SUBIC – In a remarkable display of athletic prowess, Chinese-Taipei’s Cheng Tai Wu showcased outstanding swimming skills to secure a commanding lead, ultimately ruling in the Century Tuna IRONMAN Philippines in Subic Bay Sunday.
Wu’s victory came despite a fierce comeback attempt by China’s Cheng Dan Lin during the last two stages of the exacting 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run race, highlighting the grueling nature of the IRONMAN challenge.
Chin Ting Hsu completed a Taiwanese sweep by topping the women’s division in contrasting fashion. She relied on her cycling prowess to overtake UAE’s Mafer Poveda Franco and Singapore’s Jennifer Uy.
Despite a modest swim time of 1:31:07, which placed her in eighth, Hsu’s impressive bike leg of 6:07:54 propelled her into the lead. She secured victory in the event organized by The IRONMAN Group with a total time of 12:18:38, including a 4:26:27 time in run, beating Franco by seven minutes.
Franco clocked in at 12:25:37 with segment times of 1:29:40 (swim), 06:21:37 (bike), and 4:22:20 (run), while Uy placed third with a total time of 12:41:03 (1:28:51-6:16:17-4:45:15).
Local athletes Sarah Eraña, Olive Salve, and Maryfel Aumentado initially showed promise with impressive swim times of 1:21:14, 1:21:19, and 01:21:26, respectively, but struggled during the bike stage, unable to regain their momentum. Japanese Goda Hiroko, who was in contention early on, also faltered during the run, finishing fourth with a time of 12:57:37.
Filipina Anne Nuñez emerged as the top local finisher, securing fifth place with a total time of 13:02:52. Salve (13:07:58), Eraña (13:27:15), and Aumentado (13:43:25) rounded out the top eight, showcasing strong efforts despite the challenging conditions.
But the day belonged to the 31-year-old Wu, whose exceptional 54:40 swim leg gave him a decisive advantage. Despite slower times in the bike (4:47:22) and run (3:35:38), Wu’s overall time of 9:35:26 bested last year’s champion Dutchman Eric van der Linden (9:56:20), and 2022 winner Czech Petr Lukosz (9:52:34). Seychelles’ Nick Baldwin’s record of 8:50:13 in the inaugural Century Tuna IRONMAN in 2018 remains unbeaten.
Lin’s impressive performances in the bike and run stages (4:48:02 and 3:25:51, respectively) resulted in a total time of 9:38:09, securing second place. Australian Thibault Legrand finished third with a time of 9:43:53, while Portugal’s Martin Tresca, boasting the fastest run time of 3:22:55, came in fourth at 9:48:35.
Filipino athletes also shone, with Mervin Santiago finishing 12th at 10:08:20 and John Dedeus Alcala placing 18th with a time of 10:26:38.
Wu not only claimed the overall title but also topped the 30-34 age division, leading a group of category winners that included Lin (35-39), Lukosz (40-44), Hidekazu Takahashi (45-49), Koji Furuya (50-54), Ryota Konno (18-24), J.S. Teves (25-29), Jean-Marie Mozzon (55-59), and Kazuhiro Taguchi. Hsu mirrored this achievement in the women’s 30-34 division, with other division honors going to Nuñez (25-29), Uy (35-39), Eraña (40-44), and Franco (45-49).
The event awarded 25 male slots for the IRONMAN World Championship, slated Oct. 22-28, in Kona, Hawaii, and 15 female slots for the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France from Sept. 24-28. Additionally, the IM 70.3 Subic Bay offered 45 age-group qualifying slots for the Vinfast IM 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand, set for Dec. 14-17, with 15 extra slots for female participants.
