At A Glance
- The athletes, who are on the shortlist for the quadrennial meet, are currently training in high-performance camps across Spain, Indonesia, China and Portugal as they fine-tune their preparations for the continental showpiece.
Kira Ellis, left, and Kim Mangrobang (TRAP)
Members of the Philippine triathlon team are counting on international training and exposure to boost their preparations as they target a breakthrough campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan this September.
The athletes, who are on the shortlist for the quadrennial meet, are currently training in high-performance camps across Spain, Indonesia, China and Portugal as they fine-tune their preparations for the continental showpiece.
Kira Ellis, in particular, has been training in Portugal since last May.
Ellis and Raven Alcoseba are being groomed for the women's individual event, with one of them likely to partner veteran Kim Mangrobang in the mixed relay.
On the men's side, Fer Casares and Aki Lorbes are in line for the individual race, with either athlete expected to join Kim Remolino in the mixed relay.
The Filipino triathletes have been dominating the Southeast Asian region -- including a three-gold, two silver-, one-bronze haul in last year’s SEA Games in Thailand. But they have yet to make an impact in the tough field in Asian that has been dominated by the Japanese, Kazakhs, Chinese and Koreans.
The Nationals’ best individual finish was a seventh place from Claire Adorna in the 2014 Incheon and Kim Mangrobang in 2018 Jakarta edition.
The mixed relay teams of Adorna, Mangrobang, Nikko Huelgas and John Chicano placed sixth also in the 2014 edition, as well as Adorna, Chicano, Mangrobang and Mark Anthony Hosana in the 2018 meet.
The Nationals also seek to eclipse their previous performance in the 2022 edition held in China where Casares and Remolino finished 10th and 13th, respectively, in the men’s individual, and Mangrobang and Alcoseba stumbled into 13th and 16th in the women’s side.
The mixed relay team of Alcoseba, Casares, Mangrobang and Matthew Hermosa, however, came in seventh.