SEA Games winner tops Lisbon triathlon

Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) silver medalist Kim Mangrobang ruled the women’s division of the Lisbon Dos Descobrimentos Half Marathon held recently in Lisbon, Portugal.

The 24-year-old Mangrobang emerged as the fastest female triathlete after crossing the finish line at one hour, 22 minutes and 40 seconds, besting Ceu Nunes (1:26:55) and Sofia Mateiro (1:27:34).

Mangrobang also finished 79th in the event that was participated by almost 3,000 triathletes.

On the other hand, SEA Games gold medal winner Nikko Huelgas placed 9th overall with a time of 1:14:44.

Huelgas’ time was also good for fourth in the men’s 34and-under category.

The event came after Mangrobang and Huelgas were trained at the DESMOR High Performance Camp in Rio Maior, Portugal following their impressive performances in the SEA Games held in Singapore last June.

Their trip was funded by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), corporate sponsors and the triathlon community. This is the second year of a six-year plan to qualify a Filipino for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.