Joy Tabal remembers marathoner Rafael Poliquit: ‘He was a fighter’

Cebuana Joy Tabal with Rafael Poliquit in last year’s National Milo Marathon. contributed photo | John Philip Dueñas

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A fighter. 

This is how Cebu Olympian Mary Joy Tabal will fondly remember fellow National Milo Marathon champion Rafael Poliquit, who passed away on Thursday afternoon, April 11, 2019, after succumbing to complications from subdural empyema. 

The Tangub City, Misamis Occidental native was 30 years old.

“Ma remember nako sa iyaha kay grabe iyaha fighting spirit kay maski sa mga disappointing race performances niya kay nebangun gehapon siya balik and iya ge prove na kaya pa niya, and king jud siya,” said Tabal who is currently in Japan training.

(I will always remember how much fighting spirit he had that despite his disappointing race performances he still tried to get back up, and he proved that he could  still do it, that he is truly the king.)

Read more: Filipino marathoner Rafael Poliquit passes away at 30

Tabal and Poliquit had a lot of great memories together.

Poliquit and Tabal were crowned Milo king and queen for three years—2014, 2015 and 2018. They’ve also raced together in Los Angeles and Boston as part of their incentives for winning the National Milo Marathon.

Both were also dropped from the Philippine team roster but while Tabal was able to make it back and become the Philippines first female Olympian marathoner, it was only last year that Poliquit was finally able to make it back by clinching his third National Milo Marathon title last December and once again earning a slot to represent the Philippines in the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Poliquit was seeking redemption for not finishing in the 2015 SEA Games and he could have done it on home soil as the Philippines is set to host the 30th edition of the biennial meet at yearend.

Tabal said that she is very saddened that Poliquit will no longer be able to do this. 

Having run many races together, Tabal was one of the persons whom Poliquit confided of how much he wanted to redeem himself.

“Dream jud niya mka SEAG again to redeem himself from a disappointing 2015 finish,” said Tabal.

(He really dreamt of being able to race in the SEAG again and redeem himself from a disappointing 2015 finish.)

Their last race together was last February’s SM2SM Run wherein they won their respective division 21-kilometer titles.

And, their last conversation was last March 26, when Poliquit messaged her asking if she was battle ready. Both would have once again represented the country as Tabal also earned a SEAG slot when she clinched her sixth National Milo Marathon title.

“Geandaman jud na niya. Nag ingun pa gani siya nako na mag training siya ug US for SEAG, iya paku gehagad na uban daw me mag training didto pero ako siya geingnan na mag Japan ra ko. Ingun siya na maglaan siya ug P200k from his winnings kung wala jud daw mo sponsor niya pa US,” shared Tabal of Poliquit’s SEA Games plans.

(He really prepared for it. He told me that he will train in the US for SEAG. He even invited me to also go to the US and train there with him but I told him that I will just be training in Japan. He said that he will set aside P200K from his winnings if no one will sponsor him to the US.)

Tabal said that Poliquit’s fighting spirit was very motivating.

“Maski pagtan-aw sa tawo na hambugeruon siya ug dating, pero buotan kaau na, luoy kaa, product of hardwork jud na iyaha tanan mao bilib kaau ko sa iyaha. The longer me gauban sa mga big competitions, the more nako siya naila pag ayo. Totoong tao rajud siya with big dreams pud na ma inspire ka sa iyang kakugihan,” said Tabal further of Poliquit.

(Others may see him as someone arrogant but he is really a very nice person. He is a product of hard work that is why I look up to him. The longer we’ve been together in big competitions, the more I got to know him. He is a real person with big dreams and his diligence will inspire you.)

Aside from Tabal, also giving Poliquit a tribute was back-to-back SEA Games gold medalist Soh Rui Yong of Singapore, whom Poliquit was looking forward to race against in this year’s SEA Games.

Yong wrote a blog about how Poliquit came to him for help to win the National Milo Marathon and be able to represent the Philippines again in the SEA Games and be able to race alongside each other.

Yong narrated why he gave Poliquit his training program.

“I had looked forward to a reunion with Rafael at the 2019 SEA Games, so that our rivals, coach-athlete, rivals cycle could come full circle, but alas, that is not to be,” Yong wrote. /bmjo