TABAL IN TOWN, READY FOR SEA GAMES
Mary Joy Tabal arrives in Cebu from her training in Italy and Switzerland , tapers in preparation for SEA Games in Malaysia Coach John Philip Dueñas thinks Tabal is ready to conquer the 42K event of the SEA Games
Cebuana marathoner Mary Joy Tabal is back in Cebu and will be doing the finishing touches of her training here before flying to Malaysia for the 29th Southeast Asian (Sea) Games on Aug. 19.
The 28-year-old Olympian arrived in Cebu last Aug. 9 following her stint in Italy and Switzerland under the Tuscany Training Camp.
“So far, Joy’s (Tabal) condition is good. She’s in top shape and on Thursday or Friday, we will check her interval pace for the target race pacing,” said Dueñas, the long-time coach of Tabal.
Dueñas added that the heat in Italy, which reached as high as 45 degrees, has helped his ward prepare for the expected heat to be encountered in Malaysia when she competes in the women’s 42-kilometer race.
Tabal of Motor Ace Kawasaki Racing Team is scheduled to do tapering and conditioning period on Aug. 10 to 17. She is scheduled for a medical check-up on Aug. 11 to 15.
She is also set to report to the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) and the Phil. Olympic Committee (POC) officials in between those dates before flying to Malaysia on Aug. 16.
Motor Ace Philippines Inc. president Jonel Borromeo is also excited about Tabal’s SEA Games’ bid for a gold medal and expresses his confidence of their star athlete.
“We believe Joy is in the best of shape. She has remained focused in her training program. We believe she will take the gold home,” said Borromeo, whose company bankrolled for Tabal’s training overseas.
Tabal trained in Italy with the elite runners in the world, she also did a high altitutude training for three weeks at St. Moritz in Switzerland.
“After our training in St. Moritz, when we came back to Tuscany, Italy the weather ranges from 38 to 41 degrees,” Tabal said.
Duenas believes that his athlete no longer needs to adjust to the weather in Southeast Asia.
Tabal, 2015 Sea Games silver medalist, will be one of the country’s first bid for medal as the marathon event starts hours before the formal opening ceremony on Aug. 19.