Subic bay: Canadian Liam Donnelly and Japanese Hayashi Manami emerged victorious in their respective divisions at the 2026 NTT AST Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT), held at Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales. The event, which took place on Saturday, marked a significant competition on the Asia Triathlon and World Triathlon calendar.
According to Philippines News Agency, Liam Donnelly captured the spotlight in the sprint elite men's division. The 26-year-old athlete from Ontario completed the race, which consisted of a 750-meter swim, 20-km bike, and 5-km run, in an impressive 56 minutes and 16 seconds. Donnelly, a member of the Canadian national team, expressed his admiration for the Philippines, stating, "It's my first time in the Philippines. What an amazing country. The people are so kind, very friendly and welcoming, super polite."
Kazakhstan's Daryn Konysbayev followed closely behind, securing second place with a time of 56:28, while Japan's Takuto Oshima finished third at 56:50. Notably, last year, Oshima and Konysbayev had a 1-2 finish in the event's standard distance category.
In the women's division, Japanese athlete Hayashi Manami claimed the gold medal with a time of 1:02:29, followed by her sister Ayame, who earned the silver medal at 1:02:40. Trkiye's Sinem Francisca Tous Servera rounded out the podium, taking bronze with a time of 1:02:53. Manami, who also won the SuBIT standard crown last year, is set to compete in the World Triathlon Cup circuit in Chengdu and the Asia Triathlon Cup in Osaka later this month.
The tournament also featured the junior elite categories, where Anisha Eunice Caluya from the Philippines achieved a bronze medal finish in the junior elite women's division with a time of 1:11:48. Kazakhstan's Alua Nurmuhamet won the gold medal, clocking 1:11:12, while her compatriot Kaleriya Shneider took the silver at 1:11:18.
In the junior elite men's category, Kazakhstan's Ramazan Ainegov emerged victorious, completing the race in 1:01:55. Australia's Cooper Smeulders and South Korea's Taeil Jun took second and third places, respectively.
The Subic Bay International Triathlon continues to be a pivotal event for athletes seeking to improve their world rankings and gain international exposure. The competition will resume on Sunday with the age-group category, providing further opportunities for athletes to showcase their talents.
