Local triathletes shine in Dagupan event

By April 19, 2014News, Sports

FIVE Pangasinan triathletes, spearheaded by national team members Jefferson Valdez of Asingan and Robinson Esteves of Urdaneta City, displayed their wares in their respective categories in the first Dagupan Invitational Triathlon held on April 13.

Valdez captured the 35-39 division while Esteves placed second in the elite division (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10-K run) won by co-national team member John Chicano of Manila.

The three other Pangasinenses who topped their respective age groups were Renato Sembrano (30-34) of Mangaldan, Dr. Demosthenes Ydia (55-59) of Mangaldan, and Shen Mendoza of Lingayen in the distaff side.

A visibly elated Mayor Belen Fernandez said with the success of the event chaired by Councilor Karlos Reyna, the sports competition will now become a yearly feature of the Bangus Festival.

“We were overwhelmed by the number of triathletes who joined. With this, we are looking into the possibility of making Dagupan as one of the venues for the national triathlon leagues,” Fernandez said.

There were 180 participants in the event.

The mayor also thanked the event organizers, Dr. Cicel M. Reyna and Melvin Fausto, and urged them to bring other national competitions to Dagupan.

Fausto, president of the National Triathlon of the Philippines, said the city was able to prove its capability to host future national triathlons.

For her part, Reyna, a triathlete herself, also acknowledged the success of the event where 70 percent of the participants were from outside the city and the rest from Dagupan.

Reyna announced that they are now considering to organize a triathlon training camp in Dagupan.

WINNERS

Other winners were Jimuel Patilan in third place (elite division);  James Allado, first (overall sprint male category), followed by  Austine Morfe while Jeric Saciauso came in  third; in the female sprint category, Christianne Noelle De Vera was second to Verzosa while at 1: Irene Bartolome was third.

In the relay category, DRX Sign Maker finished first, followed by the Dagupan City Cycling Club with Tri Hard in third place.

In the Kids Can Run event, 10-year old Caesar L. Lapeña dominated the one-kilometer run while six-year old Mary Grace Bryne won the 500-meter run.

In the All Dagupan category, Frederick Mendiola came in first, followed by Philip C. Balagot and Carl Michael Cenidoza who came in third.

The race started at 6:00 a.m. at the Tondaligan Beach for the swim course and ended at the city plaza where the awarding ceremony took place.–LVM with reports from JAGJr. and CIO

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