From left, Fernando Casares, Andrew Kim Remolino, Matthew Justine Hermosa, Kira Ellis, and Raven Faith Alcoseba. | TRAP photos
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Five of the country’s best triathletes will strut their wares in the 2023 Asia Triathlon Sprint Championships Al-Khobar from November 11-12, 2023, in Saudi Arabia.
Three of them are Cebuanos including two-time Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) silver medalist Andrew Kim Remolino, SEA Games aquathlon relay gold medalist Matthew Justine Hermosa, and SEA Games bronze medalist Raven Faith Alcoseba.
Completing the Philippine triathlon team competing in the event are back-to-back SEA Games gold medalist Fernando Casares and SEA Games aquathlon relay gold medalist Kira Ellis.
They will compete in the race that will feature a fast-paced 750-meter swim, 20 km bike, and 5 km run.
They go up against 82 other triathletes from powerhouse Japan, Kazakhstan, China, Hong Kong, India, Syria, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, UAE, Oman, Mongolia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Kyrgistan.
READ: Ironman 70.3 triathlon returns to Cebu in April 2024
Casares, Remolino, and Hermosa will compete in the men’s elite division along with 58 other triathletes, while Alcoseba and Ellis will race against 23 other female triathletes.
They are accompanied by national triathlon coach Roland Remolino and other coaching staff from the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP).
According to Remolino, this is the first triathlon race his son Andrew Kim, Alcoseba, and Hermosa will be vying for since the Asian Games last September in Hangzhou, China.
After that, they’ve only competed in an open water swim in Lapu-Lapu City.
It can be recalled that Casares and Remolino finished in 10th and 13th places, respectively, in the Asian Games men’s individual triathlon.
Alcoseba and Hermosa finished seventh in the mixed relay alongside Casares and Kim Mangrobang also in the Asiad.
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