PANGLAO, Bohol — Two years after stunning a stellar field in the 5150 Subic, Irienold Reig Jr. showcased his potential once again Sunday by dominating the men’s category of the Sun Life 5150 Bohol, capturing the overall crown on Panglao Island.

Erika Burgos, on the other hand, reasserted her dominance in the women’s category, repeating her victory in the 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run race of the event held under the Olympic-style setup at one of the country’s top triathlon hubs.

However, the 5150 Bohol event was marred by tragedy during the first leg of the competition.

In an official statement, the Sun Life 5150 Bohol Triathlon expressed deep sorrow: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of a race participant at 5150 Bohol. The athlete required medical attention during the swim portion, with event medical personnel providing support onsite before transporting to the hospital where the athlete sadly passed away.”

The statement continued: “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the athlete’s family and friends, whom we will continue to offer our support. We appreciate the quick work of onsite safety personnel who provide the athlete with medical support.”

Despite this somber incident, Reig’s standout performance was notable.

The rising star from Quezon City took charge right from the opening swim leg, clocking 19:32. He then thwarted Satar Salem’s charge in the bike segment with a time of 1:00:46, finishing strong in the closing run stage (38:25) under overcast skies.

Reig finished with an overall time of 2:03:32 and also claimed the age group honors in the 20-24 division. This performance far surpassed his clocking in his breakthrough win in Subic in 2022, where he timed 2:12:49 to claim both the overall crown and the age-group category (15-19).

Joshua Ramos placed second in 2:09:06 with leg times of 19:38 (swim), 1:02:32 (bike) and 41:37 (run), while Paul Jumamil took third place honors in 2:10:46 from times of 21:52, 1:00:22 and 43:48.

Salem, the 2022 winner here, posted the best time in bike (58:39) but settled for a 21:19 clocking in swim and 45:39 in run to wind up fifth in 2:11:02 behind fourth placer Edgie Arances, who also clocked 2:11:02 with leg times of 23:44. 1:02:57 and 39:25.