It was a complete domination.
There is no other way to describe the overpowering performance by Hong Kong in the spring and super sprint races at the Subic Bay Freeport as HK entries swept the top three places in both the boys’ and girls’ sides in the junior elite sprint distance and took the gold in both divisions in the super sprint race.
Local entries, however, managed to steal some of the day’s glory in the two-day Subic Bay International Triathlon as Cebuano Matthew Hermosa shocked the opposition with his second-place finish in the super sprint even as another HK entry took the bronze medal, while Lady Samantha Corpuz from La Union sprang her own surprise with her third-place podium finish in the distaff side behind two HK entries.
“Hong Kong showed us how good its triathlon developmental program is. HK has been producing very good junior triathletes, who can even match up against the mighty Japanese at the Asian level. We should be able to emulate this and adopt a similar program for our young triathletes,” said Triathlon Association of the Philippines President Tom Carrasco Jr.
Jason Ng Tai Long Hardcastle, Nicholas Tang Cheung Sing and Philip Chenaux Repond completed a sweep of the top three places in the sprint junior elite, clocking 56.46, 57.11, and 58.34, respectively, with the tandem of Hardcastle and Sing leaving the others behind right from the start of the 750m swim leg that was followed by a 20K bike and a 5K run legs.
“I was not really pressured at all. I think I could have even done a sub 16 in the run leg if I pushed myself, but I was confident because I know I am in good form,” said Hardcastle after the race sanctioned by both the International Triathlon Union and the Asian Triathlon Confederation and supported by SBMA, the POC, and the PSC.
Two local bets, however, Joshua Ramos and Juan Baniqued broke HK’s stranglehold in the Top 10 as they placed 8th and 10th, finishing the race in 1:00.57 and 1:01 .35, respectively.
It was the same story in the distaff side, where pretty Bailee Brown from University of Hong Kong led a 1 to 6 finish by HK with twins Cade and Tulullah Wright joining her at the podium. Brown posted a solo victory in 56.46, while her runners-up clocked 57.11 and 58.34 respectively..
National triathlete Karen Manayon managed to slip into the Top 10, clocking 1:11.29 for a 10th place finish.
