Junior triathletes triumphant in Asian Cup

MANILA, Philippines – Junior triathletes Joash Serrano and Kim Mangrobang won gold and bronze in the 2008 Hong Kong ITU Triathlon Asian Cup on Satruday at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Competing in the junior elite category, the 17-year old Serrano took the gold beating hometown bet Chan Chun Lun in the last 200 meters of the run leg. Serrano came out fifth after the swim event but bounced back strongly in the bike and run legs to submit the fastest time of 1:09:35. The course was divided into a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run in the junior division. Chan settled for the silver after coming in 13 seconds after, 1:09:48, while another Hong Kong bet, Lao Long Fung took third clocking in at 1:11:10. It was the second straight international victory for Serrano after topping the junior elite at the I-Lan Blossom Lake International Triathlon Championship at Chia Yi, Taiwan last September. Serrano and Mangrobang, who won the bronze in the girls division, have to give up their studies to concentrate in training. Both are many time national juniors champion. Mangrobang could have settled for the silver but lost to Hui Wai Sum of Hong Kong by just eight seconds. She had a time of 1:19:48 against Hui’s 1:19:40. Chinese-Taipei’s Wu Ting Hsin won the gold registering a time of 1:19:11. “The performance of Joash and Kim proves that our youth program is on the right track," said Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco Jr., who is hoping to send a Filipino triathlete to the London Olympics in 2012. Veteran triatlete George Vilog completed the three-man Philippine team finishing at 26th place in the male elite with a time of 2:24:04. He was the best Southeast Asian finisher as Malaysian bet Shahrom Abdulah settled a rank lower than Vilog with 2:28:02 clocking. – GMANews.TV