RAYONG, Thailand – The Philippine triathlon team won all three gold medals in Wednesday’s events in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at the Leam Mae Phim Beach.
Kira Ellis, Kim Remolino, Raven Alcoseba, and Fer Casares completed the sweep with a close victory in the mixed team relay.
Ellis, Alcoseba, and Kim Mangobang started the day by bagging the women’s team relay, and was followed by Casares, Matthew Hermosa, and Inaki Lorbes claiming the men’s team relay.
READ: Philippines rules SEA Games men's, women's triathlon
Drama unfolded in the mixed team relay when Casares was given a 10-second penalty during the transition from swim to bike, but managed to wipe out the time gap and win by four seconds with a time of one hour, 30 minutes, and 31 seconds.
“The MTR was around 11 o clock and it’s very hot in Thailand, and I don’t do well with heat. I just tried to psych myself up starting for the team again. I knew it would be a lot harder for me to get a gap, let alone, come together with Indonesia, but I tried my best for the team.” said Ellis.
“Fer as our anchor, we knew he is a good cyclist and a runner, so we were really screaming at him with the run and the bike to catch. He got a penalty and it was still quite close. My heart rate was jumping up and down,” Ellis said.
Ellis, Alcoseba, and Casares won two gold for the day, with Ellis being a late switch from Erika Nicole Burgos in a bid to win the first mint of the Philippines in triathlon. The trio clocked one hour, 10 minutes, and 14 seconds, beating Indonesia by 34 seconds.
The men’s team that also included Matthew Hermosa and Inaki Lorbes was the next to capture the gold, checking in at 1:04:05, 10 seconds ahead of Indonesia.
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