SUBIC BAY CAMPERS RULE TRIATHLON

PEOPLES TONIGHT

Subic Bay campers Neil Catiil and Lee Coline Langit upstaged their more fancied national teammates in the side-event triathlon of the ITU Asian 03 Long Distance Triathlon at Subic Bay Freeport recently.

Catiil, 22, clocked two hours six minutes and 12 seconds in the 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run event, two minutes and 53 seconds ahead of the country’s top ranked triathlete, George Vilog who settled for runner-up honors.

The 22-year-old Langit checked in at 2:17:04, seven minutes and 46 seconds clear of her closest pursuer Monica Torres, a duathlete (run-bike-run athlete) transforming into triathlete.

Rounding out the podium finishers in the competition organized by Triathlon Association of the Philippines and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and sponsored by Philippine Sports Commission and Department of Tourism were French expat Bruno Lebeda (2:15:35) and the Philippines No. 1 female junior Kim Mangrobang (2:26:48).

Catiil who shaved six minutes off his personal best and Langit who was only four minutes off the national women’s record has shown anew the PSC-and SBMA-supported training camp with Speedo and ADIDAS as official outfitters is bearing fruits.

Their performances were fitting follow-ups to fellow campers Torres’ gold medal finish and Augusto Benedicto’s bronze in the Singapore SAAB Duathlon and Langit’s own bronze medal-winning feat in the Port Dickson International Triathlon.

Tom Carrasco, TRAP president and Asian representative to the ITU, said, "While our campers have vastly improved, much has to be done yet as we are determined to see a Filipino triathlete in the 2012 London Olympics.’’

Meanwhile, FF Combat composed of French Patrice Robustelli, Peter Gonzalez, New Zealander Mark Ellis and Marco Enrico Dayrit ruled the team event in the 03 Long Distance Triathlon (4-km swim, 120-km bike and 30-km run) with an aggregate time of 23:08:35 (best three times counted).

Tri Clark (Abe Tayag, Jun Kit, Alexander Bautista and Julian Paolo Tayag) and Polo Tri-Adidas (British Chris Pollard, Amanda Carpo, Andy Aguila and JonJon Rufino) submitted times of 25:21:04 and 25:34:24.