Triathlon is determined to retain its supremacy in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia as the country’s top bets have been progressing in their training camps overseas.
Triathlon chief Tom Carrasco said Nikko Huelgas and female bets Claire Adorna and Kim Mangrobang “are already tapering off” as they get ready to pack their bags for the SEAG that formally comes off the wraps on Aug. 19 in Kuala Lumpur.
Huelgas, the 2015 champion, is in Johor Bahru, while fellow SEAG titleholder Adorna is in Phuket and Mangrobang is holed up in Rio Maior, Portugal.
The competitions in triathlon will take place on Aug. 21 in Putrajaya and Carrasco feels the Filipino bets are on their way to another golden performance.
However, Mangrobang could give Adorna trouble for the women’s gold as the 24-year-old has been making waves.
Last time Mangrobang saw action an ITU World Cup event in Hungary almost two weeks ago and placed 19th out of 26.
While Mangrobang failed to make it to the medal podium, she competed in the company mostly of Europeans.
Those who finished behind Mangrobang include entries from Hungary, Japan, Serbia, Poland, Italy and Switzerland.
“Things are looking great but still you cannot rule out something unfortunate happening during the race,” said Carrasco.
