CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Talisay Luigi Triathlon Group (TLTG)-Go For Gold has another potential star under its care.
This after the group’s rising triathlete Matthew Justine Hermosa emerged champion in the sprint junior elite category of the 2022 NTT AST Subic Bay International Triathlon (SUBIT) held last Sunday, May 1, 2022, at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales.
The 17-year-old Hermosa from Talisay City, Cebu surprised everyone in the race when he crossed the finish line first in the men’s sprint junior elite category, clocking in at 58 minutes and 10 seconds.
He finished his swim in 09:57, completed his bike race in 29:37, and finished the run discipline in 16:33.
Hermosa is one of the triathletes under the wings of noted coach Roland Remolino.
Remolino said he was impressed with the performance of Hermosa and sees a lot of potential in the young triathlete. He said Hermosa is one of his upcoming triathletes who people should keep their eyes on.
“Klaro na siya nga modaog ato kay nakita nako iyang mga naka lumba. In fact, ni break away naman siya gikan sa bike hangtod na sa run. Maayo kaayo ni siya nga athlete kay maningkamot jud ug kuyog ni Kim (Remolino) inig training maong modaog jud na siya. Na amaze ko ug samot niya kay nag ngisi ra siya pag break away niya sa race. Murag para, niya easy ra to,” said Remolino.
(It as clear he was going to win the race. In fact, he broke away from the bike segment until the run. He is a very good athlete because he strives to be with Kim during training that’s why he wins. I was amazed even more because he was just smiling when he went for the break away. It’s like for him, it was an easy race.)
Remolino said he is planning to let Hermosa join a major triathlon race next month in Korea along with other TLTG-Go For Gold triathletes.
Trailing Hermosa at second was Ronel Victor Cruz, who clocked in at 59:30. Hermosa’s teammate Jacob Kennedy Lipura rounded off the top three with a time of 1:00.50.
“I’m so grateful for the safe and strong race with my friends, teammates, and fellow competitors,” said Hermosa.
The sprint distance featured 750-meter swim, 20KM bike, and 5KM run.
“I felt confident about the race since everyday is hard training for our team and coaches,” said Hermosa, who is a teammate of Southeast Asian Games (SEAG)-bound Andrew Kim Remolino and Raven Faith Alcoseba.
Like his teammates, Hermosa is eyeing to represent the country in major events. He is planning to move up in the Olympic standard distance to be at par with the elite competitors in the sport.
“My future plans for triathlon is to move to the olympic distance or the standard distance so that I can further improve my ability and to compete with my idols,” said Hermosa.
Hermosa’s teammates, Charles Jeremiah Lipua topped the men’s 18-24 years old while Alex Silverio ruled the sprint men’s para-triathlon category.
/bmjo
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