Huelgas, Adorna seek SEAG triathlon repeat

KUALA LUMPUR – At the break of dawn at the Water Sports Complex in Putrajaya here today, Nikko Bryan Huelgas and Ma. Claire Adorna go for  a repeat of their golden double in the 2015 SEA Games triathlon event.

Kim Mangrobang and John Chicaco also answer the starting gun, joining compatriots Huelgas and Adorna in their hope to duplicate their domination of the field the last time in Singapore.

The Philippines barely missed a sweep of the two gold and silver medals in 2015 as then No. 2 Phl bet Jonard Saim ran out of steam and slowed down in the closing stage of the swim-bike-run competition.

Malaysian Rikigoro Shinozuka finished second behind Huelgas. And he’s here to challenge Huelgas in a course he has much familiarity.

But Philippine triathlon chief Tom Carrasco is so confident of a twin kill.

Huelgas beat all his SEAG rivals with plenty to spare in the recent ASTC Triathlon Asian Championships in Jakabaring Sports City in Palembang, Indonesia.

Adorna skipped the Palembang event to rest a hamstring injury. But she’s competing in the KL SEAG coming from a one-month training in Phuket, Thailand.

In the last stage of their own SEAG buildup, Huelgas and Chicano trained under Australian coach Brett Sutton in Johor Bahru.

Mangrobang, meanwhile, trained under Portuguese coach Sergio Santos in Portugal before making a strong showing in the 2017 Tiszaujvaros International Triathlon Union World Cup in Hungary.