RAYONG, Thailand—The Philippine triathlon team executed a brilliant tactical gambit on Wednesday, which paid off handsomely in a sweep of all three gold medals in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at Leam Mae Phim Beach.
The strategic centerpiece of this triumph was the calculated placement of Kira Ellis in two key rosters: the women’s and the mixed relay events.
The strategic planning was evident in the late decision to switch Ellis into the women’s team relay.
Philippine triathlon officials described this as a calculated move, specifically designed to counter the setback from Indonesia’s sweep of the aquathlon team events a day earlier.
The move proved decisive, as Ellis joined forces with Raven Alcoseba and Kim Mangrobang to secure the Philippines’ first triathlon gold of the day, finishing the 300m swim, 8km bike, and 2km run course in a time of one hour, 10 minutes, and 14 seconds.
Ellis’s success was not limited to the women’s event. She then paired with Alcoseba and individual champion Fer Casares in the mixed team relay, securing her second gold medal for the day and completing the team’s historic sweep.
Casares also earned a pair of golds, having first anchored the winning men’s relay squad before joining the victorious mixed team relay.
“It was a last-minute change in the schedule,” said the 19-year-old Ellis on the switch from Erika Nicole Burgos in the women’s team relay. “I wasn’t supposed to race, but then we thought, if I start for the team and Raven finishes with the team, we really have a strong chance at getting gold. It worked out. We tried to strategize and get a gap for whoever and try to lead through the entire race.”
The men’s team that also included Matthew Hermosa and Inaki Lorbes was the next to capture the gold for the Philippines, checking in at 1:04:05, 10 seconds ahead of Indonesia.
Battling the scorching heat at the race course, the mixed team relay of Ellis, Kim Remolino, Alcoseba, and Casares also brought home the gold, but not without drama.
Casares, the team’s anchor, was meted with a 10-second penalty during the transition from swim to bike, but managed to wipe out the gap to win the gold for his team by four seconds over Indonesia with a time of 1:30:31.
“The MTR was around 11 o clock and it’s very hot in Thailand, and I don’t do well with heat. I just tried to psych myself up starting for the team again. I knew it would be a lot harder for me to get a gap, let alone, come together with Indonesia, but I tried my best for the team.” said Ellis.
“Fer as our anchor, we knew he is a good cyclist and a runner so we were really screaming at him with the run and the bike to catch. He got a penalty and it was still quite close. My heart rate was jumping up and down,” Ellis said.
The PH team competes in the duathlon events on Thursday.
