John Chicano, Nikko Huelgas finish at 10th, 16th place in Asian Games triathlon

Triathletes John Chicano and Nikko Huelgas on Saturday crossed the finish line with notable time, 1:54:33 and 1:58:39 respectively, but were unfortunately edged out of a podium finish.

Chicano placed 10th overall, while Huelgas finished at 16th place. Chicano was the fastest triathlete from the Southeast Asian region. 

The gold went to Jumpei Furuya of Japan (1:49:43), the silver to Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan (1:50:38), and the bronze to Mingxu Li of China (1:50:49).

#PSCAsiadUpdates: Our nat'l triathletes John Chicano finished 10th and @nikkohuelgas at 16th in the #AsianGames Men's Triathlon. The first and third Southeast Asian to complete the race.

See you in 2019! ????????#LabanAtletangPilipino #TeamPHIsaAsianGames2018 #ParaSaInangBayan pic.twitter.com/gEjpVxZv1O

— Philippine Sports Commission (@psc_gov) September 1, 2018

Huelgas and Chicano performed exceptionally at the Southeast Asian Games 2017, bringing home gold and the silver. In previous interviews, much confidence has been placed on Huelgas as he "peaks" just in time for the 2020 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.

As of midday Saturday, the Philippines ranks 19th overall at the 2018 Asian Games with 4 gold, 1 silver, and 15 bronze — bringing the total to 20 medals. — AT, GMA News