Jorry Ycong celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Asian Elite Male title of the Alveo IronMan 70.3 Davao / contributed photo
Rider Omega’s Jorry Ycong bags Asian Elite title after birthday
Davao City — A day after celebrating his birthday, Jorry Ycong of the Cebu-based Rider Omega Tri Team received perhaps one of the best gifts when he won the Asian Elite Male title of the first-ever Alveo IronMan 70.3 Davao yesterday at the Azuela Cove here.
Ycong clocked four hours, 24 minutes and 15 seconds to bring home a 70.3 title for the first time after fiver years of competing in the event.
The 28-year-old had a slow start as he came out of the water third behind early leader Paul Jumamil and Omega teammate Banjo Norte, who bagged the inaugural Asian Elite title in last year’s Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines held in Cebu.
He dropped further to fourth place after the 90-kilometer bike but started third in the 21-kilometer run event.
After 10 kilometers of the run leg, he already overtook Jumamil. From there, he maintained his pace of 4.10 minutes per kilometer and eventually crossed the finish line 47 seconds ahead of second place finisher August Benedicto.
According to Ycong, he is pleased with his achievement because he has prioritized the race and had started training for it since January.
Norte salvaged third place after losing to Benedicto in a sprint finish. Benedicto clocked 4:25:02 spoiling what would have been a 1-2 finish for Omega.
He was five seconds ahead of Norte.
Omega coach Franz Baguio said that he had told Ycong to stay hydrated because the day was so hot. He also reminded him to focus on his nutrition because that’s where he always falls short.
He added that when Ycong started the run leg at third, he already had a feeling that his ward had a big chance of bringing home the title.
Jumamil, who had been leading in the swim and bike, eventually settled for fourth place after breasting the tape at 4:26:24.
Cebu’s John Philip Dueñas ended the race at sixth place with 5:04:00. The long-time coach of Cebuano Olympian female marathoner Mary Joy Tabal said he had a very slow bike race, which caused him to tire early in the run.
Other Cebuanos who had podium spots were Vic Montebon and Chobie Dueñas, who had a 1-2 finish in the 18-24 Male category. Montebon clocked 4:42:00 while Dueñas had a time of 4:50:36.
Pro Division
The premiere pro division had Mexico’s Mauricio Mendez posting the best run time to clinch the Men’s title with a time of 3:50:32. Australia’s Radka Kahlefeldt, who gave birth to her son three months ago, bagged the Women’s title with a time of 4:25:38.
Mendez recovered from a sluggish start in the swim and bike phase and overtook 2016 70.3 world champion Tim Reed in the 10-kilometer mark of the run, relegating the Australian to second place with a time of 3:52:26.
Rounding up the top 3 was another Australian in Tim Van Berkel, who clocked 3:53:45.
Japan’s Naomi Washizu finished second to Kahlefeldt when she breasted the tape with a time of 4:36:53 while Australia’s Dimity Lee Duke finished third with a time of 4:39:12.