Jason Costelloe races to victory at Rainbow Cup 2022

NATIONAL, regional and international athletes of varying ages, converged at Turtle Beach Heritage Park, in Black Rock for the sixteenth edition of the popular Rainbow Cup International Triathlon, on Saturday.

The event commenced promptly at 7 am with athletes rushing towards the beach, to battle the choppy water in the swimming stage of the triathlon.

The sprint relay was the first segment to be completed. Ten teams comprising of three athletes in a 750 metres swim, 20-kilometre cycling and five-kilometre run, battled for supremacy.

Peter Trepte, who represented one of two teams entered by Raiders Cycle and Multi-Sport, was the first to exit the water in ten minutes and 29 seconds, and the only swimmer to dip under 11 seconds.

His teammate Andel Garcia on bicycle completed the course in 34 minutes and nine seconds, but lost ground to the blistering pace of his clubmate, Liam Trepte, who recorded an impressive time of 32 minutes, 56 seconds.

Liam’s effort gave Guswil George a 14-second advantage in the run, but George could not hold off Elvis Turner, who turned over his legs in 19 minutes and 33 seconds, in comparison to George’s 20 minutes and 10 seconds.

The combination of Trepte, Garcia and Turner, flashed an overall time of one hour four minutes and 11 seconds, ahead of their clubmates Carr, Trepte and George, who were 23 seconds slower, in one hour 4 minutes and 34 seconds.

Defending champions, Fire One-A-Week comprising Aiden Simon, Nikolia Ho and Michael Honore, had to settle for third place in one hour seven minutes and 50 seconds.

Forty-six competitors took on the challenge in the individual sprint triathlon, facing the same distances as the relay.

The top three places went to nationals, as Jason Costelloe, who gave up a two minutes deficit in the swim, proved too strong for his peers in the cycling and run, to win in a time of one hour 6 minutes and 12 seconds

Jean-Marc Granderson, who was strongest in the swim, completed the course in 10 minutes and 52 seconds but was relegated to second, with an overall time of one hour 15 minutes and 19 seconds. Chad Hosein occupied the third position.

Kaya Rankine Beadle, emerged the top female, stroking the swim in 12 minutes 50 seconds, cycling in 42 minutes 27 seconds and run in 27 minutes and 9 seconds, for fifth position overall, in an added time of one hour 22 minutes and 15 seconds.

Tamiko Butler of Antigua, was the first Caribbean entrant to complete all three disciplines in the sixth position, while Hay Douglas of Great Britain, in the 13th position, was the first international athlete. There was high drama in the individual five-kilometre road race, as there may be a new face on the national road running circuit. Renowned performer, Mark London, who was a hot pick to defend his title, was beaten into third position.Surprisingly, Nkosi Toney started the race with a hot pace, and kept it going throughout. London of Plymouth kept losing estate, as the race progressed.

Turner, who was trying to keep stride with Toney, may have paid the penalty for running an earlier 5k, in the relay triathlon. Nineteen-year-old Toney had enough in the tank for a surge nearing the finish which was enough to drop Turner.

Toney flashed a winning time of 17 minutes, 41 seconds. Turner’s second place was timed at 17 minutes and 54 seconds, with London claiming third in 18 minutes, 22 seconds.

Jessica Saunders of England topped the females in 20 minutes, 6 seconds for ninth overall, while Richard Gayton of England, led the international field, in 19 minutes and nineteen seconds for fourth overall.