Sam Betten triumphs in Bellevue 5i50 Triathlon

BOHOL, Philippines – Sam Betten did it. The Australian practically owned Sunrise Events’ 5i50 Triathlon Series by clinching his fourth straight title in The Bellevue Resort 5i50 Triathlon held Sunday, November 6, in the island of Panglao here.

The 28-year-old professional triathlete wasn’t kidding when he said he was very focused on defending his title. Betten crossed the finish line more than 8 minutes clear of his opponents after clocking two hours, one minute, and 40 seconds (2:01:40).

This is the second straight year that Betten became the back-to-back champion in the series after he also ruled the Regent 5i50 held in Subic Bay last June.

Betten attributes his success in the 5i50 Triathlon Series to the warm welcome from organizers and local spectators.

“It is a completely different atmosphere here in the Philippines, making it one of the best places to race. The people are very friendly and accommodating,” Betten said. “It feels like coming home.”

New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson, who is racing for the first time here in Bohol, said pretty much the same about the atmosphere, the welcome, and local support.

“It’s awesome, I love racing in the Philippines. You guys are all so happy about the whole thing, it is really nice. I like the age and culture throughout the whole world of triathlon. It’s always a bit of a party here,” said Watkinson.

The New Zealander also bagged her own back-to-back title after breasting the tape at 2:10:19. Like Betten, Watkinson first ruled the female pros division of the event via last June’s Regent 5i50.

Finishing second and third to Betten were Germany’s Henry Beck (2:20:07) and Daniel Garry Brown (2:29:37), respectively.

In the distaff side, Watkinson relegated defending champion Dimity-Lee Duke to second place (2:15:10) and Michelle Duffield (2:32:22) to third place. Both Duke and Duffield are Australians.

Filipino Elite

Perhaps the athlete who had the most success was Cebu’s Jorry Ycong, who was declared the Filipino Elite male champion with his time of 2:10:55. 

Ycong relegated defending champion and homegrown triathlete Paul Jumamil to second place. Jumamil finished the race in 2:11:44.

Ycong said he did not expect to win the title on his third try because he was only aiming to improve his personal best of 2:14. He considers his win the best achievement in his triathlon career, so far.

In Ycong’s first try in the event back in 2014, he finished 9th. Last year he finished third but got disqualified for not serving a penalty.

Ycong said he trained hard for this year’s event for two months. His key competitors, he said, were Jumamil and Luzon’s August Benedicto, whom he describes as very strong swimmers.

According to Ycong, the difference this year was that he had a good swim split (25:27) which allowed him to keep pace with Jumamil in the bike section of the race.

After finishing second to Jumamil in the bike race, Ycong, a former runner, was finally able to surge past Jumamil in the final 4 kilometers of the run. From there, he did not relinquish the lead.

Finishing third in the contest was Emmanuel Comendador who clocked 2:11:56.

The distaff side was ruled by national swimming coach Jenny Rose Guerrero who finished the race in 2:38:57.

Cebuanos rounded up the top 3 with Cianyl Gonzalez clocking 2:51:20, good enough for second place; and Amale Jopson finishing third with her time of 3:00:42.

Ruling the inaugural Sunrise Sprint in the Bellevue 5i50 was Cebu’s Aaliyah Ricci Mataragnon (1:24:52) in the female division. The male division was ruled by Lucian Antonio Alejo (1:11:43).

For the full results, click here. – Rappler.com