It was a historic sprint finish in the men’s elite division of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon, Asia’s longest-running triathlon event.
Tayler Reid from New Zealand, returning for his second year, surged to victory in a time of 02:12:39, smashing his own previous record.
The race featured a rare and electrifying dash to the tape, with Reid barely holding off runner-up Josh Ferris of Australia, who finished just behind at 02:12:53.
The two athletes traded the lead throughout the grueling course before Reid’s final burst secured the win. Rostyslav Pevtsov of Ukraine rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 02:19:07.
The women’s elite field delivered an equally heated competition. Georgia Taylor-Brown from the United Kingdom put on a masterclass performance, displaying superior form to cross the finish line first and claim the championship title with an impressive time of 02:27:57.
She was followed by Nicole van der Kaay (New Zealand) in second place 02:35:26, while Justine Guérard (France) took third place 02:38:45.
The 31st edition of the triathlon at the Laguna Grove saw over 1,000 triathletes from around the globe converge.
Thai National Champion Jaray Jearanai defended his reputation, finishing as the top Thai athlete with an impressive time of 02:47:55, once again proving his dominance on home soil.
The excitement kicked off early this weekend with the “Open Water Swim. The 5km challenge served as the perfect warm-up, with Rodina Liudmila claiming the women’s victory in a blistering 00:52:55, and Alexander Taraskin taking the men’s title with a time of 01:23:46.
Singapore’s Luke Chua and neutral triathlete Daria Ermolova won the men’s and women’s sprint titles respectively.
The duathlon winners were German Matthias Hoffmann (men) and Brit Laura Blunt (women)
