… But accident involving triathlete sends teenage boy to emergency
DESPITE a freak accident involving a water vendor and an athlete, the Ironman 70.3 finished yesterday with style as the elite frontrunners fought for the top positions down to the wire.
Australian Sarah Crowley, the winner in the women’s category, had to quickly gain ground after American Lauren Brandon expectedly came out of the water first. But she managed to gain the lead during the bike course and finally, pulled ahead at the latter stages of the race.
In the men’s category, Filipe Azevedo (POR), Ognjen Stojanovic (SRB), and Tuan Chun Chang were neck-and-neck coming out of the water and even the bike course. But the Portuguese showed off his mettle when he transitioned from the bike to the run despite the challenge from Stojanovic, which had the best run of the day, clocking 1:18:03.
THE RESULTS
PRO Men
- Filipe Azevedo (POR) – 3:51:10
- Ognjen Stojanovic (SRB) – 3:52:29
- Tuan Chun Chang (TWN) – 3:57:13
- Robbie Deckard (USA) – 4:09:02
- Zsombor Deak (ROM) – 4:14:28
PRO Women
- Sarah Crowley (AUS) – 4:20:15
- Lauren Brandon (USA) – 4:22:50
- Lottie Lucas (UAE) – 4:25:10
- Julie Iemmolo (FRA) – 4:37:26
- Ai Ueda (JPN) – 4:43:31
The Ironman 70.3, the third time that Davao City hosted, drew 1,700 participants from 49 countries.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Gerald Tayag of Barangay Sto. Niño, Panabo City, was reportedly rushed to the ICU when a triathlete hit him during the race.
According to the Panabo City Police, triathlete David Smith, 55, was biking from Tagum City to Davao City when Tayag suddenly crossed the middle of the road to get his water container.
The force of the crash sent Smith crashing and suffering minor injuries as a result. He managed to finish the race. Meanwhile, the victim was immediately taken to the hospital.
The report from One Mindanao revealed that the victim suffered a skull fracture and also bleeding in his brain. The victim’s mother, Geraldine Tayag, said her son only tried to get the water container to prevent other bikers from running over it.
In a separate interview, Major Catherine Dela Rey, spokesperson of the Davao City Police Office, said the Ironman event was very peaceful.
The Police Regional Office XI has suspended the Permit to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCOR 4 or PTC 4) in the entire Davao Region from March 20 to March 31 as an added safety measure for the IronMan 70.3 Triathlon Race.
The regional and Davao police deployed 5,000 police officers and force multipliers to secure the event.
