SEA Games gold medalist Huelgas shares how he bounced back from 'palpak' moments

Southeast Asian Games 2017 triathlon gold medalist Nikko Huelgas has brought home more than just pride and honor to the Philippines after he bagged gold medals back-to-back in the sports event on Monday in Malaysia.

The renowned fastest triathlete in Southeast Asia has also brought home an inspirational story on how he triumphed over the hurdles that he faced during the competition that almost made him stop his race, according to a report by Mark Zambrano on Balitanghali on Friday.

"I had so many races na palpak. Nag-crash ako, stomachache, I lost a podium race for the first time on a local race and it was extremely disappointing. Masakit sa ego and it's more than just your competitors. It's yourself, e. Parang, am I losing myself?" Huelgas said.

Despite the difficulties he faced, Huelgas said he did not stop.

"I stayed faithful to the program to keep learning and bounce back," the gold medalist said.

His teammates also served as his motivation.

Filipino triathletes were able to bag gold and silver medals from the men's and women's races with Kim Mangrobang winning the gold medal while Claire Adorna won the silver in the women's triathlon.

Nikko Huelgas was able to sweep a gold medal while his teammate John "Rambo" Chicano finished the race for a silver medal.

"To be able to get silver for Rambo. I just hoped that he gets silver because that would really stamp history for Philippine triathlon. Because of the feat that we did last Monday, we have delivered the best result of Philippine triathlon in SEA Games history," Huelgas said.

The whole Philippine triathlon team supports Huelgas in his goal to win a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Most athletes, they peak at age 28. Nikko is still 25 years old, so come 2020 [Tokyo] Olympics, he will be at the peak. Ang kagandahan dito sa triathlon, as you age you become stronger. And I think Nikko has a very good chance to bring a medal to the country," said Ronald Mascariñas of Bounty Sports.

Huelgas will also strive for a medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang in Jakarta, Indonesia. —Akari Nakano/KG, GMA News