Triathlete Lea Coline Langit and Neil Catiil fared poorly in the Asian Triathlon Championships held over the weekend in Incheon, South Korea.

The 23-year-old Langit, who is being groomed for the 2012 London Olympics, struggled in the swim leg of the extreme sport to finish 11th in a field of 17.

Though her clocking of two hours, 14 minutes and 11 seconds was 36 ticks faster than her feat in the 2006 Doha Asian Games, it was way off the Philippine record set by Sandra Araullo during the 2007 Thailand Southeast Asian Games.

Catiil, a discovery from Cagayan de Oro, wound up 25th in a field of 45. He clocked 2:14:10.

TRAP president Tom Carrasco Jr., who accompanied the team, said Catiil and Langit need more exposure to be at par with Japanese and Chinese bets.

While Carrasco is convinced the two have the talent, he said they are still far behind compared with Chinese and Japanese athletes.

“Medyo malayo pa tayo sa level pero itutuloy pa rin namin ang training program nila on the road to London,” Carrasco said.

As part of their preparations, Langit will undergo training in Jeju Island, also near South Korea.