Chennai 5i50 Triathlon: Indian athletes dominate in weather-marred event

It was an Indian show at the 5i50 (51.50km) Triathlon Chennai as the country’s athletes delivered a standout performance in the inaugural edition held in Chennai on Sunday.

Contrary to its name, the event was changed to a duathlon after challenging water conditions led to the cancellation of the swimming leg in the interest of athlete safety. Instead of the standard 1.5km swim, 40km cycling and 10km run, the race was conducted in a modified format comprising a 5 km run, followed by a 40 km cycling leg, and concluded with a 10 km run.

Athletes from the Indian Track Federation dominated the men’s overall section, with Sarungbam Athouba Meitei crossing the finishing line with the best time of 2:02:31. Yajat K.P. (2:03:01) was second, followed by Telheiba Soram (2:03:14) in third.

“What can I say? I came here to race. It was hard, but now, it feels so good,” Athouba told  Sportstar after the race.

Asked if there was any change in his strategy after the race format was changed, 18-year-old Athouba said, “I had already practised knowing there might be a change. My game plan was simple. It was just to keep running.”

In the women’s overall section, Dolly Patil (2:16:49) emerged victorious, with Mansi Mohite (2:17:45) and Keerthi Sakthivel (2:18:55) finishing second and third, respectively.

The event, flagged off by the chief guest, deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Udhayanidhi Stalin, featured 650 athletes across all categories and international participants from six countries.

Alongside the 5i50 Triathlon Chennai, there was also the DuYoska Duathlon, featuring multiple race categories designed for athletes across levels and age groups.

The event included a sprint duathlon comprising a 5 km run, 20 km cycle, and a 2.5 km run.The standard duathlon had a 10 km run, 40 km cycling leg and 5 km run. 

In the sprint duathlon, Logidhas Rajasekaran was the men’s winner with a time of 1:25:56, while Anee Verma won the women’s race in 1:35:57. In the standard duathlon, Sapan Panchal finished first in the men’s category with a time of 2:06:05, and Mohanadevi K was the women’s winner, clocking 3:19:26.

Published on Jan 11, 2026