Tabal vows to deliver best performance in Sea Games marathon
She won silver in 2015. Two tough and testy years later, Cebuana Olympian Mary Joy Tabal is raring to turn that silver into gold and prove that she deserves to carry the country’s tri-colors in the 29th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tabal, the first Filipina to compete in Olympic marathon, gets her chance at the yellow metal this Saturday morning when the centerpiece athletics competitions begin.
Tabal created quite a stir the past two years when she had a falling out with officials of the Philippine Athletic and Track and Field Association (Patafa) which resulted to her being bumped off from the national team. Her ouster early this year however, prompted Cebuano officials to question Patafa’s decision and demand for her reinstatement.
The solid support Tabal got from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) hastened her return to the national squad.
The 28-year-old Barangay Guba, Cebu City native won silver in her Sea Games debut in Singapore in 2015 despite losing her way in the rain-drenched race.
And after a grueling two-month training in Tuscany, Italy and Saint Moritz, Switzerland, Tabal, barring any untoward incident, is ripe for gold.
More prepared than 2015
“I believe that I and Patafa have resolved our differences and we are moving forward and it’s all for the good of our country,” Tabal told Cebu Daily News through chat. “Right now I feel nervous and excited but on top of that I am very hopeful.”
“I believe that I am more prepared for this Sea Games compared to my 2015 debut. The biggest challenge for me in the race would be the entries from Thailand and Vietnam. I am looking to deliver my best performance and hoping to get the gold medal. I am feeling a little bit of pressure but I will take it as a challenge because I am not doing this for myself but for the country.”
The race will start and finish at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in KL Sports City. Tabal’s personal trainer John Philip Dueñas and Patafa-assigned coach Rene Herrera will be at the sidelines to assist her.
In her 2015 debut, Tabal clocked three hours, four minutes and 39 seconds for silver behind Thailand’s Natthaya Thanaronnawat (3:03.25) and ahead of Vietnam’s Thi Thanh Hoang (3:07.14).
Her personal best for the distance is 2:47.49, which she established last year during the Milo Marathon Grand Finals in Iloilo City where she won her fourth straight national title.