Guidicelli thinks Filipino triathletes slowly catching up with foreign competitors

Ford Forza’s Matteo Guidicelli. Photo by Mark Giongco

Matteo Guidicelli, actor and triathlete, believes Filipinos still have a lot of catching up to do and be on the class of foreign competitors in triathlon.

But at the same time, Guidicelli thinks Filipinos are constantly improving and will eventually close in on the gap over time.

“Filipinos are slowly climbing up at par with the foreigners. We have to understand that foreign countries, they’ve been doing triathlons 10-20 years ahead, so they’re already advanced,” Guidicelli said during the Ford Forza Triathlon Team press conference at Ascott Makati on Friday.

Currently, the top three elite men triathletes in the world are all from Spain while two Americans and one Australian compose the top three in the elite women.

Ford Forza team will be bannered by Joseph Miller and Elmo Clarabal in the elite men of Ironman 70.3 Cebu on August 6.

The event is one of the biggest in Asia with 2,500 athletes set to participate from 51 countries.

Last year, Miller, who hails from Cebu, finished fifth.

“I’m still aiming for a top three finish,” Miller said.