PUERTO PRINCESA – James Van Ramoga and Sofia Adriana Calvo delivered electrifying performances in the Sunrise Sprint race on Sunday, staging remarkable come-from-behind victories to claim top honors in the men’s and women’s divisions.
Van Ramoga overcame a slow start in the 750-meter open-water swim, emerging in sixth place. He unleashed a blistering 33:19 bike leg (20 km) to surge ahead and held off a charging John Paul Daquioag in the 5-km run to secure the men’s overall title with a total time of 1:17:37. His swim and run splits were 16:45 and 22:43, respectively.
Daquioag, despite a strong 20:07 run finish, settled for second place at 1:17:46 after falling behind during the 20-km bike leg, which he completed in 36:38.
Mejares Naune Elison, who came out of the water with an impressive 15:20 swim, struggled in the bike (38:54) and run (22:10) but held on for third place with a time of 1:21:07.
On the women’s side, Calvo faced an even greater challenge, trailing by five minutes after a 20:49 swim. She roared back with a dominant 44:13 bike split and sealed victory with a 28:07 run, crossing the finish line at 1:39:17.
Lucienne Aragones positioned herself for the win with a swift 15:47 swim and maintained the lead despite a 48:49 bike leg. However, she faded in the run (34:26) and finished second at 1:44:15, five minutes behind Calvo.
Princess Kedtag secured third place with a time of 1:52:17 (24:24 swim, 47:21 bike, 30:57 run), edging out Thailand’s Mariette Scoop, who finished fourth at 1:55:37.
The event, organized by Sunrise Events Philippines, provided an exhilarating test for aspiring triathletes and seasoned racers alike, proving that resilience and strategy are just as crucial as raw speed in multisport racing.
Van Ramoga and Calvo shared the spotlight with France’s Bastien Poupelain and Poland’s Agnieszka Najnigier-Pierzynowska, who emerged victorious in their respective divisions of the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Princesa, held under scorching conditions.
Poupelain delivered a commanding performance in the men’s race, clocking 4:24:19 to clinch the overall championship. He edged out Japan’s Hidekazu Takahashi, who finished second at 4:26:26, and Czech triathlete Petr Lukosz, who rounded out the podium at 4:34:45.
JS Teves, the top Filipino finisher, placed fourth overall with a time of 4:36:44, earning a ₱50,000 cash prize from the Princesa Garden Hotel for his achievement in the season’s opening race.
In the women’s division, Najnigier-Pierzynowska dominated with a time of 5:33:32, securing the overall title ahead of Great Britain’s Emma Rickard (5:40:49) and Hong Kong’s Nicole Chau (5:46:43).
Filipina triathlete Mary Pauline Fornea put up a strong fight, finishing fifth at 5:49:19, just behind China’s Jiang Xueuyan (5:49:12). Fornea still took home ₱50,000 as the top Filipino female finisher.
Team Tandika Tri, representing Puerto Princesa City, was awarded ₱200,000 for having the largest contingent in the TriClub competition with 42 members, courtesy of the Princesa Garden Hotel.
