FIFTY-SEVEN young and aspiring triathletes from 17 countries are vying for 10 slots in the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games in October as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is all set to host the 1st ASTC Asian Youth Olympic Games qualifier as well as the 2018 Southeast Asian Triathlon Sprint Championships on June 17.
Currently listed to start in the sprint distance YOG qualifier are the Philippines’ Karen Manayon, Lauren Plaza, Joshua Ramos, Juan Francisco Baniqued, Inaki Lorbes and Joshua Averion.
Other notable entries include Teppei Tokuyama (Japan), Nicholas Rachmadi (Singapore), Dongwook Kim (South Korea), Ka Eun Kim (South Korea), Tsz Ho Li (Hong Kong), Maki Uchida (Japan), Megan Hwee Wen Tan (Malaysia), Tingnui Li (China) and Ekaterina Ryazanova (Uzbekistan).
At stake in the event organized by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines and supported by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Tourism Department, Philippine Sports Commission, Standard Insurance, Gatorade and Asian Center for Insulation are five slots for youth males and five slots for the youth females for the 2018 YOG triathlon event in Buenos Aires, Argentina, open only to junior elite triathletes (born in 2001 and 2002) and entered by their national federations through the International Triathlon Union.
Meanwhile, the finest triathletes from the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia, among others, will aim for honors in the SEATA Sprint Championships, composed of a 750-meter swimming off ACEA Subic Bay, a 20-kilometer cycling through the PNP Camp in Corregidor street to the Petron Gas Station and a 5-kilometer run along San Bernardino street before finishing at ACEA Subic Bay.
For the SEATA Championships’ Elite Men contest, the Philippines will be led by Southeast Asian Games medalists Nikko Huelgas and John Chicano. They will be challenged by Singapore’s Bryce Chong and Cedric Jiang Hong, Indonesia’s Jauhari Johan and other members of the national team such as Edward Macalalad, Juan Carlos Abad, Julius Constantino and Mark Hosana.
The awarding ceremony of the YOG and SEATA Sprint Championship winners for Elite, Under-23 Elite, Junior Elite and age-groupers (16-19 up to 50-above) will take place along San Bernardino street.
Meanwhile, the 1st congress of the SEATA, led by its president Tom Carrasco, will convene on June 16 (10 a.m to 12 noon) at the Traveler’s Hotel.
For more information, visit Triathlon.org.ph or send email to [email protected].