Diaz hoists PHL spirit

After early losses in tennis, boxing, Hidilyn’s silver medal revives PHL team’s hopes, energy

WEIGHTLIFTER Hidilyn Diaz has inspired the rest of the PHL athletes, including Cebuana marathoner Mary Joy Tabal, who are still waiting for their events in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.

The 27-year-old Tabal said the silver medal win of Diaz has brought a lot of inspiration to the PHL Team in Rio, Brazil. It uplifted their spirit and made them proud as Filipinos.

“Even if we won’t win a medal like Diaz did, we will do our very best because her achievement has inspired us to play our hearts out in our respective sports,” Tabal told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday in a Facebook chat.

Tabal said that as a Filipino and part of the 13-man PHL team, they are hap- py and proud of the triumph of Diaz, who ended the country’s 20-year medal drought in the Olympics.

“Mura mi ug nabuhi kalit kay di ba nasugdan man og pildi sa table tennis then boxing, so mura mi og nawad-an sa kusog pero kato pag-daug niya (Diaz) nalift niya amo spirits, kaya jud diay sa mga Pinoy (It was like we became alive again because we started with losses in tennis and boxing, so it was like we lost energy, but when she won, she lifted our spirits, the Filipinos indeed can),” said Tabal.

Track and field

The women’s marathon event on Aug. 14 will mark the opening of the track and field competition, which has three Filipino participants—Tabal, Eric Cray and Marestella Sunang.

The former Southwestern University sprinter Tabal said that her conditioning is going fine and she has now adjusted to the time zone of Brazil after arriving on the venue last week. She also starts her run routine the same time as the gun start of the marathon event, which is at 9:30 a.m.

“I have adjusted to the time. My concern now is the weather, which always changes. Last Monday, it was cold and windy, but last Sunday it was very hot,” Tabal said.

Reinforcement

Tabal will get the needed reinforcement as her long-time coach John Philip Dueñas travels to Brazil today to join her on the final phase of her conditioning. Dueñas, who was fresh from joining the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championships last Sunday in Cebu, will also guide Tabal on race day preparations.

Dueñas, however, is not part of the PHL team and his expenses are shouldered by Motor-Ace Philippines. “I am thankful that Motor Ace Philippines has decided to send (Philip) Dueñas as well. He will really help me in my last-minute preparations,” said Tabal.

Tabal, who is the first Olympian from Cebu after 20 years, earlier said that she is targeting to finish the 2016 Summer Games marathon in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Her best time in the marathon is 2:43:31 in the ScotiaBank Ottawa Marathon in Canada, where she clinched an Olympic slot.