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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Daughter of fish vendors wins Palaro's first gold medal

Daughter of fish vendors wins Palaro's first gold medal

Published May 26, 2025 02:25 pm

At A Glance

  • Just an hour after sunrise on Monday, May 26, Tajarros gifted Eastern Visayas the first-ever gold medal in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa when she topped the secondary girls 3,000m event by clocking 10 minutes and 18.6 seconds -- eclipsing her previous time of 10:39.72 that won her a silver in Cebu City last year.
Chrisia Mae Tajarros wins first Palaro gold in Laoag. (Rio Deluvio/PSC Media Pool)
Chrisia Mae Tajarros wins first Palaro gold in Laoag. (Rio Deluvio/PSC Media Pool)

LAOAG CITY -- Chrisia Mae Tajarros is dreaming of becoming an astronaut someday -- a big ambition for the middle-distance runner whose parents are fish vendors in Leyte.

Though anything is possible with a determined heart, the 13-year-old athlete could proudly say she is already on cloud nine.

Just an hour after sunrise on Monday, May 26, Tajarros gifted Eastern Visayas the first-ever gold medal in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa when she topped the secondary girls 3,000m event by clocking 10 minutes and 18.6 seconds -- eclipsing her previous time of 10:39.72 that won her a silver in Cebu City last year.

CARAGA’s Mary Mae Magbanua (10:48.4) and Ilocos Region’s Nathalie Faye Miguel (10:50.4) settled for the silver and bronze, respectively, at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium.

Tajarros, who also wants to be an Olympian, was emotional after the race and embraced her coach afterwards. For her, becoming a national athlete could lead her to greener pastures.

“Tapos yung pag-iyak ko, ginagawa ko na lang motivation para makuha yung gintong medalya sa Palarong Pambansa [at] pangarap ko po mag-Olympics para matulungan ‘yong pamilya ko,” said the incoming Grade 9 student at Tanauan National High School.

It was also quite a sort of redemption for Tajarros as she settled as a runner-up last year where she ran barefoot and made her a crowd darling. Hometown bet Asia Paraase came out victorious in that race.

"Worth it po ngayon yung pinagpaguran ko kasi nakarami na po [akong takbo], nagkaroon ng muscle pain tapos akala ko po noong regional namin, hindi na po ako maka-Palaro dahil mayroon po akong iniinda," Tajarros continued.

"Gusto ko po sumuko, pero sabi ni coach na huwag, nasa iyo naman yun kung gagawin mo o hindi," she added.

Next for her is the 1,500m event this Thursday, May 29, at the same venue of the tournament organized by the Department of Education and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.

In the secondary boys long jump final, Eastern Visayas' Efosa John Paul Aguinaldo and CALABARZON's MJ Lora were tied at 6.90m but the former was able to grab the gold after listing a second-best 6.83m. The latter only had 6.59m.

Bicol's Courtney Trianga (36.72m) conquered the secondary girls discus throw, while CALABARZON'S Sam Garcia snagged the title in the elementary girls category of the same event.

In weightlifting, CALABARZON’s Matthew Diaz reigned supreme in the secondary boys 48kg class in front her aunt in sport icon and tournament director Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo at the Laoag Central Elementary School. Diaz flashed his lifting prowess with a 73kgs in snatch, and 93kgs in clean & jerk. Finishing behind him were Zamboanga Peninsula’s Generosmel Cortez and NCR’s Rayney Joy Espina, who bagged the silver and bronze, respectively.

Related Tags

Palarong Pambansa 2025 Palarong Pambansa 2025 Hidilyn Diaz
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