DIFFERENTLY-ABLED triathletes Sixto Ducay, Andy Avellana and Godfrey Taberna kick off their bids for Paralympic berths when the ASTC Asian ParaTriathlon Championships gets going on Aug. 16 at Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Ducay (arm disability), Avellana (leg amputee) and Taberna (club foot) head the Philippines’ campaign against top Asian bets in the 750m swim-18K bike-5K run competition where the winners will have a shot at earning slots in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
The race, which fires off at 6 a.m., starts at the Sands of Triboa and runs all the way to San Bernardino Street.
Participants will compete under the new ITU ParaTriathlon classification system, where the categories will no longer group athletes according to similar disabilities.
Other events include the mixed relay (350m swim-9K bike-2.5 K run) and sprint (750m swim-18K bike-5K run).
The early-bird rates run until June 30, starting at P2,000 for the ParaTriathlon event. Fees include the race packet, finisher’s medal, finisher’s shirt, rental of timing chip, rental of swim venue and post-race brunch. All participants must be screened and tested by ITU ParaTriathlon evaluators. Jasmine W. Payo