon
SIPALAY CITY – National mainstays Nikko Bryan Huelgas and Marion Kim Mangrobang defended their respective crowns in standard distance triathlon race in this scenic town in Day 3 of the 2nd POC-PSC National Games.
Huelgas, the team skipper of the national triathlon squad, clocked in two hours, three minutes and 46 seconds to win the gold medal for the second straight year.
His time was way below of his personal best of 1:59.44 registered in the 2010 Muscat Asian Beach Games, but it ended up the fastest in the 1.5 kilometer swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run event.
Huelgas, competing here under Las Pinas team, was the first Filipino to break the two-hour barrier of the Olympic standard.
General Santos’s Jonard Saim grabbed the silver with the time of 2:17.34 while Olongapo’s John Chicano settled for bronze on 2:29.26 timing.
In the women’s elite category, Mangrobang, 20, clocked in 2:26.43 to win the gold also for the second straight year.
Competing for Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Mangrobang, a protégée of former Philippine triathlon mainstay Abet Alon-Alon, was followed by Davao’s Mirasol Abad (2:36.17) who took the silver and Alexandra Gozon (2:44.36) of Iloilo for the bronze.
In junior category, Allen Santiago of Manila finished the 750m-swim, 20k-bike and 5k-run in 1:08:15 to take the gold medal in men’s.
Edward Macalalad of Muntinlupa placed second (1:11:50), while Von Academia ended up third (1:24:03).
Pauline Forneza of Davao ruled the distaff side with a 1:18:56 clocking, easily beating Claudine Ibanez of Cagayan de Oro (1:26:32) and Christine Guillergan of Iloilo (1:44:26).
