Cebu’s Jorry Ycong crosses the finish line to win the Filipino Elite title of the Bellevue 5i50 Triathlon yesterday in Bohol.
(CDN photo/Rab Borbon)
Panglao, Bohol – Cebu’s Jorry Ycong simply wanted to improve his best time in his stint in the Bellevue 5i50 Triathlon.
But he got more than what he asked for as he emerged as champion of the Filipino Elite men’s category of the race yesterday at the Bellevue Hotel and Resort here.
“I was not expecting to win when I woke up this morning. I felt that I just wanted to beat my previous best time,” said the 26-year-old Ycong, who finished the 1.5-kilometer swim, 40k bike, and 10k run
course in two hours, 10 minutes, and 55 seconds.
Ycong, who said that his previous best time in a 5i50 race was 2:14:00, dethroned last year’s champion Paul Jumamil and held the crowd-favorite Bohol native at second place with a time of 2:11:44.
Emmanuel Commendador settled for third, clocking 2:11:56.
Jenny Rose Guerrero triumphed in the distaff side, clocking 2:38:57 while Cebuana Cianyl Gonzales (2:51:20) of the Omega Pro Tri-Team and Amale Jopson (3:00:42) finished second and third place, respectively.
The win was sweet for Ycong as he finally made up for a gloomy disqualification in last year’s race for failing to serve a penalty for an infraction in the bike leg. He was supposed to win third place.
With the victory, the University of San Carlos assistant coach Ycong gained the respect from some professional athletes.
“It was very exciting to watch him (Ycong),” said Phililippine-based pro Dan Brown.
Back-to-back
“He was really great. He was very near me in the swim [leg],” women’s pro winner Amelia Watkinson said.
Watkinson from New Zealand clocked 2:10:19 to emerge champion while Aussie Sam Betten defended his men’s pro crown after clocking 2:01:40.
“My just coach told me to go hard from start to finish and I delivered,” Betten, who now has four 5i50 Philippine titles on his belt, said.
Men’s runners up were Germany’s Henry Beck (2:10:07) and Brown (2:29:37).
In the women’s category, last year’s champion Dimity Lee-Duke finished second (2:15:10) followed by Michelle Duffield (2:32:22).
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Cebuana Aaliyah Ricci Matarangon ruled the women’s sprint race, clocking 1:24:52.
The race, which was also dubbed as the “Sunrise Sprint,” featured a 750-meter swim, 20k bike, and 5k run course and was only added this year.
Kyla Gomez (1:41:21) and Andrea Ramos (1:53:03) finished second and third, respectively.