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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Champion marathoner Tabal finds new purpose in life

Champion marathoner Tabal finds new purpose in life

Published Feb 4, 2025 07:09 am

At A Glance

  • Mary Joy Tabal, the country's first-ever Filipina marathoner to compete in the Olympics, has found a new purpose in life: to share her knowledge to aspiring athletes who dream of becoming achievers someday.

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Mary Joy Tabal, the country’s first-ever Filipina marathoner to compete in the Olympics, has found a new purpose in life: to share her knowledge to aspiring athletes who dream of becoming achievers someday.

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Champion marathoner Mary Joy Tabal

Tabal defied odds and conquered her fears after booking her ticket in the women’s marathon event of the 2016 Rio Games.

Despite falling behind for the podium in the quadrennial meet, her qualification proved that physical disadvantage – particularly her height at 4-foot-11 – wouldn’t stop her in reaching great things in life.

And with the experience she has gained throughout her career, the Cebuana long distance runner is currently imparting the learnings to the kids to make them ready for the challenges that lie ahead.

“So aside from a former athlete now, I'm leading the Mandaue City Sports LGU. So I'm working with making initiatives, sports programs and events here in Mandaue City,” said Tabal moments after MILO Active Pilipinas launched in Mandaue City Central School last weekend.

“And hoping to help develop the sports program here to inspire more champions.”

“Aim for the national record... I just want them to step up to the next level of their career and I’m sure there is more support right now from different companies like Milo,” she added.

Though Tabal is not competing anymore, she is actively championing the importance of sports, which is very timely, especially in the modern world where unhealthy lifestyle is prevalent among the youth.

“Why the kids? Because you wouldn’t train the children just the sport itself but also the values they can get from it, like how coping with defeats, how to overcome those challenges,” Tabal continued.

“It’s a much easier to instill in them that sport is not always about winning… it's not about just getting the medal and the trophies but the values you get out of it, from the training itself, the discipline, the commitment,” she added.

The pride of Mandaue City is a one-time Southeast Asian Games champion in 2017 Kuala Lumpur while also boasting two silvers in 2015 and 2019 editions of the biennial meet.

Tabal currently holds the national record – both achieved in the Ottawa Marathon – in half marathon (1:16:27.4) and marathon (2:43:31) which helped her earn a trip to the Rio Olympics.

Related Tags

SEA Games Milo Active Pilipinas Mary Joy Tabal Rio Olympics
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