Japanese bets dominate Asian Triathlon

MANILA, Philippines - Japanese triathletes Yuichi Hosoda and Mariko Adachi survived the tough challenge of noted rivals to retain their Elite Asian titles in Saturday’s K-Swiss Subic Bay ASTC Asian Triathlon Championships held at the Subic Bay Freeport.

Racing at 35 degrees Celsius, the 29-year old Hosoda relied on nerves of steel to keep up the pace and finish with a convincing win over Chinese bet Jiang Zhihang.

A gold medalist in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and 43rd in the 2012 London Olympics, Hosada negotiated the 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run in two hours, 01 minute, 32 seconds to keep the title he won in the 2012 Tateyama ASTC Triathlon Championships.

“The weather was hot and I was dehydrated going into the run. I had to slow down in the last lap and was lucky to survive and win the race,” said Hosoda, who was six seconds ahead of Zhihang in 2:01.51.

Another Japanese bet Ryoshuke Yamamoto took the bronze medal in 2:01.52 while China’s Bai Faquan, who ruled last year’s race, settled for fourth in 2:03. Compatriot Zhang Yiming was in fifth spot in 2:03:01.

Earlier Adachi, winner in the female Elite in Tateyama, overcame a slow start with a big windup in the second loop of the four-loop run to steal the victory from compatriot and 2012 Asian Youth Games gold medalist Yuka Sato.

POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. joined SMBA chairman and CEO Roberto Garcia, ASTC president Yu Kung Sun and TRAP president, POC chairman and ASTC SVP Tom Carrasco Jr. in awarding medals to the winners.

Adachi, a 29-year old, Osaka native, used her experienced to the hilt as she allowed 21-year-old Sato to take control in the swim and bike before pushing herself to the limit in the run leg.

“I caught up with her after the second loop and kept the pace,” said Adachi, also a gold medalist in the 2010 Asian Games and took 14th place in the 2012 London Games, who clocked at 2:14:17.

“I was very tired, it was very hot,” said Sato, a second time in Subic, who settled for a second best 2:16:38.

Sato saw action in 2010 edition and won the junior category.

China’s Fan Dan (2:17:42), Zhong Mengying (2:18:01) and Zhang Yi (2:18:59) settled for the next three spots on the first of the three-day event presented by K-Swiss and supported by Standard Insurance, Century Tuna, Speedo, David’s Salon, Asian Centre for Insulation Phl (ACIP), Gatorade, Fitness First, Garmin, Canon, PLDT, Harbor Point Ayala Mall, SM Cares Subic and Philippine Sports Commission.

Japan’s Kohei Tsubaki and Karin Chibana swept the Elite Under-23 while Matsumoto Fumika lorded the women’s junior elite.