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As a Math wiz , he has consistently participated in the Mathematics Trainers Guild , and won a bronze medal at the recent Metrobank MTAP DepEd Math Challenge . Wacky is a testimony that sports and academics can very well mix together , and one can actually excel in both , something that his parents are proud . At home , he takes time to bond with his two younger siblings over Math equations .
And with his good looks and well-proportioned physique , Wacky dabbles into modeling .
2016 and Beyond
2016 has really made good promises for our junior triathlete . Wacky Baniqued kicked off the year with a top spot finish at the Alaska Ironkids Triathlon Subic in the 13 to 14 year old category , and winning in four other local triathlon races - National Age Group Triathlon ( NAGT ) Leg 1 Sprint Subic ( Second Place ), NAGT Leg 2 Mini-Sprint Danao , Cebu ( First Place ), SUBIT Mini-Sprint ( Gold ) and NAGT Leg 3 Super Tri Kids Dipolog ( First Place ).
His recent accomplishments in triathlon races gave earned him a spot to represent the country at the Asian Triathlon Cup ( ASTC ) hosted by Singapore International Triathlon sanctioned by the International Triathlon Union ( ITU ), a race participated in by top triathletes in Asian countries . To get him ready for the race , Wacky trained with no less than professional triathlete and the first Filipina to finish a full Ironman distance , Coach Ani de Leon - Brown , most especially with the bike and run workouts spending at least two hours on Saturday mornings .
Racing in a foreign territory was something new to him , but his well-founded training coupled with a positive and competitive attitude gave him an edge amongst the participants in his age group . Wacky pulled off his stint at the Singapore International Triathlon Mini-Sprint distance with a solid Second Place finish !
Two weeks later , he was racing in Cebu for this year ’ s final installment of Alaska Ironkids Triathlon . Wacky Baniqued breezily aced in the 13 to 14 year old group ( 400m swim , 12km bike and 3km run ) with a finish time of 44:48.3 .
He still maybe young , but Wacky has so much aspirations and goals that he wants to achieve as a triathlete . So far , he has done an international triathlon race , and two years down the road , he wants to take a shot at the Youth Olympics in 2018 .
Wacky still has a long way to go but goals make him strive for excellence and he is blessed to have family ’ s support and guidance that come in handy all the time . It may be his triathlon off-season for now , but Wacky stays on top of his game by continuously training to prepare himself for his future endeavors .
Wacky Baniqued with Josh Averion , Luigi Crisostomo , the author , Jana Everly Macalalad , and JB Sarmiento at at the finish line of Alaska Ironkids .
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BOD Fitness Lifestyle Magazine