Robins, Iijima seek repeat

MANAMI Iijima braces for a tougher race in Subic.

Mitch Robins and Manami Iijima of Guam gear up for a tougher, more challenging outing in pursuit of a second straight championship in the Black Arrow Express 5150 Triathlon which gets going 27 October in Subic Bay.

Robins put on a strong finish to outlast fellow Aussie Sam Betten and end the latter’s domination of the 5150 races here, snatching the men’s pro crown in searing heat last year.

The duo slugged it out on practically even terms in the swim and bike legs but Robins poured it all out in the last of the two-loop closing run event to get back at Betten and secure his second Philippine championship after winning in 2013 as a first-time Philippines visitor.

But the 31-year-old Port Macquarie native is expecting a strong challenge from the rest of the bidders, who will be coming into the Olympic distance race all primed up for the 1.5 kilometer swim-40 kilometer bike-10 kilometer run event sponsored by Black Arrow Express and organized by Sunrise Events Inc., now part of the IRONMAN Group.

Iijima, on the other hand, hopes to flaunt her swim skills the way she did in dominating the women’s side last year where she built a big three-minute cushion over former Subic 5150 champion Dimity Lee Duke, also from Down Under, in the opening leg before coasting to her biggest victory thus far in the country.