Subic hosts triathlon qualifier

The first ASTC Asian Youth Olympic Games (YOG) qualifier will be held June 17 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Fifty-seven triathletes from 17 countries will vie for 10 slots – five boys and five girls – to the Buenos Aires YOG set in September.

Among those who have signed up for the qualifier are the Philippines’ Karen Manayon, Lauren Plaza, Joshua Ramos, Juan Francisco Baniqued, Inaki Lorbes and Joshua Averion.

The other notable entries include Teppei Tokuyama (Japan), Nicholas Rachmadi (Singapore), Dongwook Kim (South Korea), Ka Eun Kim (South Korea), Tsz Ho Li (Hong Kong), Maki Uchida (Japan), Megan Hwee Wen Tan (Malaysia), Tingnui Li (China) and Ekaterina Ryazanova (Uzbekistan).

The event is organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) and supported by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Tourism Department, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Standard Insurance, Gatorade and Asian Center for Insulation.

Meanwhile, entries from the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia will compete in the SEATA Sprint Championships.

The Philippines will be led by Southeast Asian Games medalists Nikko Huelgas and John Chicano in the Elite Men division. They will be challenged by Singapore’s Bryce Chong and Cedric Jiang Hong, Indonesia’s Jauhari Johan and other members of the national team such as Edward Macalalad, Juan Carlos Abad, Julius Constantino and Mark Hosana.