PH bobsled team wins 3rd place in Alberta Cup Provincial Championship

Members of the Philippine National Bobsled Team in action. Buddy Cunanan/FACEBOOK

CALGARY, Alberta – In a strong debut in North America, the Philippine National Bobsled Team finished third among 9 Canadian teams in the March 2 Alberta Cup Provincial Championship held at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

The two-man bobsled team of Rolando Isidro and Jerby Deriada from the Philippine National Bobsled, Luge, and Skeleton Association, Inc. (PNBLSA) won third place after 2 heats.

The first bobsled team from tropical Philippines and Southeast Asia is trying to gain a spot in the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.

PNBLSA president Thelmo Cunanan Jr., driver Rolando Isidro, brakesman Joseph Acosta, driver Jeffrey dela Cruz, brakesman Jerby Deriada, sec-gen Norman Camungol, and director for North America Joel Dizon. Buddy Cunanan/FACEBOOK

The Filipino bobsledders are composed of members of the Philippine Coast Guard and led by PNBSLA chief Thelmo “Buddy” Cunanan Jr. who established the team in 2017 and moved its base to Calgary in 2018.

Cunanan thanked Calgary’s Filipino community and other enthusiastic supporters for the Philippine national team’s strong finish.

The Philippine Coast Guard bobsledders trained for 4 months in Austria before their debut in the Europa Cup.