Third time in Ironman: Triathlete dies

CEBU, Philippines - A 47-year-old athlete in the Ironman race in Cebu did not make it to shore as he died during the 1.9 kilometer swim off Mactan Island yesterday morning.

The athlete, Eric Nadal Mediavillo, reportedly died of cardiac arrest. He was declared dead on arrival at 8:45 a.m. at the Mactan Doctors Hospital.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our athletes following the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu...Our condolences go(es) out to the athlete’s family and friends whom we will continue to support," reads the statement from the organizers.

Yesterday, lead organizer Fred Uytengsu asked for a moment of silence following Mediavillo’s death.

According to his Facebook account, Mediavillo hailed from Laguna and was the chief engineer of AET Ship Management. He is survived by his wife, Joie.

Mediavillo was the third athlete to die in Ironman.

The first was Miguel Varquez during the inaugural outing of Ironman in Camarines Sur in 2009. Like Mediavillo, Varquez also died during the swim course.

The second was Ramon Igana, Jr. who died of pulmonary embolism during Cebu’s first hosting of the three-in-one sporting event in 2012.

Collapse

Meanwhile, a policeman who participated in the race yesterday ended up in the hospital after he collapsed while running to the finish line.

PO2 Bryan Guillen, a member of the Tribu Lapu-Lapu triathlon team, was almost at the finish line when his body gave up and he collapsed to the ground.

He is recuperating at the Chong Hua Hospital and is in stable condition, said Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) Director Rommel Cabagnot

Guillen is assigned at the Police Community Relations (PCR) team of LCPO.

Race

More than 2,700 athletes joined this year’s Ironman triathlon with the swimming relay commencing at 6:32 a.m.

The swim course was followed by a 90-kilometer bike relay across the cities of Mandaue, Cebu, and Talisay.

After the bike course, a 21-kilometer run kicked off at the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort to the Mangal Point in Barangay Punta Engaño.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said the city prepared early for the event.

"We really prepared for this. The roads, as early as 3:00 in the morning, were (slowly closing), the cheerers are already there to cheer the triathletes," Radaza said.

Radaza admits the event has helped boost tourism in Lapu-Lapu, as Ironman attracts both local and foreign athletes and even celebrities.

Radaza said she looks forward to changes in next year's Ironman Asia-Pacific.

"Next year, it's Asia-Pacific. Hopefully different ang atmosphere, different things," she said.

She thanked the public for the patience and sacrifice when the city closed the roads affected by the race.

"Everybody's participating. Pasalamat sad ta sa riding public that they did understand (the situation)," Radaza said.

The city has been hosting Ironman for six years.

Peaceful

Aside from the unfortunate events involving athletes, the triathlon was generally peaceful, the police said.

“Generally peaceful ang overall (events today)… ang atong security, okay pud. Kato ra atong nadawat nga report nga naa'y namatay ug atong pulis nga ni-collapse pud," Cabagnot said.

Talisay Police chief, Supt. Emerson Dante, shares Cabagnot’s assessment.

In Talisay, though, two minor accidents involving athletes occurred at the South Road Properties (SRP).

There were 358 personnel, including 68 policemen, who secured the SRP during the race.

For his part, Cabagnot said he will recommended to the organizers to come up with an identification system for crowd control in Mactan where the athletes and supporters converge.

"Mo-recommend ko sa ilaha nga maghimo sila og ID system kay daghan kaayo magsulod-gawas nga mga tawo nga walay proper ID. Mas maayo ning ID system considering nga next year, dako na siya nga event, ang Ironman Asia-Pacific nga event," Cabagnot said. —/JMO (FREEMAN)