Saim eyes another fine effort in K-Swiss ITU

MANILA, Philippines — Fresh from an improbable golden run, Filipino Jonard Saim hopes to pull off another upset in the men’s Elite race of the K-Swiss ITU Subic Bay International Triathlon tomorrow at the Subic Freeport.

Saim, who stunned the national team stars to rule the recent Aboitiz TRI2014, braces for a slew of Asian challengers led by Kohei Shimomura of Japan, Olympian Heo Min-ho of South Korea, Jordan’s Fanous Lawrence, Hong Kong’s Perry Wong and Azerbaijan’s Alexander Iatcenko.

Vying for the women’s crown of the grueling 1.5K swim-40K bike-10K run event are Japan’s Hideko Kikuchi, Macau’s Hoi Long, a fourth placer in the 2010 Asian Games and Kikuchi’s compatriot Chika Sato.

The race will also serve as a National Age-Group Championship, where the top finishers can get an endorsement from the Triathlon Association of the Philippines to compete in the 2014 World AG Championships in Canada.

The swim leg will kick off at the NCT Junction, while the bike and run races will cross the Argonaut Highway and end at Harbor Point Ayala Mall. Jasmine W. Payo