INQUIRER Sports

PILI, Camarines Sur, Philippines—Two New Zealanders, placing first and third, dominated the 70.3-mile race Sunday in the international triathlon here.

After more than three hours of swimming, cycling, and running, New Zealander Terenzo Bozzone, the 2008 Ironman 70.3 world champion in Clearwater, Florida, emerged to maintain his position as the top triathlete. He is 24 and was born in South Africa.

Australian Chris McCormack, 2007 Ironman Hawaii world champion, came in second while another New Zealander, Cameron Brown, 2006 European Ironman, placed third.

The first-ever international triathlon Ironman 70.3 held in the Philippines drew participants such as Alaska Milk Corp. chief executive officer Wilfred Steven Uytengsu, Sen. Pia Cayetano, ABS-CBN's Ernie Lopez, Tessa Prieto-Valdez of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Fernando Zobel of Ayala Corp., Jonjon Rufino, Arland Macasieb, Nonoy Jopson, Alvin Alindogan, August Benedicto, and Monica Torres.