Japan's Watanabe wins Ironman Taiwan in Penghu amid rough seas

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Japanese triathlete Yusuke Watanabe claimed the overall men's title at the Ironman Taiwan triathlon in Penghu County Sunday, finishing the grueling race in 9 hours and 39 seconds.

Despite challenging weather, the Ironman Taiwan race saw nearly 1,000 athletes compete after a 25-minute delay at the 6:25 a.m. start due to worsening winds and high sea swells.

The triathlon, which had a cut-off time of 17 hours, featured several course adjustments.

Although the swim leg was shortened from 3.8 kilometers to 1.9 km due to rough seas, the cycling portion remained at 180 kilometers and the marathon ran as scheduled at 42.2 kilometers.

Lee Wei (李瑋) was the top male Taiwanese finisher, placing sixth with a time of 9 hours, 21 minutes, and 15 seconds.

Taiwan's Chen Li-yun (陳俐妘) won the women's race, clocking in at 9 hours, 47 minutes and 26 seconds.

Event organizer Lava Sports (Taiwan Triathlon Co.) said that 65 athletes will be selected on Monday to represent Ironman Taiwan at the Ironman Nice race in France, while another 35 will earn spots to compete at the prestigious Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, United States.