Triathletes out to break two-hour barrier

MANILA, Philippines - Two intrepid triathletes will try to finish under two hours and set a new Philippine record as they battle stiff odds at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou starting tomorrow.

Triathlon and dancesports are the first events in the Asiad calendar to finish competitions. Medals will be awarded this Sunday.

Triathlon was introduced at the Asian Games in Doha four years ago with Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Gaag timing 1:50.53.14 to claim the gold medal in the men’s division and China’s Wang Hongni clocking 1:59.44.27 to top the women’s category. The Philippines’ Arland Macasaeb finished No. 14 at 2:05.37.61 and Emmanuel Quilala No. 19 at 2:10.29.20. There were 28 participants in the men’s class. Two Filipinas wound up out of the top ten among 15 competitors in the women’s group – Lea Coline Langit was No. 11 at 2:14.46.69 and Sandra Araullo-Gonzales No. 13 at 2:15.55.19.

Flying the country’s colors in Guangzhou are Neil Catiil of Cagayan de Oro and Nikko Huelgas of Paranaque. They are accompanied by coaches George Vilog and Edgardo Pedrogosa. Vilog was a triathlon silver medalist at the 2007 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Filipinos tapped to work as triathlon technical officials in the Asian Games are Red Dumuk, Alex David and Rick Reyes.

The Philippine record in an Olympic standard distance triathlon of 1,500 meters for swimming, 40 kilometers for cycling and 10 kilometers for running is 1:58 set by Macasaeb in Vietnam last year. No other Filipino has finished under two hours.

Catiil, 24, was the best finisher in the Filipino elite class at the recent 70.3 Ironman competition in Camarines Sur and clocked 2:01.34 to rank 18th overall at the Hong Kong International Triathlon last year. Among Asian competitors, Catiil was No. 7 overall and No. 3 in the run leg in Hong Kong. The Bukidnon State University business administration graduate is now the country’s No. 1 elite triathlete and considered the best runner off the bike ever.

Huelgas, 19, is a De La Salle varsity swimmer and a second year commerce student, majoring in marketing. His best time was 2:03.07 at the Asian Cup in Taiwan last September. He’s only in his second year of competitive triathlon with gold medal finishes at the Speed National Age-Group, PSC Aquathlon, SuperTriKids Aquathlon and Camaya Coast Aquathlon.

Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) president Tom Carrasco said a realistic goal is to make it to the top five but there’s always a chance of an upset since Catiil is known to be strong finisher in the run and Huelgas underwent serious high performance training for three months in Subic.

Reyes, the TRAP secretary-general, said Kazakhstan, Japan and China are favored to figure in the medal derby with Hong Kong and South Korea providing a challenge. Reyes said the hot favorite is Gaag, coming from drug suspension to defend his Asian Games title.

Triathlon was scratched from the 2009 SEA Games calendar. It was included in the 2005 and 2007 editions with the Philippines collecting a combined three silver and three bronze medals.

“If Neil and Nikko finish in the top 10, it’ll be quite an achievement and a great warm-up for the next SEA Games,” said Noy Jopson, who took first place in the Filipino elite division at the inaugural 70.3 Ironman in Camarines Sur last year. “The experience will go a long way. Neil is the future of Philippine triathlon. He’s competitive in all legs. If there’s a chink in his armor, it’s his swimming. But if he gets out of the water quickly, you can expect him to do well in biking and running. He trains under Australian coach Brett Sutton. As for Nikko, he took a semester off from school to concentrate on training for the Asian Games. He’s an up-and-coming triathlete who will surely benefit from the exposure in Guangzhou and carry it over to future competitions.”

Jopson, holder of the Philippine record of 4:21.27 in the 70.3 Ironman set in Clearwater, Florida, said he’s not discounting the possibility of either Catiil or Huelgas or both bringing back a medal. “It’s a slim chance, considering the opposition,” said Jopson. “But you can be sure they’ll be out there doing their best. I think it would be a big accomplishment if they finish under two hours. They’ll probably be disappointed if they don’t do it. I’m anticipating a new Philippine record to be set. Their performance will be a good indication of our progress in triathlon.”

Reyes said Catiil and Huelgas were trained by coach Dan Brown in the final stage of preparations for the Asiad. “They’ve been training hard in Subic most of the year,” said Reyes. “We’re encouraged by their recent form. Nikko, for instance, ran a 34-minute 10k in Hong Kong recently and they’ve been improving on their swim with coach Dan. We would’ve sent LC Langit to Guangzhou for the women’s competition but she was injured on the last day of submission of nominated athletes. We expect her to bounce back at the Asian Beach Games Test Race in Oman on Oct. 31.”

Triathlon made its debut as an Olympic event in Sydney in 2000. It was introduced in the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 and the Asian Games in 2006. The sport is governed by the Vancouver-based International Triathlon Union of which TRAP is a country affiliate.

The TRAP became a regular National Sports Association and a member of the Philippine Olympic Committee in 1996. The sport traces its roots in the Philippines to a group of UP mountaineers who gathered about 40 enthusiasts to participate in a competition that featured open-sea swimming in Matabungkay and cycling and running to and from Calatagan in 1987.