The inaugural Damosa Land 5150 Samal Triathlon crowned its first champions on Sunday, September 21, 2025, with Eryk Omandam and Natasha Doromal-Lim powering through heat, currents, and a stacked international field to capture the men’s and women’s overall titles.
They battled through the 1.5km swim, 40km bike, and 10km run at Bridgeport grounds in the Island Garden City of Samal, sealing their place as the first-ever 5150 Samal champions.
The 20-year-old Omandam, a third-year HR Management student at the University of Mindanao, topped the men’s race in 2:20:24 (20:20 swim, 1:12:12 bike, 44:04 run). He surged past older, more experienced triathletes to seize the crown.
"The bike was manageable but tough because you never know what’s coming. But during the run, I realized I was in a good position because I couldn’t see anyone close behind," Omandam said in Filipino. He also bagged the 20-24 age group title.
Fresh from a fourth-place age-group finish at Ironman 70.3 Lapu-Lapu, Omandam outlasted 45-49 champion Arthur Abogado (2:22:26) and Jonard Saim (2:26:21), who settled for third overall.
In the women’s race, Doromal-Lim finally broke through after five previous 5150 starts. The 32-year-old clocked 2:47:33 (26:01 swim, 1:18:50 bike, 58:11 run) to claim both the overall and 30-34 titles.
“I’ve been preparing for two years now,” said Lim, who recently began training under a coach. “The swim was tricky because of the current, the bike was challenging, but the run was almost perfect — shaded and flat.”
She fended off Faith Garcia (2:50:55) to secure the crown, while Alessandra Aquino (2:53:24) claimed third place and the 20-24 age group title.
Hong Kong’s Giselle Li ruled the women’s 16-19 division (3:12:25), Joanna Marie Cruz topped 40-44 (2:49:25), Catherine Arias claimed 45-49 (2:48:03), and Japan’s Tomoko Dodo conquered the 70-74 bracket (4:03:01). On the men’s side, York Shan Nasol dominated the 16-19 category (2:38:53), Eduardo Catoc reigned in 25-29 (2:41:14), and Swiss triathlete Roman Menz bagged the 50-54 crown (2:34:41).
The shorter Sunrise Sprint race (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) also brought fresh faces to the spotlight. Ann Marie Tigullo stamped her class in the women’s field with a 1:38:37 finish, while Christiano Tiongko dazzled in the men’s side with a sizzling 1:14:56, sweeping both the overall and 16-19 titles.
Adding more excitement, relay squads battled for bragging rights. VC Vixens captured the women’s crown (56:21), while AIM PH Team stormed to the men’s title (36:07).
The event drew a total of 1,113 athletes from national and international teams, staged by Sunrise Events, Inc. in partnership with Damosa Land. MLSABALAYAN WITH PR