Mataragnon on a tough mission in Subic triathlon

CEBU, Philippines - Fast-rising Cebuana triathlete Aaliyah Ricci Mataragnon gears up for a rematch against her Malaysian archrival Zoe Natasha Bowden as the two participate in the Subic International Triathlon on April 26 at the Subic Bay Freeport.

Mataragnon is fresh from her silver-medal finish in the Metaspring Series last week in Singapore in which Bowden won the gold.

To attain her goal of beating the Malaysian, Mataragnon will double her preparation, even training during Holy Week.

Mataragnon is confident with her chances to outpaced Bowden especially with her coaches giving her full support.

Mataragnon is trained by Ronald Manlosa in swimming, Jaybop Pagnanawon in cycling and John Philip Duenas in running. She also gets supervision from her dad and veteran triathlete, Ritchie Mataragnon.

The 13-year-old Mataragnon will be racing alongside her teammate Ralph So in Subic.

After the Subic triathlon, Mataragnon together with So and Issa Priagula will compete in the Philippine National Games in Tagaytay on May. The three will   join the road race event, while Priagula will try her luck in the mountain bike cross-country.— (FREEMAN)