Mangrobang, Huelgas loom as top bets for Tokyo Olympiad

MANILA, Philippines — The Triathlon Association of the Philippines has high hopes for its bets, led by reigning Southeast Asian Games champs Kim Mangrobang and Nikko Huelgas as the association aspires for bigger things in 2018 up to the Tokyo Olympics.

“Kim Mangrobang is on track to hit the Top 5 in the Asiad in Palembang and is gaining track on the Olympics in Tokyo,” TRAP secretary general Tom Carrasco told The STAR.

Mangrobang stands at 151st in the International Triathlon Union world rankings.

She dished out solid outings in the 2017 Dakla ATU Sprint Triathlon African Cup in Morocco (seventh place) and Subic Bay Triathlon ASTC Asian Cup (fifth) complemented by Top 20 finishes in Tiszaujvaros ITU Triathlon World Cup (19th) and Altafulla ETU Triathlon European Cup (15th). 

“Her exposure to the European circuit is really transforming her into a competitive triathlete on global standards,” said Carrasco of the 25-year-old Mangrobang, who trained in Portugal.

Huelgas, the back-to-back SEAG men’s titlist, is also showing fine form internationally.

“Nikko Huelgas is doing well in the Asian circuit post SEA Games winning the top Asian category in the 70.3 Phuket,” said Carrasco.

Their teammates, 2017 SEAG runners-up Claire Adorna and John Chicano, are recovering from injuries, and on their way back to training.

Adorna, who just completed her rehab from an old muscle injury, will resume high-performance training next month, possibly in Australia. Chicano, back in harness after a minor surgery on his foot, will join Huelgas in the training camps of Australian coach Brett Sutton.

TRAP scored a double 1-2 feat at the 2017 SEAG and set its sights on making inroads in this year’s Asiad.

“I believe we performed within expectation relative to the SEAG standards; we were actually superb!” said Carrasco. “But going to the medium term targets – the Asian Games and 2020 Olympics – we need to work harder.”

“Our main target is Top 10 finish in the Asiad then qualify one or two in the 2020. At this point, only Kim Mangrobang shows good chances. The International Triathlon Union has taken notice of her and there’s a possibility that she will be invited in the ITU team,” said Carrasco.