THERE’S no stopping Monica Torres, the country’s top bet in long-course triathlon events, from making heads turn in the international scene.
Torres, undefeated in local nondrafting events since 2009, is on her way to a strong finish in the prestigious Thailand Tri-League Championship.
After three legs with the last one scheduled on February 18, the triathlete is just one race away from a podium finish. In the previous races, she wound up third once and fourth twice.
“I’m running third overall now but there’s some distance between me and the top 2,” the 32-year-old Torres said during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Torres, who dons the colors of Standard Insurance, said she has prepared hard for the final race but said not even a victory could carry her to the top spot because of the gap between her and the leaders from Australia.
“I’m just holding on for a podium finish. Hopefully, I can get to the podium,” said Torres, also the fastest Filipina in Ironman events in the country the past seven years.
Aside from the coming race in Thailand, Torres is looking at the Powerman Asian Championships in Malaysia on March 5 or the Ironman 70.3 in Subic Bay also in March.
Torres is wishing to represent the country in events like the Southeast Asian Games or the Asian Games but the absence of her event in these events is preventing her.
Long-course triathlon is far different and tougher than the regular events that cover 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run. Long-course races cover 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run.
“It’s because I run long-course races. In the last Southeast Asian Games, the Philippines won the gold in the men’s and women’s triathlons and we’re looking to repeat it,” she said.
Image credits: Roy Domingo