LAPU-LAPU CITY — A record field of 674 young athletes turned the RLC Residences IRONKIDS Lapu-Lapu into a celebration of the country’s rising multisport talent Saturday, with Zackary Da Silva and Laureen Lee Tan emerging as the premier division champions in a pair of thrilling finishes that set the stage for Sunday’s centerpiece event.

The record turnout — the biggest in the history of IRONKIDS staging in the Philippines — provided the biggest victory of the day, underscoring the growing popularity of youth multisport and signaling an even brighter future for the country’s grassroots triathlon movement.

Da Silva once again showed why he remains one of the country’s most dominant young multisport athletes, building a slight advantage in the opening swim before sustaining his pace in the run to capture the 250-meter swim, 2-kilometer run aquathlon in 12 minutes and 10 seconds.

He held off Therrence Cañas, who clinched runner-up honors after finishing in identical times of 12:27 with Hans Samputon.

The victory marked another triumph for Da Silva in the 13-15 age division, further strengthening his hold as one of the leading young talents in the country’s premier youth multisport series.

Tan likewise relied on a fast start to withstand a late challenge from Henia Go and Niala Limas in the girls’ centerpiece division.

Coming off an impressive campaign in Malaysia, Tan set the tone early with a race-leading 4:08 swim split and never relinquished enough ground to surrender the lead, clocking 13:14 overall. Go settled for second in 13:41, while Limas was third in 14:09.

While Da Silva and Tan added another significant achievement to their budding careers, the spotlight also fell on the many other young aspirants who competed across the younger age categories.

More than the individual victories, however, the unprecedented 657-athlete field gave the event a deeper significance.

Organized by Sunrise Events, Inc. and sponsored by RLC Residences, the IRONKIDS Lapu-Lapu staging established a new benchmark for the country’s premier youth triathlon series and demonstrated the expanding reach of grassroots multisport development.