Filipina Kira Ellis strikes gold in Europe Triathlon Junior Cup

Filipina triathlete Kira Ellis captured the spotlight in Europe after ruling the 2025 Europe Triathlon Junior Women’s Cup held in Riga, Latvia over the weekend.

The 18-year-old national team standout, bound for the upcoming SEA Games, clocked 1:05:07 in the elite sprint-distance race consisting of a 750m swim, 22km bike, and 5.1km run. She surged ahead in the final leg to outpace Belgium’s Luca Vanderbruggen (1:05:17) and Germany’s Sarah Walter (1:05:22).

Ellis’ decisive kick in the run came after closely contested swim and bike segments, securing a 10-second gap over Vanderbruggen and 15 seconds over Walter. The triumph also marked a strong comeback for the young star, who had recently been nursing a shin injury earlier this month.

Thanks to a high-performance camp in Portugal supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Ellis managed to regain her form and deliver what the Triathlon Association of the Philippines hailed as a milestone win. 

“Philippine Elite triathlete Kira Ellis delivered a stellar performance to win the European Junior Cup in Riga, marking a significant achievement for Triathlon Philippines on the international stage,” the federation said.

ALL HEART, KIRA

Filipina triathlete Kira Ellis reflects on her journey at the 2025 European Triathlon Junior Cup in Riga, Latvia—proudly capturing the gold medal and sharing how grateful she is to have delivered a strong finish despite not racing for a while. pic.twitter.com/ZOrTNhFFDO

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) August 20, 2025

Ellis herself admitted that the road back to competition was far from easy. In a heartfelt post on her social media, she reflected on the challenges she faced in recent months. “This year has been quite tough for me. There were definitely a lot of low moments, but also so many lessons that helped me grow as an athlete,” she wrote.

She revealed that even before Riga, her team had doubts about whether she was ready to compete. “A few weeks before Riga, my coaches and I were still debating whether I was ready to compete. I hadn’t really done any interval sessions—mostly just steady runs—so we weren’t sure where my run would stand. But to me, just getting on to a start line again was all I’ve wished for. Based on my swim and bike training, I knew I had a shot at the podium, but I tried not to put too much pressure on myself and just enjoy racing again.”

Ellis is no stranger to success, having won aquathlon gold at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia and the 2024 Asia Triathlon Junior Cup. Currently a varsity athlete at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina, she is emerging as one of the Philippines’ brightest prospects in the sport.

With her latest victory in Europe, Ellis now sets her sights on the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand this December, where she is expected to lead the country’s triathlon delegation.

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