LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN – Revelers and supporters cheered as 259 triathletes from various parts of the country raced to showcase their prowess on the test of speed and endurance in the Tigasin Triathlon on May 14, held at the Lingayen Capitol Beachfront.
Governor Amado I. Espino III, congratulated the winners and lauded all the triathletes for completing the race. Addressing the audience during the awarding ceremonies at the Provincial Training and Development Center, the provincial chief executive stated that being competitive is not only for competitions, rather it is an everyday practice for growth and development as exemplified by the achievements of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan since 2007.
The young governor likewise expressed his gratitude to the organizers, Trisports Solutions, and event sponsor Northern Cement Corporation, for choosing Pangasinan specifically Lingayen as host venue for the 3rd TIGASIN Triathlon.
The two-day event was preluded by the TIGASIN Open Water Swimming Competition on May 13, while the main Triathlon event took place on May 14.
Expressing their admiration for the provincial governments’ grounds and facilities, first timer in Pangasinan triathletes commented how they almost drifted and somewhat forgot they were in a race.
After hurdling the challenging strong Lingayen beach current in the first leg of the race,they remarked how they marveled at the lush greens and picturesque baywalk, and the Maramba Boulevard during the second (cycling) and third (running) leg of the competition.
Sprint male open category winner Paulo Vispo of Team Aljay Multisports, said Lingayen was a perfect venue for the athletes because of its flat terrain which helped athletes finish the race at a faster pace.
Triathlon Elites, Sea Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgas of team Go for Gold, and Monica Torres of team Standard Insurance bagged 1st place for the 51.5 kilometer male open category while the latter won the female open category. Both Huelgas, and Torres received trophies and P 50,000.00 cash prize.
Paolo Vispo of Team ALJAY Multisports bagged 1st place, in the Male Sprint Open Category while Nicole Danielle Eijansantos won the same in the female Sprint Open Category both bringing home each a trophy and P 5,000.00 cash price.
Provincial Tourism Officer Malou Elduayan said she is elated the provincial government hosted a tourist-oriented triathlon featuring the thoroughfares of Lingayen. Elduayan quipped that with the acknowledgment and feedback from the triathletes, the said event not only featured the province but opened an opportunity for locals to witness such sports to inspire youngsters to join these rigorous sports activities.
Northern Cement Corporation General Manager Oliver Gorospe extolled the provincial government for fully supporting the 3rd Tigasin Triathlon to which he said is one for the books and by far the most successful of the triathlons they organized in the past five years.
By Dexter A. See