French, Polish shine in sweltering Ironman 70.3 battle in Puerto

(UPDATE) FRENCHMAN Bastien Poupelain and Poland's Agnieszka Najnigier-Pierzynowska emerged as the champions of the Ironman 70.3 Puerto Princesa, showcasing impressive endurance and strategy in grueling conditions on Sunday in Palawan.

Poupelain relied on his swim and bike strengths to build a significant lead before securing victory in the demanding race, which featured a 1.9-kilometer (km) open-water swim, a fast-paced 90-km bike course and a 21-km run. He finished with an impressive time of 04:24:19 to clinch the men's overall championship.

Starting strong, Poupelain trailed Japan's Ryosuke Ohata in the swim leg with a time of 00:29:10 but surged ahead in the bike stage, posting the best time of 02:15:32. Despite clocking 01:34:36 in the run, he held on to victory.

Japan's Hidekazu Takahashi mounted a late comeback with a 01:32:26 run split but fell short by two minutes, finishing in 04:26:26 (00:29:52 swim, 02:18:05 bike).

Veteran Czech triathlete and former full Ironman winner Petr Lukosz secured third place in 04:34:45 (00:31:11 swim, 02:18:58 bike, 01:38:11 run).

JS Teves displayed remarkable form in the bike stage, recording 02:23:00 to finish fourth overall in 04:36:44 in the kickoff leg of the new triathlon season organized and conducted by Sunrise Events Philippines.

Teves' achievement made him the top Filipino finisher, earning him P50,000 from the Princesa Garden Hotel.

Meanwhile, Ohata, despite a blazing swim start of 00:29:06, settled for fifth place overall with 02:23:34 in bike and 01:38:04 in the run.

In contrast to Poupelain, Najnigier-Pierzynowska saved her best for last in the women's division, bucking the heat to deliver a strong finishing kick and claim victory with a time of 05:33:32. She recorded a modest 00:40:33 in the swim and 02:52:32 in the bike, but her stellar 01:52:13 run split underscored her endurance and race strategy.