After a near month
long of voting and wait, the much awaited results for the SBR.ph awards were
out last Saturday, February 10, 2018, with Nikko Huelgas and Kim Mangrobang as
the Elite Trialthete of the Year for both men and women category respectively.
The winners during the SBR Awards Night |
Last February
10, 2018, the event center of the Century City Mall was buzzing with excitement
and friendship as the triathlon community attended the 5th Annual
SBR Awards Night. From as far as Cebu,
attendees came in groups showing support and pride to the category that they
were nominated at. People were chatting
with excitement as to who the winner may be in the various categories that were
to be recognized that night.
From the best
shoes to the best gear, from races below and above 800 participants, from new
to the elites, recognition was given out that night; echoing the voice of those
who participated in the near month long voting period. The winners that night were:
Shoe
of the Year: Hoka One One Bondi 5
Shop
of the Year: Coffee Trail Cyclery
Tri
Gear of the Year: Garmin Fenix 5
Bike
of the Year: Cervelo P5X
Race
of the Year (<800): Bellevue 5150 Philippines
Race
of the Year (>800): Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines
Both race of
the year awards were received by Sunrise Events, the race organizer for both
Bellevue 5150 and Cobra Ironman 70.3. According
to them, “Receiving both awards only
shows that they are doing the races right.
Expect a more enjoyable race for this year.” From groups/companies, the awards shifted
to a more exciting level as the recognition given out were more people base.
Team
of the Year: Fit PH
Coach
of the Year: Ani de Leon-Brown
Female
Youth Triathlete of the Year: Moira Frances Erediano
Male
Youth Triathlete of the Year: Andrew Kim Remolino
Women’s
Age Group Triathlete of the Year: Ines Santiago
Men’s
Age Group Triathlete of the Year: Jong Sajulga
Women’s
Duathelete of the Year: Miscelle Gilbuena
Men’s
Duathelete of the Year: Emmanuel Comendador
Coach Ani de Leon-Brown (Coach of the Year) with SBR man-Carlos De Guzman |
All was in
suspense as the two top most recognition was still to be announced. SBR main man, Carlos De Guzman, kept the
excitement high by giving away some items to some lucky attendees. Prizes and refreshments were flowing that
night adding to the fun and camaraderie of the event, thanks to the effort of
the organizing team under the helm of TBDC.
Bagging the Women’s Elite Triathelete of the Year
award was Kim Mangrobang, while Nikko Huelgas was voted and declared
the best in the Men’s Elite Traiathlete
of the Year category.
Nikko Huelgas Elite Triathlon of the Year Men Category |
The whole
local triathlon community is still in a buzz after the announcement due to
upcoming training and events that people has to go to in preparation to the
next big event which is the SEA Games.
As to where we are standing there, recognized coach Ani de Leon-Brown
said,: “The Philippines is not at the
bottom in terms of ranking and tagging.
We are called a wild horse – they don’t know what to expect from us.”
The whole
event ended in high spirits as some people stayed for a while to catch-up with
fellow triathletes and friends in the community. In that note, the 5th Annual SBR
Awards Night came to a wrap with the excitement of who shall be the next best
in 2018’s triathlon season.