Even in the face of illness and unexpected setbacks, Kira Ellis proved her mettle, capturing a hard-fought silver medal in the women’s individual triathlon at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at Laem Mae Phim Beach.
Kim Remolino and Fer Casares also brought home silver and bronze, ensuring the Philippines’ endurance racing campaign ended on a high note despite significant challenges.
The 19-year-old Ellis finished the 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run in 1:01:02.80—51 seconds behind Indonesia’s Martina Ayu Pratiwi, who timed 1:00:11.22.
What made the feat even more impressive was the adversity Ellis faced. A case of food poisoning sidelined her teammate Raven Alcoseba, forcing Ellis to race solo.
“Gusto ng puso, ayaw ng katawan,” one member of the triathlon delegation described Alcoseba’s condition.
Ellis herself was not at full strength, having spent a night in the hospital after helping the Philippines secure gold in both the women’s team relay and mixed team relay earlier in the week. Despite that, she managed to claim a medal in the individual event.
“It was a crazy lead-up to the individual. I got food poisoning after the triathlon relays, and I was in the hospital that night,” shared Ellis. “We were kinda resting the day before this to try and get better. I had a day to rest because my teammate Raven, she got it last night which was unfortunate because she really should be here more than me. She is our strongest athlete. If she was here, I think things would have been a lot different.
“I’m really heartbroken that we couldn’t race together because I know how hard she works and we could do it together.”
(C) POC Media
Despite these obstacles, Ellis delivered a remarkable performance.
She was part of a three-woman lead group during the bike leg and reached the bike-to-run transition first.
However, a mishap while racking her bike allowed Pratiwi to overtake her, and a 10-second penalty during the transition further cost her valuable time.
“I’m happy I just got to the start line, and did my best for the Philippines,” Ellis said.
In the men’s race, Kim Remolino climbed from sixth after the swim to secure silver, posting 55:02.73.
Rashif Amila Yaqin of Indonesia took gold in 54:36.84. Fer Casares, meanwhile, rallied from eighth after the swim to claim bronze, showcasing his renowned strengths in the bike and run legs.
“It was a surprise win for me since the last three days, nagre-race kami. Tapos, recently we had a problem especially with the tiredness level. ‘Yung iba nagkasakit kami especially kaming individual kaya hindi nakapag-start si Raven since may sakit po siya. So it was a challenge just going to the starting line,” said the 25-year-old Remolino, who also shared gold in the mixed team relay with Casares.
“We were hoping na we would have a good fight. Kung hindi man mag-medal is to have a great fight.”
The triathlon squad closed the Games with an impressive haul: three golds, two silvers, and one bronze in triathlon, along with two silvers and one bronze in aquathlon, and a silver in duathlon.
The Triathlon Association of the Philippines has already reported the food poisoning incidents to the Philippine Olympic Committee, ensuring that the setbacks will be addressed for future competitions.
