Arances, Caluya earn Elite honors; Ramoga, Lim shine

SAMAL Island — Edgie Arances and Anisha Caluya turned in standout performances to claim top honors in the Filipino Elite Category of the Damosa Land 5150 Triathlon on Sunday, emerging as the leading Filipino performers in the demanding Olympic-distance race here in Davao del Norte.

Arances was particularly dominant, combining a strong swim, blistering bike leg and steady run to capture the Filipino Elite crown in two hours, 13 minutes and five seconds, beating Al-Rasheim Saggap (2:13:58) and Earl James Ting (2:22:57).

The seasoned endurance campaigner, who has gained valuable experience from competing in major local and international races, completed the 1.5-km swim in 24:01, powered through the 40-km bike leg in 1:05:49, then closed out the 10-km run in 40:34.

His performance underscored the combination of power, speed and stamina that has made him one of the country’s rising endurance talents.

Caluya likewise lived up to the pre-race expectations, ruling the women’s Filipino Elite field in 2:29:19 after a balanced effort of 23:34 in the swim, 1:17:35 on the bike and 45:37 in the run.

Her victory was another strong statement following her gold-medal performance in the Sprint Junior Elite Women’s category of the 2026 national age group aquathlon, showing that she could carry her speed and confidence into the longer Olympic-distance format.

Also making their mark were James Van Ramoga and Natalie Doromal-Lim, who topped their respective age groups and claimed overall championships in their categories.

Van Ramoga was the first age-group finisher overall in the men’s division, clocking 2:22:44 on splits of 25:56 in the swim, 1:09:24 on the bike and 44:46 in the run.

He bested Xak Tupas, Jr. (2:31:38) and Gio Juaneza (2:35:06).

Doromal-Lim, meanwhile, successfully defended her title in the women’s side, posting 2:43:58 to finish first among the female age-group contenders and complete back-to-back victories in Samal after also ruling the category last year.

She had split times of 29:57-1:15:54-54:01, dominating Annabelle Torres (2:49:43) and Althaea Benignos (3:30:47).

The race opened under overcast skies and finished in humid midday conditions, with cloud cover shielding the athletes from the full heat of the sun. The manageable conditions nevertheless did little to ease the demands of a course that tested the field across three disciplines.

Arances and Caluya stood out in a deep field of competitors in the second staging of the Damosa Land 5150, reinforcing Samal Island’s growing reputation as an emerging hub for triathlon and endurance racing in the Philippines.