Olympian and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Mary Joy Tabal, seen here in this 2017 photo with her coach John Philip Dueñas, will have her life portrayed in a TV drama series this weekend.
CDN file photo
Cebuana Joy Tabal hopes she can inspire more people with upcoming biopic
Cebuana Olympian Mary Joy Tabal has mixed feelings about an upcoming depiction of her life on television.
The story of the multi-titled marathoner from Barangay Guba, Cebu City, will be featured in an episode of the ABS-CBN’s prime time drama series “Maalaala Mo Kaya” this Saturday.
Playing the role of the 28-year-old Tabal is former child star Sharlene San Pedro.
Tabal, who is the first Filipina to compete in the Olympic women’s marathon in 2016 and also a gold medalists in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, said she has mixed emotions about the portrayal of her life.
“I feel kinda happy, excited and at the same nervous [about the show],” Tabal said.
Inspire others
She told Cebu Daily News she was first hesitant with the idea.
“At first, I really didn’t want it to happen because it would make my life too public and I wouldn’t have any private life left,” said Tabal, who started as a sprinter for the Southwestern University (SWU).
Tabal said her coach John Philip Dueñas and her siblings pushed her to reconsider her decision.
And she did, as she later realized that her story could help inspire others.
“ I think (the story of my life) is worth sharing so that a lot can be inspired. I think my story is inspiring and maybe I can touch the lives of others.”
Veteran actor Dominic Ochoa is also casted as Tabal’s father, Rolando, while model and actor Manuel Chua will play the role of Tabal’s long-time trainer John Philip Dueñas.
Asked if there was any chance during the planning stage that she would play her own self in the biopic, Tabal said there was none, especially since she is currently busy training for the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, later this year.
She did jokingly say though that if she had enough spare time, she would have considered the idea.
Tabal said she plans to watch the episode at home in Barangay Guba after she receives her Most Outstanding Cebuano award from the Cebu City government on Saturday evening at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.