Grace and grit in the Ironkids
Cebu’s Catherine Angelie Yu wins girls 11-12, relay divisions; Borlain sisters top 13-14 anew
AS if joining one event wasn’t tough enough, Catherine Angelie Yu showed the rest of the field how to stand out by joining—and winning—two events in the Alaska Ironkids Philippines at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in LapuLapu City.
Yu won the Girls 11 to 12 division, then biked for Team Cebu City to win the relay division.
Meanwhile, siblings Tara and Samantha Borlain of Team Alaska still ruled the Ironkids Philippines Girls’ 13-14 division with a 1-2 finish.
The 12-year-old Yu completed the 300-meter swim, 9-kilometer bike and 2K run in 36 minutes and 14 seconds to win the Girls’ 11-12 title. Cebu athletes swept the category with Moira Frances Erediano and Nicole Marie Del Rosario taking second and third place with 37:26 and 37:42, respectively.
Yu was not yet done after the individual race as she joined the relay event as the cyclist for Team Cebu City, which won the relay race that featured a 200-m swim, 6K bike and 1.5K run in 23:31.6. She teamed up with University of Cebu’s Robert Indaya (swim) and Mary Joy Loberanes (run).
The Team Talisay Luigi Triathlon Group (TLTG) placed second in 23:41, while Team TLTG 2 got third place in 25:06.
“It’s nice because my efforts had paid off. All the pain in training was worth it. And we also won the relay event,” said Yu, who won her first Ironkids Philippines individual title after finishing second last year.
Yu of University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department (USC-Bed) was trailing after the swim portion but took the lead in the mount area of the bike.
“After reaching the finish line I just quickly rehydrated then I proceeded directly to the relay event. I just put to my mind that to just keep going and the pain is just temporary,” she said.
The Borlain sisters, on the other hand, continued to show their force in the junior version of Ironman with a 1- 2 finish in the girls’ 13 to 14 class. The 13- year- old Tara clocked 46: 31 to win back- toback titles in Cebu editions of Ironkids Philippines.
Tara’s older sister, Samantha, finished her career in the Alaska Ironkids Philippines with a second place finish, clocking 46:57. Karen Andrea Manayon of Talisay City Science High School took third place with 47:14.
The Borlain siblings dismissed the idea that there’s a rivalry between the two of them.
Dog causes accident
“No, there’s no sibling rivalry. We know each other and we accept whoever wins and who loses because we are sisters,” said Tara, who took the lead in the run portion after trailing Samantha in the swim part.
“The race was fun, it was a unique experience and was a close race,” said Tara, who won Cebu’s race thrice in 2012, 2015 and 2016.
For Samantha, who graced her final Ironkids Philippines, the whole experience was all worth it and has helped her as an individual.
“I really had fun in the journey; it’s one of the biggest journeys in my life. I can’t even imagine my life without Ironkids, which is the best triathlon event for me,” Samantha said. “My plan is to focus now on my studies and I’ll be cheering for my younger sister next year.”
The Borlain sisters ended the interview graciously, saying that it felt good winning in the race but the most important thing for them is the enjoyment and the family bonding while doing the sport.
The boys’ 13 to 14 title went to Laguna’s Juan Francisco Baniqued with a time of 44:49. Joe Bernard Sarmiento placed second with 45:42 and Jose Manuel Arao nabbed third place in 45:49.
Renz Wynn Corbin, Cebu’s bet in the boys’ 13 to 14 class, crashed on the bike after he hit a stray dog in Punta Engaño.
Organizers pay for Talisay biker’s medical bills Corbin of Talisay City was leading the pack and was more than halfway in the bike course when he had the accident.
Corbin, a student of Talisay City Science High School, fractured his right wrist and part of his right arm and will undergo operation. Corbin’s coach Roland Remolino told Sun.Star Cebu that they were aiming for a podium finish and his ward was leading in the bike segment with three kilometers left.
“When he (Corbin) tried to avoid the dog, the dog also ran toward his way and they collided. Renz (Corbin) fell on his bike and used his right hand to balance, which is an instinct of any athlete,” Remolino said in Cebuano.
Remolino said that the parents talked with the organizers, who promised to shoulder the hospital expenses of the athlete.
“Nangayo mi og help karon kay needed man jud para sa hospital while waiting for the assistance from the organizers,” he said.
In the boys’ 11 to 12, Hyonde Keum won in 35:45 and was followed by Cebuano Russell Eduard So of Sacred Heart SchoolHijas de Jesus in 36:35 and Joco Miguelle Delizo in 37:27.
Another Cebuano, Matthew Justine Hermosa, 10, of Team TLTG reigned in the boys’ 9 to 10 division with a time of 26:27. Mark Grist snagged second place in 26:45 and Justin Christopher Yu of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu was third in 26:48. Kira Ellis (29:36) won the girls’ 9 to 10 division over Isabella Diehl (29:59) and Cebu’s Mikele Katerina Jopsooon (30:57).