LILY Muldoon and Christian Villacrusis topped their respective divisions in the Triathlon Association of the CNMI’s first Commonwealth Tri Team tryout at Paupau Beach on Saturday.
The event mirrored the distance that will be used in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games which Saipan will host.
The morning course started with a 750m swim in the waters off Paupau Beach. This was followed by a 20km bike ride from Paupau Beach to Seafix and Banzai and back to Paupau Beach where the competitors transitioned to a 5km run to Ayuyu Drive and back.
Among the 13 participants vying for a spot on the CNMI’s Pacific Mini Games team, Lily Muldoon finished first overall.
Although she was the fifth athlete to complete the swim leg, she managed to make up the distance in the biking scene, moving up to second place.
At this point, Christian Villacrusis was in the lead, but running was Muldoon’s strong suit, and it did not take long for the veteran triathlete to push through to the finish line with a time of 01:14:49, finishing first in the women’s division and first overall as well.
Following behind in the women’s division was one of the island’s top young triathletes, Kaithlyn Chavez, who clocked at 01:22:48 for second place; Tania Tan was third, 01:23:16; Ayano Braxton, fourth, 02:24:10; and Kerri Bauer, fifth, 01:31:37.
In the men’s division, Christian Villacrusis was dominant, but in the swimming portion of the event, Isaiah Aleksenko finished first although he struggled during the transition to the bike ride which handed Villacrusis the opportunity to take over the lead and never look back.
He completed the course with a time of 01:18:33 while Aleksenko settled for second place in the men’s division with a time of 01:22:46.
Jacoby Winkfield finished third at 01:31:17 followed by Florence Antonio, 01:31:40; and Danny Calvo, 01:34:25.
In an interview, Triathlon Association of the CNMI president Manny Sitchon said they are looking for four athletes per team, three males and three females with one alternate athlete for each team.
“We are looking for athletes with the best time. You can be the slowest swimmer but still have the best time,” Sitchon said, adding that they plan to host about three more tryouts.
Lily Muldoon smiles as she crosses the finish line during the Tri Team tryout at Paupau Beach on Saturday.
Christian Villacrusis makes a turn during the bike leg of the Tri Team tryout at Paupau Beach on Saturday.
