For the national triathlon squad, dominating the 29th Southeast Asian Games is just the tip of the iceberg.
Triathlon Association of the Philippines secretary-general Tom Carrasco said the triathletes will have just a week of rest before plunging back to work in various training destinations.
Headed by gold medalists Nikko Bryan Huelgas and Marion Kim Mangrobang, the triathletes swept the men’s and women’s events with a 1-2 finish, a rare feat in the biennial meet.
“After this (SEA Games) one week rest lang kami then back to the drawing board to set up a master plan for our four triathletes,” said Carrasco.
“Kim and Claire will continue their training in Portugal under coach Sergio Santos, while Nikko and Rambo (Chicano) will go to Australia and resume training also under a world renowned coach Brett Sutton,” added Carrasco, whose team surpassed its previous finish of two gold and a silver medal in the Singapore SEA Games.
And this will be done in preparation for the next three major tournaments in the next three years.
“Walang patid yan. Tuluy-tuloy na ang preparation naming sa kanila hanggang next year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, SEA Games in Manila, and Summer Olympics in Tokyo with the help, of course, of the Philippine Sports Commission and hopefully the private sector,” Carrasco said.
