CEBU’S elite triathlete Jorry Ycong will try to shrug off pressure when he defends the Asian Elite title in the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao on Sunday, March 24 at the Azuela Cove in Davao City.
Ycong said aside from the usual training program, he’s been working on his strength and stamina for the race that will have a 1.9-kilometer swim, a 90K bike and a 21K run.
“I doubled my training because there’s always this pressure when you are the defending champion,” the Negros Occidental-native Ycong told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano on Monday, March 18.
Ycong, one of the ace athletes for the Cebu City Rider Omega Triathlon Team, will compete in the men’s Asian elite division alongside teammate Banjo Norte.
Norte, a Cebu-based triathlete from Cagayan de Oro City, is also one of the favorites in the race, being the reigning back-to-back champion in the Asian elite division of Ironman 70.3 Cebu.
Ycong and Norte will face the many-time Ironman 70.3 Cebu champion August Benedicto of Team Alaska and Raymond Torio of Go For Gold for the Davao Asian elite crown.
Ycong said he had completed all the preparations but the body condition will be known this Sunday.
“I had enough load training for the race, but the condition will be known only during race day. It is either you wake up tired or you’re in the best shape on race day,” said Ycong.
Ycong won the race last year in 4 hours, 24 minutes and 15 seconds over Benedicto.
The triathlon event will be joined by 2,200 participants from 38 countries. (RSC)