New Clark City, Philippines — Australian Samuel Mileham emerged victorious in the men's elite category at the 2023 Asia Triathlon Duathlon Championships, held at New Clark City Sports Complex on Sunday. The Perth native completed the 10K run, 40K bike, and 5K run race in 1 hour, 53 minutes, and 7 seconds.
According to Philippines News Agency, the triumph in this year's event marks a significant achievement, especially after finishing second in the 2022 edition in Bahrain. Bahrain's Moussa Karich secured the silver medal with a time of 1:54:49, an improvement from his fourth-place finish last year. Karich expressed satisfaction with his performance, considering his recovery from a back injury.
Both Mileham and Karich are now focusing on the upcoming 2024 World Triathlon Multisport Championship, to be held from August 15 to 25 in Townsville, Australia. Australian Matt Smith won the bronze medal in 1:55:19, followed by Cambodian Mickael Chaumond and Japanese Fumiya Tanaka, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Philippine team members Raymond Torio and John Chicano also performed impressively, securing places in the top 10. Torio, hailing from Lingayen, Pangasinan, finished sixth with a time of 1:56:05, while Chicano, a two-time Southeast Asian Games champion, placed tenth. Other notable finishers included Seyed Mohammad Hosseini from Iran, Saud Alzaabi from the United Arab Emirates, and Edward Langdon from Australia.
In the women's elite category, the Philippines dominated with Erika Burgos winning the gold medal in 2:17:48 and Merry Joy Trupa taking the silver in 2:18:55. Indonesian athletes Maharani Azhri Wahyuningtyas, Zahra Bulan, and Eva Desiana secured the third to fifth positions, respectively. Iranian Hadis Nasr Azadani and Filipino Bea Quiambao also placed in the top seven.
The event, organized by Triathlon Philippines (TriPhil) under the leadership of Ramon Marchan, showcased a competitive field of athletes from various countries, underlining the growing prominence of duathlon in Asia.