By Jean Malanum
SUBIC – Canadian Liam Donnelly dominated the sprint elite men’s division of the 2026 NTT AST Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) at Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales on Saturday.
The 26-year-old from Ontario clocked 56 minutes and 16 seconds in the 750-meter swim, 20-km bike and 5-km run event sanctioned by Asia Triathlon and World Triathlon.
“It’s my first time in the Philippines. What an amazing country. The people are so kind, very friendly and welcoming, super polite. It’s been a pleasure coming to a beautiful country as well,” Donnelly, a member of the national team, told the media.
“I’m going to the World Cup in China next weekend so the plan is to come to the Philippines to start the season. It’s great to win. It’s hot here and the course is fast, I think, so I tried to stay in control the whole race,” he added.
Kazakhstan’s Daryn Konysbayev (56:28) was second, followed by Japan’s Takuto Oshima (56:50).
Last year, Oshima and Konysbayev had a 1-2 finish in the standard distance covering 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run.
Iñaki Lorbes ranked first among the Filipinos, clocking 58:57, followed by Andrew Kim Remolino (1:00:01), Dayshaun Ramos (1:01:35), Matthew Justine Hermosa (1:01:37) and John Chicano (1:02:08).
In the women’s division, Japanese Hayashi Manami won the gold medal in 1:02:29 while her younger sister, Ayame, took the silver (1:02:40). Türkiye’s Sinem Francisca Tous Servera (1:02:53) got the bronze medal.
The 22-year-old Manami, who won the SuBIT standard crown last year, will also join the World Triathlon Cup circuit in Chengdu on May 9 and 10, and the Asia Triathlon Cup in Osaka, Japan on May 25 and 26.
Filipinos Faith Raven Alcoseba ranked 16th (1:04:58), Samantha Corpuz 26th (1:11:21), Mikele Katerina Jopson 28th (1:14:37), Dhana Victoria Seda Lomboy 29th (1:16:19) and Nicole del Rosario 31st (1:17:53).
Meanwhile, Anisha Eunice Caluya delivered the Philippines’ lone medal in the tournament organized by the Triathlon Philippines and supported by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Philippine Sports Commission.
Caluya clocked 1:11:48 to finish third in the junior elite women behind Kazakhstan’s Alua Nurmuhamet (1:11:12) and Kaleriya Shneider (1:11:18).
In the junior elite men, Kazakhstan’s Ramazan Ainegov (1:01:55) bagged the gold medal over Australia’s Cooper Smeulders (1:02:56) and South Korea’s Taeil Jun (1:03:46).
Ainegov placed fourth in the 2026 Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China. He also snagged bronze at the Asia Triathlon Junior and Under-23 Championships in Hong Kong last month.
Nurmuhamet, on the other hand, dominated the 2025 Asian Triathlon Youth and U-15 Championships in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Peter Sancho del Rosario of Santa Rosa, Laguna clocked 1:04:29 to finish fifth overall behind Australia’s Rhys Cameron (1:04:14), while Euan Arrow Ramos (1:05:01) and Darell Bada (1:05:39) were seventh and ninth, respectively.
“I was hoping for a personal best and I didn’t expect to be the No. 1 Filipino finisher,” the 16-year-old Del Rosario, who was third behind Bada and Ramos last year, said.
The SuBIT, which is a key stop in the Asia Triathlon Cup series and a key event for athletes seeking world ranking points and international exposure, resumes Sunday with the age-group category. (PNA)
