CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Nine-year-old triathlete Ma. Georjina Concepcion Pacquing Sumaje of Zamboanga City swept three gold medals at the 2026 National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) Camotes Island Series held Oct. 24–25.
Competing for Go for Gold Philippines under coach Roland Remolino, Sumaje captured championship titles across three multisport events in the female 9-to-10 age division.
Triple Victory
Sumaje took first place in the duathlon (1-kilometer run, 6-kilometer bike, 500-meter run), aquathlon (200-meter swim, 1-kilometer run), and triathlon (200-meter swim, 6-kilometer bike, 1-kilometer run).
In the female 9-to-10 division standings, Maiko Aleno finished in second place, while Stacey Ailia Aisha Escala secured third place behind Sumaje.
Daily Discipline
Managing multiple events comes naturally to the young athlete, who credited her family's triathlon background for her early start.
"Training in all three disciplines is manageable for me because I’ve been doing it since I was 6 years old, with the help and support of my family, especially my Tito Papa Rey and Tita Seging, who are triathletes too," Sumaje said.
Balancing rigorous physical training with academic commitments remains her primary daily focus after school.
"The most challenging part is managing my training time during school days. But I believe I’m blessed to have a great coach who creates training programs that fit my needs and schedule. What I do is follow the program consistently every day after school," she added.
Entering competitions with confidence, Sumaje noted that structured preparation eliminates race-day nerves.
"No pressure at all! 😊 I believe my coach has prepared me well for the race, and since I truly love this sport, I’m always excited to compete and give it my best," Sumaje said.
Future Pipeline
The performance followed Sumaje's 10-gold medal haul at the Zamboanga Hermosa Swimming Competition, where she was named Most Outstanding Swimmer in the girls 8-to-9 category.
Trained in swimming by coach Abdul Asby of the Stonefish Swimming Club, Sumaje is set to represent Zamboanga City at the upcoming Batang Pinoy 2026 in Bacolod City.
"With the help of my swimming coach, Mr. Abdul Asby, I’ll continue working hard to improve my times in all four strokes. Every second counts, and every training session is another opportunity to become better!" she said.
