Cebuano invasion

Cebuano triathletes nab top spots in first Balanghai Triathlon 555 in Butuan City

CEBU’s triathletes dominated the 1st Balanghai Triathlon 555 in Butuan City last Sunday.

Omega Pro Tri Team’s Paul Jumamil and Banjo Norte nabbed a 1-2 finish in the men’s elite division, just three weeks after the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships in Cebu.

Jumamil, who finished second in the Filipino elite of the Ironman Cobra Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship last Aug. 7, was the first to finish the 1.5-kilometer swim, 44K bike and 10K run course in Butuan City.

Banjo Norte, the 2013 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines Filipino elite champion, got second for a 1-2 finish for Omega Pro. Brian Borling of Herba Life Tri Team completed the men’s elite top three.

Cebuana triathlete Cianyl Jamae Gonzalez, also from Ome- ga Pro Tri, snagged the second overall women’s title after finishing next to Jennifer Paloma of CDO/Tri Mamba. Leyann Ramo of Iligan Archangels was third overall.

In the age group category, Cebu’s En Torres finished first in the women’s 25-29, while Stef Tan came second. Franz Baguio salvaged second place in the men’s 35-39, and Jeffrey Codino was also second in the men’s 35 to 39.

The Omega Pro Tri Team is preparing for its next main race—the third leg of Tri United on Oct. 22 to 23 in Subic. Omega Pro won the Team Challenge in the first leg last February, but they finished second to Herba Life Tri Team in the second leg last July. The final leg will determine the Team Challenge overall champion for the 2016 Tri United.