French, Polish sizzle in sweltering IRONMAN 70.3 battle

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — Frenchman Bastien Poupelain and Poland’s Agnieszka Najnigier-Pierzynowska emerged as the champions of the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa, showcasing impressive endurance and strategy in grueling conditions on Sunday.

Poupelain relied on his swim and bike strengths to build a significant lead before securing victory in the demanding race, which featured a 1.9-kilometer open-water swim, a fast-paced 90km bike course, and a 21km run. He finished with an impressive time of four hots and 24:19 minutes to clinch the men’s overall championship.

Starting strong, Poupelain trailed Japan’s Ryosuke Ohata in the swim leg with a time of 00:29:10 but surged ahead in the bike stage, posting the best time of 02:15:32. Despite clocking 01:34:36 in the run, he held on to victory.

Japan’s Hidekazu Takahashi mounted a late comeback with a 01:32:26 run split but fell short by two minutes, finishing in 04:26:26 (00:29:52 swim, 02:18:05 bike).

Veteran Czech triathlete and former full IRONMAN winner Petr Lukosz secured third place in 04:34:45 (00:31:11 swim, 02:18:58 bike, 01:38:11 run).

JS Teves displayed remarkable form in the bike stage, recording 02:23:00 to finish fourth overall in 04:36:44 in the kickoff leg of the new triathlon season organized and conducted by Sunrise Events Philippines.

Teves’ achievement made him the top Filipino finisher, earning him P50,000 from the Princesa Garden Hotel.

Meanwhile, Ohata, despite a blazing swim start of 00:29:06, settled for fifth place overall with 02:23:34 in bike and 01:38:04 in the run.

In contrast to Poupelain, Najnigier-Pierzynowska saved her best for last in the women’s division, bucking the heat to deliver a strong finishing kick and claim victory with a time of 05:33:32. She recorded a modest 00:40:33 in the swim and 02:52:32 in the bike, but her stellar 01:52:13 run split underscored her endurance and race strategy.

Great Britain’s Emma Rickard looked poised for victory with a solid 00:37:13 swim and 02:52:35 bike split but struggled in the run, finishing with 02:02:32 for an overall time of 05:40:49, settling for second place.

Hong Kong’s Nicole Chau rounded out the podium with a 05:46:43 finish (00:39:23 swim, 03:13:34 bike, 01:47:24 run).

Other notable finishers included China’s Jiang Xueuyan, who placed fourth in 05:49:12 (00:48:30 swim, 02:48:07 bike, 02:06:02 run), and Mary Pauline Fornea, the top Filipino female finisher. Fornea clocked 05:49:19 (00:39:35 swim, 02:54:03 bike, 02:09:16 run) and took home P50,000.

Age group winners included Poupelain (30-34), Takahashi (50-54), and Lukosz (40-44). Teves topped the 25-29 category, while S. Michelet Dos Santos of Portugal dominated the 35-39 class. Other age-group champions included American Michael Slaton (45-49), Australians Trevor Watchman (50-54) and Andrew Hughes (55-59).

Among women, Najnigier-Pierzynowska secured the 40-44 title, Rickard topped the 30-34 category, and Chau ruled the 18-24 division. Japan’s Mitsuki Tanaka-Tan (35-39), Risa Nanao (45-49), Shoko Ganaha (50-54), and Mayuko Tanikawa (60-64) also triumphed in their respective age groups.

Team Tandika, representing Puerto Princesa City, Tri took home P200,000 for having the largest contingent in the TriClub competition with 42 members, courtesy of the Princesa Garden Hotel.