Bruins, Sawada seek Powerman crowns
THE foreign bets look to dominate but the local aces are ready for the challenge, guaranteeing a fierce duel for top honors in the centerpiece Elite category of the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championship Presented by Summit Natural Drinking Water, which unwraps Sunday at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.
Thomas Bruins of the Netherlands sets out for the crown that eluded him the last time out as he banners the men’s field that includes Matt Smith of Australia, and Malaysians Ziq Junaidy and Jason Loh with John Chicano, Joey delos Reyes and Cipriane Topia tipped to carry the cudgels for the Filipinos in the premier run-bike-run event organized by F&F International Events Group.
Japanese Airi Sawada and Alexandra McDougall, also from Australia, lead the chase in the women’s Elite side.
The event also serves as a qualifying event for the next Powerman World Championships.
“It’s all about investing in the Filipino duathlete’s potential, pushing their boundaries, and expanding their competitive horizons with the ultimate goal of sending our top Filipino duathlete to the Powerman World Championships,” said Powerman Philippines’ general manager, coach Kaye Lopez.
Events on tap are the premier Powerman Classic (10km run, 60km bike and 10km run), the Powerman Short (5km run, 30km bike and 5km run) and the Powerteens set on smooth, wide roads of Clark with the course offering scenic views of NLEX-SCTEx.
Filipina Monica Torres, who ruled the ITU Asian Middledistance division in the recent Powerman Asian Duathlon in Malaysia, has begged off at the last minute due to health reasons.
Smith, meanwhile, joins Bruins, the current No. 2 in Powerman world ranking, in the centerpiece division with the world No. 9 also fancied to vie for the crown in the event which drew 1,127 participants in the individual and relay competitions.
For his part, Delos Reyes, who finished fourth overall in Powerman Thailand early in the season, has also vowed to go all out to improve on his previous Powerman finish in Indonesia.
Joining the event, also held as part of the country’s preparations for the Asian Duathlon Championship in a few years time, are local celebrities, including Aubrey Miles, Troy Montero and coach Al Gonzales in the Classic distance (relay), Sitti Navarro and husband Joey Ramirez in the Short distance (relay), Kim Chiu, Jake Cuenca and Gerald Anderson (individual).
Presented by Summit Natural Drinking Water, the event is backed by Clark Freeport Zone and NLEXSCTEx as Official Road Partners, Cobra Energy Drink as Official Energy Drink, Official Sports Nutrition Partner Unilab ActiveHealth, Official Timing Partner Garmin, Official Footwear Partner Skechers Performance, and Event Partners Seafood Island Restaurant, Hammer Nutrition, 2XU, Dan’s Endurance, Cycles & Brew by Hubble, Starbucks Coffee, Pace Prehab and Recovery, WattUp Cycling, Hotel Stotsenberg, Lohas Hotel, and Fontana Leisure Park.