Marathoner Tabal makes true of golden promise
FILIPINO long-distance runner Mary Joy Tabal chalked up the first gold medal of the Philippines in the just-started 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by ruling the women’s marathon last Saturday just before the opening ceremonies.
It was a fulfillment of a promise made by Ms. Tabal after initial attempts by Team Philippines to get gold in other events fell short while at the same time improving on her silver-winning performance in the previous SEA Games in Singapore in 2015.
“My ultimate goal is to win the gold,” said Ms. Tabal, 28, an Olympian in the Rio Summer Games last year, in the run-up to the Kuala Lumpur Games.
Ms. Tabal showed her world-class form in the 42-kilometer race by masterfully taking control of the cloudy weather and difficult terrain in nearby Putrajaya City and crossing the finish line in two hours, 48 minutes and 26 seconds.
In racing to the win, Cebu City native Tabal beat out Hoang Thi Tanh of Vietnam and Natthaya Thanaronnwat of Thailand, who finished second and third with a time of 2:55:43 and 2:58:17, respectively.
“Every step I took during my run was tough because I felt all my sacrifices and hard work during training. I was nervous at the start but as I heard the cheer of fellow Filipinos as I made my way I became more confident and encouraged to go on,” said Ms. Tabal as she talked to members of the media after her winning run.
By bagging the gold, local sports top brass did not waste time praising the efforts of Ms. Tabal while also hoping that with her performance other Filipino athletes seeing action in the regional biennial meet would be inspired to jack up their performance as well and win the gold in their respective events.
“We’re happy at the PSC board. I hope we can get more gold medals along the way,” said Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez in his congratulatory message to Ms. Tabal.
He went on to say that he had already relayed the gold medal news to President Rodrigo R. Duterte through Presidential Management Staff Bong Go.
Interestingly, Ms. Tabal nearly missed the opportunity to represent the country in the 29th SEA Games after she had “compliance issues” with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), the country’s national sports association for athletics.
PATAFA eventually reinstated her in June just in time for the submission of the final list of athletes to the Philippine Olympic Committee. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
