The race started at 6.00 AM with the sprint category. Swimmers were allowed to go in batches with a staggered start as per the Covid-19 guidelines and protocols. Competitors in Sprint and Olympic triathlon race category had a good time in the swim leg but the participants of Full-Distance Triathlon and Tri.5 had to face the high tide and that made the swim part as the toughest leg in this edition.

Among Odisha triathletes, 60-year-old Raj Kishore Mahanta rode a 62-year-old bicyle of his father. Pranab Das met with an accident during the cycling event, but that did not stop him from completing the race. All the winners were awarded with cash prize and ITF ranking points. The ranking points will be used to select triathletes to represent India in international games.

India has a great scope for this sport and with states like Odisha supporting it we can soon invite the international triathletes too to race in the state,” said Abhishek Mishra, Founder & CEO, Tabono Sports.

WINNERS:
Herculean Distance (3.5km swim, 180 km cycling, 42km run): Male: Vardhan Shirish, Pune, Maharashtra (13 hr 38 min).

Tri.5 Race (1.75km swim, 90km cycling, 21km run): Male: Cdr Yashpal Yadav, Indian Navy (6 hr 30 min 23 sec). Female: Tapasya Singh, Bangalore, Karnataka (7hrs 16min).

Olympic Distance (1.5km swim, 40km cycling, 10km run): Male: Rahul Shinde, Pune, Maharashtra (2 hr and 11min). Female: Aarthi S, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (2 hrs 51min).

Sprint Category (750mtr swim, 20km cycle and 5km Run): Male: Dilip Kumar, Pune, Maharashtra (1hr 6 min). Female: Mansi Mohite, Pune, Maharashtra (1 hr 13 min).
---------------------------------------------------------------------- PICS ----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOP: Shirish Vardhan receives the first prize in Herculean Distance on 28 February, 2021.
RIGHT: Odisha triathlete Raj Kishore Mahanta with the 62-year-old cycle of his father.