Fernando Casares once again proved his mettle as the seasoned veteran claimed his fourth Southeast Asian Games gold, leading the men’s relay team to victory in the triathlon competitions of the 33rd edition of the biennial meet on Wednesday at Laem Mae Phim Beach in Rayong, Thailand.
Casares, alongside 2023 SEA Games aquathlon relay champions Matthew Hermosa and Iñaki Lorbes, set the pace from the start and never looked back, securing the Philippines’ second triathlon gold less than an hour after the women’s team kicked off their own relay race.
The golden trio finished with a time of 1:04:05, narrowly edging out Singapore, whose team crossed the line just 10 seconds later at 1:04:15 for silver.
Indonesia claimed bronze, finishing 20 seconds after Singapore with a time of 1:04:35.
The Filipino triathletes now aim for a golden sweep when they compete in the mixed team relay later in the day.
