MOTORACE Racing/Kawasaki Team will be throwing a victory party for its prized stalwart Mary Joy Tabal, who is set to return home following a resounding campaign in Canada last Sunday.
Tabal, a native of barangay Guba, Cebu City, had just clinched an Olympic berth following a successful campaign in Scotia Bank Ottawa Marathon last Sunday.
Set to arrive home tomorrow, Tabal finished eighth-overall in the the race’s female elite category with a time of 43 minutes and 31 seconds. Though the time was enough to send Tabal to the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeio, Brazil this August, her stint in the prestigious event still hangs in the balance as the Cebuana runner is not a member of the national team.
Tabal has to get approval from the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) for her to compete in the Olympics.
Tabal used to be a member of Patafa but left a few months after she competed in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) were reportedly willing to help Tabal send to the Olympics.
The victory party will be held on June 6 at Casino Español where a press briefing will also be held.
“As we all know, our fellow Cebuano Mary Joy Tabal, recently made it into the history books for being the first Filipina to have qualified for the Olympic marathon after her impressive finish at the Ottawa Marathon. We, at Motor Ace Philippines and Motor Ace Racing, are nothing less than proud of her achievements. We have seen her dream for that elusive slot to the Olympics, and we have witnessed how hard she worked to make that dream into reality. We believe that while she did all the hard work, it took a village for her to finally accomplish this dream,” said in the press release from Motorace Racing/Kawasaki Team.
Motorace Racing/Kawasaki Team funded Tabal’s quest to qualify for the Olympics that saw her train in Japan and compete in several races abroad.