Baniqued caps off fruitful IronKids stint with tightest triumph yet

Juan Francisco Baniqued. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

LAPU-LAPU CITY — Bidding the IronKids goodbye, Juan Francisco Baniqued knows that he’s leaving the 14-and-under circuit in good hands.

“My career was very good. It was very fun and I’m very happy to be part of the IronKids,” he said Saturday morning after claiming his fourth win in the 2017 Alaska IronKids at Shangri-La Mactan here.

Baniqued was tested like never before, with fellow upstart triathletes hot on his heels from the get-go.

The 14-year-old had a crowd with him after finishing the swim course in 5:55, but slowly gained a bit of a lead with his 17:51 time in the bike course to establish a lead against contenders Clifford Pusing and Adrian Thomas Dionisio.

What he didn’t expect was a huge fightback from Joseff Miguel Quirino, who made up for a one-minute differential and gave Baniqued a run for his money with the photo finish ending.

Still, Baniqued gained the edge by a mere millisecond for a time of 38:50.

“It was a very close competition all throughout. Knowing that it’s a close fight, I knew I had to have a little more energy for the finish because if it’s close, I knew I have to sprint. But I was confident because of my training and I had enough trust on myself that I can win,” he said.

Seeing how his fellow competitors have closed the gap, Baniqued noted that the tight ending in three of the past four IronKids is a good indication for the youth.

And as he moves on to new endeavors, the four-time IronKids champion gave a word of advice to his fellow upstarts.

“Never underestimate your competitors. You just have to continue training because if you stop, they will catch up to you,” he said.