Pinay bet SEA’s best triathlete

SUBIC – Alessandra Araullo has given the Philippines a bright gold-medal prospect in next year’s SEA Games this early by topping her Southeast Asian rivals even as the Japanese utterly dominated the under-23 event of the Speedo Asian Triathlon Championships 2004 under the searing summer sun inside Subic Bay Freeport Zone here yesterday.

Araullo, a 23-year-old stunner, bucked stomach cramps which started to bother her in the second loop of the 10 km run and emerged best finisher among Southeast Asian entries at seventh place in the women’s side topped by veteran Japanese campaigner Eri Nakagawa.

The UP Applied Physics graduate said she surprised even herself as she thought the best she could get is an eighth-place finish. She performed beyond her expectation, submitting a new national record of 2:27:58.

"I’m really happy with my performance because the target of my coach Raul Cuevas was only 2:35 and I went beyond that. We’re preparing for the SEAG and my performance here suggests we’re on track for the gold medal," said Araullo, who curiously did not finish in last year’s Asian event in Chennai, India.

Singapore’s Jeanette Wang Shu’en was the second best placer among SEA campaigners at ninth at 2:35:44, followed by another Filipina in Alexandro Ganzon at 10th at 2:41:09.

The Filipino boys, however, spent the day at the trail of Singaporean rivals.

Singaporean Zheng Jing Xian was the top SEA finisher at 11th in 2:07:28 followed by countrymen Gabriel Tan Choon Howe at 15th in 2:09:55 and Hoong Zhi Chun at 17th in 2:09:59. John Mark Yamoyan was the best Filipino finisher at 21st in 2:14:27, followed by Sean Lim at 23rd in 2:24:32 then Francis Mercado at 24th in 2:25:45.

But the Japanese turned the fight for the top honors in both categories into an all-Japanese competition.

The Japanese team, which entered a strong field of 34 in the event, occupied the top three spots in both the male and female categories with Yuichi Hosoda and Nakagawa taking the top podium honors.

The fact that it is cold in Japan today made the feats of the Japanese here more surprising.

Hosoda and Nakagawa attributed their victories to serious training.

"I never doubted I would win because I trained hard in Gold Coast, Australia for three months before coming here," said Hosoda, last year’s Asian Triathlon junior boys champion who is ranked No. 11 in Japan.

"I had no doubt, too, I would win because I’ve been in this sport half of my life," said the 22-year-old Nakagawa, who started campaigning at 11.

Hosoda clocked 1:56:57 with Kenji Umatate coming in a far second in 2:01:13 then Sho Higashimo third in 2:02:07. Nakagawa submitted a time of 2:11:16 followed by Ai Ueda in 2:12:55 then Keiki Tanaka in 2:19:16.

Japanese team manager Kenjiro Iijima is hopeful his bets would also do well in the elite competition today although Kazakhs Dimitry Gaag and Daniel Sapunov loom as the heavy favorites in the men’s class.

"We’re here to grab that Olympic berth. That’s our target and we’re excited about it," said Iijima.

Thirty-one males and 23 females are answering the starting gun in the elite event, which serves as the Asian qualifying competition for the Athens Olympics.

Eldy Banluta, Alberto Biagan, Peter Gonzalez, Noel Salvador, George Vilog, Ani Karina De Leon, Mylene Jarina and Ana Marissa Nagtalon are the Filipinos and Filipinas in the starting list in the main event of

the Asian Triathlon Championships sponsored by Smart, Speedo, New Balance, Legenda Hotel, SBMA, PSC and POC with support from Reliv, Gatorade, Power Bar, GlaxoSmithKilne and Asian Center for Insulation.