IM Davao bidders eye world tilt spots

DAVAO City — The allure of competing alongside the world’s elite triathletes is expected to drive over a thousand athletes, who are all geared up for the IRONMAN 70.3 Davao here on Sunday.

At stake are berths for the 2025 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, scheduled for 8-9 November at Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain.

Additionally, the event grants qualifying slots to the top five finishers in each age group category for this year’s IRONMAN Women’s World Championship in Nice, France, on 22 September.

The blue-ribbon event, powered by Aboitiz and organized by The IRONMAN Group, offers a challenging 1.9-kilometer swim, 90-km bike, and 21.1-km run.

The women’s field boasts a strong international lineup, including Hong Kong’s Rachel Chow, Singapore’s Man Ling Lo and Hui Juin Lim, Spain’s Monica Monfort Roca, Vietnam’s Thao Nguyen and Link Tran, Oman’s Reem Al Harthy, India’s Pawni Sakpal, and Japan’s Shiho Sato and Akari Koge.

Leading the local charge are Jessica Palermo, Rara Torres, and Alessandra Aquino, supported by fellow Filipina athletes Sophia Capistrano, Chloe Ong, Natasha Doromal-Lim, Shirra De Guia, Faith Garcia, Kate Labio, Veronica Silos, and Geraldine dela Cruz.