OLYMPIC CHALLENGE
Hundreds of triathletes compete in National Age Group Triathlon in Camotes Event also serves as selection process for PHL’s team in Youth Olympics Organizers include aquathlon division for poor kids without bikes
The stage is set for the fierce battle among the country’s top junior triathletes as they gun for the coveted slots to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in the second leg of the 2017 National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) at the Santiago Bay Resort today.
Cebuana Karen Andrea Manayon will be racing in the girls’ YOG qualifier, which covers a 400-meter swim, a 10-kilometer bike and a 2.5K run. She will be up against the likes of national junior team member Lauren Plaza and Pia Francesca Suarez.
The 14-year-old swimmer-turned-triathlete Manayon of Talisay City said that her base sport would be one of her advantages on this race.
“It will be a close race. I’m a swimmer while Lauren (Plaza) is a runner. In the bike, we usually take turns in the lead,” said Manayon, who was recently added to the national pool for junior triathlon.
National team member Andrew Kim Remolino, on the other hand, will gear up in the sprint race which covers 800m swim, 20K bike and 5K run.
“We biked out this morning to familiarize the route. The run course I think will be really challenging since it mostly uphill,” Remolino said.
In the boys’ YOG, Cebuano Renz Wynn Corbin will be in the field with Inaki Emil Lorbes, Eduard Moritz Leunberger, Juan Francisco Baniqued, Russel Villazara and Joshua Ramos.
Meanwhile, after winning the Alaska Ironkids Philippines in Subic two weeks ago, Moira Frances Erediano of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu will gun for another win in the girls’ 13 to 15 mini-sprint race.
As a way to promote the sport to the grassroots kids, the organizers have come up with the aquathlon race for the kids from cities of Talisay and Danao who don’t have bikes. /