Verbruggen captures Sunrise Sprint crown

SAMAL ISLAND — Yuen Verbruggen saved his biggest burst of speed for last, surging past Jerald Federiso in a frenetic closing run to capture the overall Sunrise Sprint crown in the Damosa Land 5150 Triathlon in Davao del Norte here Sunday.

Verbruggen stayed within striking distance of Federiso through the 750-meter open-water swim and 20-km bike leg before unleashing a powerful finishing kick over the 5-km run to clock one hour, 11 minutes and 31 seconds.

He timed 14:06 in the swim, 34:24 on the bike and 20:15 in the run to complete the sprint-distance course.

Federiso had the early advantage, posting faster splits of 13:46 and 33:48 in the first two legs. But Verbruggen proved too quick in the run, where his 20:15 was more than a minute better than Federiso’s 21:18, allowing him to secure the overall victory by 40 seconds.

Federiso settled for second in 1:12:11, while John Carl Lim completed the podium in 1:12:49.

Verbruggen, Federiso and Lim also swept the top three spots in the 18-24 age category in the Sunrise Sprint, a fast-paced side event designed for newcomers, returning competitors and seasoned triathletes looking to sharpen their speed and race strategy.

In the women’s division, Alessandra Aquino dominated the field to claim the overall and 18-24 titles in 1:26:01. She posted splits of 14:42 in the swim, 42:18 on the bike and 25:17 in the run, finishing well ahead of Andrea Cui (1:29:38) and Keena Clarke (1:46:58).

James Van Ramoga and Natalie Doromal-Lim, meanwhile, captured the overall titles in the second Damosa Land 5150, while Edgie Arances and Anisha Caluya topped the Filipino Elite categories in the demanding Olympic-distance event featuring a 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run of the event organized by Sunrise Events, Inc., with the support of Damosa Land president Cary Lagdameo and Samal Mayor Lemuel Reyes.