Taiwanese grabs IRONMAN spotlight

SUBIC — In a remarkable display of athletic prowess, Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Tai Wu showcased outstanding swimming skills to secure a commanding lead and conquer the Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines here on Sunday.

Wu’s victory came despite a fierce comeback attempt by China’s Cheng Dan Lin during the last two stages of the exacting 3.8-kilometer swim, 180-km bike and 42-km run race, highlighting the grueling nature of the IRONMAN challenge.

Chin Ting Hsu completed a Taiwanese sweep by topping the women's division in contrasting fashion. She relied on her cycling prowess to overtake United Arab Emirates’ Mafer Poveda Franco and Singapore's Jennifer Uy.

Despite a modest swim time of one hour and 31:07 minutes, which placed her in eighth, Hsu's impressive bike leg of 6:07:54 propelled her into the lead. She secured victory in the event organized by The IRONMAN Group with a total time of 12:18:38, including a 4:26:27 time in run, beating Franco by seven minutes.

Franco clocked in at 12:25:37 with segment times of 1:29:40 (swim), 06:21:37 (bike), and 4:22:20 (run), while Uy placed third with a total time of 12:41:03 (1:28:51-6:16:17-4:45:15).

Local athletes Sarah Eraña, Olive Salve, and Maryfel Aumentado initially showed promise with impressive swim times of 1:21:14, 1:21:19, and 01:21:26, respectively, but struggled during the bike stage, unable to regain their momentum. Japanese Goda Hiroko, who was in contention early on, also faltered during the run, finishing fourth with a time of 12:57:37.

Filipina Anne Nuñez emerged as the top local finisher, securing fifth place with a total time of 13:02:52. Salve (13:07:58), Eraña (13:27:15), and Aumentado (13:43:25) rounded out the top eight, showcasing strong efforts despite the challenging conditions.

But the day belonged to the 31-year-old Wu, whose exceptional 54:40 swim leg gave him a decisive advantage. Despite slower times in the bike (4:47:22) and run (3:35:38), Wu's overall time of 9:35:26 bested last year's champion Dutchman Eric van der Linden (9:56:20), and 2022 winner Czech Petr Lukosz (9:52:34). Seychelles' Nick Baldwin's record of 8:50:13 in the inaugural Century Tuna IRONMAN in 2018 remains unbeaten.

Lin’s impressive performances in the bike and run stages (4:48:02 and 3:25:51, respectively) resulted in a total time of 9:38:09, securing second place. Australian Thibault Legrand finished third with a time of 9:43:53, while Portugal’s Martin Tresca, boasting the fastest run time of 3:22:55, came in fourth at 9:48:35.

Filipino athletes also shone, with Mervin Santiago finishing 12th at 10:08:20 and John Dedeus Alcala placing 18th with a time of 10:26:38.

Wu not only claimed the overall title but also topped the 30-34 age division, leading a group of category winners that included Lin (35-39), Lukosz (40-44), Hidekazu Takahashi (45-49), Koji Furuya (50-54), Ryota Konno (18-24), J.S. Teves (25-29), Jean-Marie Mozzon (55-59), and Kazuhiro Taguchi. Hsu mirrored this achievement in the women's 30-34 division, with other division honors going to Nuñez (25-29), Uy (35-39), Eraña (40-44), and Franco (45-49).