CEBU, Philippines - Fil-German Arno Baetz and Bambam Manglicmot topped their respective divisions in this year's Alaska IronKids Philippines Triathlon that started and ended at the posh Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa.
Baetz, 13, and Manglicmot, 12, were just two of the half of the 200-plus participants that were flagged off and finished the race. The other half were kept at bay after the organizers decided to cancel the rest of the race due to sudden downpour and thunderstorm that hit the event.
“Due to safety and security reasons, we have decided to cancel the rest of the race,†said IronKids race director Ani de Leon-Brown.
Baetz, who is born in the Phl but is based in Hong Kong, clocked 29 minutes and 59 seconds to top the boys section for 13 to 14 years old ahead of Cebu's top bet Justin Lim Chiongbian and Brent Valelo of Caloocan, who timed in 30.06 and 30.22, respectively.
“I'm happy to win in my second time here in the Phl because I've also won last year in Alabang,†said Baetz, whose father Manfred is a German.
For Manglicmot, his victory was just one of the many he won.
“I've won many times and finished in the top three so many times because I've already considered the sport as the one I want to growing up,†said Manglicmot, who took up the sport at a very tender age of five years old.
Manglicmot clocked 31.38 ahead of Dipolog City's Craig Joshua Uy (33.31) and Mabalacat's Nathan Nalo (34.09).
Other category winners of this event bankrolled by Alaska Milk were Binan, Laguna's Lauren Justine Plaza (11-12 girls) and Shaia Ruth Uy (13-14 girls).
Plaza's time was 33.02, which bettered Nicole Eijansantos' 35.43 and Samantha Borlain's 35.54, while Uy had 34.32, which was faster than Alexandra Leather's 34.35 and Maria Margaritta delos Reyes' 34.50.— Philippine STAR News Service