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By JOHN HEREDIA
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017
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Gov. Antonio del Rosario (right) congratulates decorated Filipina swimmer Betsy Medalla after she finished the inaugural 2-kilometer “Triaksyon” swim in Roxas City on Friday. JOHN HEREDIA/PN
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ROXAS City – Capiz’s first international triathlon competition, slated from April 22 and 23, was officially inaugurated by decorated Filipina swimmer Betsy Medalla on Friday.
Medalla who rose to fame as a triathlon athlete was the first Asian woman to cross the iconic icy waters of Bloubergstand, Cape Town during the 2014 Robben Island Challenge.
Medalla, who traces her roots to Dumalag town, is a former member of the Philippine National Swimming Team and is now a popular swimming coach among triathletes.
She is also the author of the blog “Just Add Water,” where she tackles tips and thoughts on triathlon and swimming in the Philippines.
Together with athletes from the Capiz Turbo Shark Swimming Club, Medalla took the two-kilometer inaugural swim from the People’s Park at Barangay Baybay to Mantalinga Island and then back.
Among the young medalist swimmers who joined Medalla were Wilse Azarcon (10 years old), Marie Joe Borres (11 years old) and Alic dela Cruz (16 years old), along with their coaches Jovie De Emoy and Oliver dela Cruz.
The group finished the journey in an hour and thirteen minutes.
“It’s a little bit difficult at first… on our swim to Mantalinga, water current and waves were strong,” said Medalla. “But going back here (People’s Park), it’s an easy swim, because we were just riding the current and the flow of the waves.”
Capiz’s upcoming first triathlon event has been named “Triaksyon” inspired by Gov. Antonio del Rosario’s tag line “Aksyon Agad”.
The brain child of del Rosario, the event seeks to boost the tourism industry of the province as a rising sports tourism hub in the region.
In a press conference at the Ysabel’s Restaurant after the inaugural swim, Medalla said that she is confident that Capiz can produce excellent open sea swimmers.
“The province’s long coastline with strong water current is an advantage factor for training,” said Medalla. “I look forward to see Capisnon athletes who will excel in triathlon.”
Medalla was the first Asian woman to cross the iconic icy waters of Bloubergstand, Cape Town during the 2014 Robben Island Challenge./PN
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