Mary Joy Tabal, with her trainer John Philip Dueñas, talks about her plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a press briefing yesterday atthe Cebu City Sports Center. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)
Fresh from what she described as a disappointing performance in Rio Olympics, Cebuana marathoner Mary Joy Tabal is already training, with her sights on a bigger mission — the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Tabal said that a few months from now, she will start her training for the Tokyo Olympics, noting that the lack of preparation contributed to her sub-par performance in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’m not happy with my performance in the Olympics, so I better prepare early. I have four years to prepare for the 2020 Olympics, and that’s going to be my main goal,” said Tabal in a program welcoming her and her trainer, John Philip Duenas, yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Center.
The 27-year-old runner from Barangay Guba, Cebu City, marked her debut in the women’s marathon of the Olympics last August 14 with a 124th finish, clocking three hours, two minutes and 28 seconds.
Tabal said starting early will be crucial for a better showing in 2020.
“The most challenging part of my debut in the Olympics was that I only had two months to prepare while the rest who competed there trained for a year or even more. I was confident of hitting my target to break my personal record, but I lacked the confidence because I was a first timer. I had a lot of things in my mind, but I will make sure that I will be a better marathoner in the next Olympics,” she said.
Aside from coming up with a better performance in the 2020 Olympics, Tabal is also looking to win a gold medal in next year’s Southeast Asian Games that will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tabal is also looking forward to competing in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Tabal said her coaches in Japan who trained her for the Rio Olympics told her that it’s impossible for her not to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
Tabal and Duenas are now planning to look for IAAF and AIMS-certified races to join next year so the Cebuana runner could qualify to the 2020 Olympics.
Tabal thanked the people who supported her in her Olympic bid.
“I was overwhelmed by the support given to me by my fellow Cebuanos even though I was really dismayed with my performance. Because of the impact of their support, I easily moved on from my shortcomings in the Olympics and set my goals for my career,” Tabal said.
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