RP triathletes finish in top 10 in Taiwan

Former national champion and country's current top triathlete John Abdul and no. 2 George Vilog landed in the top 10 of the 500-strong field of the Taiwan's President Cup Triathlon recently.

Bucking a foot injury, Abdul who hails from Zamboanga City clocked two hours eight minutes and three seconds through the 1.5-kilometer swim in ice-cold waters, 40-km bike in undulating terrain and tough 10-km run to clinch eighth place.

Davao City's Vilog, the national junior record holder, checked in behind Abdul at 9th position, two minutes adrift.

Not to be outdone, Riffles Rafanan of Cebu City also finished eighth in the women's divisional 2:58:23.

With their feats, Abdul, Vilog and Rafanan installed themselves as the first Filipino triathletes to earn points in the 10-leg Asia Cup series that determine the most outstanding triathletes in the continent.

Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) sent the trio and other members of Team Velocity/Philippine Army for ruling the first Inter-club Championships last January.

Tom Carrasco, TRAP president, said, "I'm glad Abdul is nearing full recovery from more than one and a half-year layoff. By next month, he should be in tip-top shape."

Abdul spearheads the youth-laden Philippine Sports Commission-sponsored Team Philippines in the 2000 Asian Triathlon Championships set in Gamagori, Japan on April 23.