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Friday, March 29, 2024

Tabal, sports execs reach compromise

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FOR now, Cebuana runner Mary Joy Tabal will be allowed to train in Japan with Japanese coach Akio Usami and her personal mentor John Philip Duenas.

But, if she makes it to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, national coach Rene Herrera will take over and act as her coach.

These are some of the conditions Tabal must follow if she is to be reinstated to the national team.

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico said this as he laid out the conditions which will make it possible for Tabal’s reinstatement.

“We had a fruitful discussion. They are asking for a few days to finalize. Then, we can come up with an agreement,” said the 26-year-old Tabal after emerging from a three-hour meeting with Juico at the PATAFA office inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Vito Cruz, Manila.

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Juico said they will make a decision on whether Tabal can join the national team within the next two days. As for her status in Rio, they will have confirmation once the International Association of Athletics Federations comes out with a list of athletes who made the cut on July 11.

During the meeting, Tabal took a mandatory drug test conducted by Dr. Alex Pineda. 

Tabal placed eighth in the Scotia Bank Ottawa Marathon three weeks ago and passed the Olympic standard for the sport.

But she did not make the PH national team going to the Rio Olympics outright as she was not a part of the PATAFA national team, hence the request for reinstatement.

Over the last six months, Tabal’s time has been improving, with her personal best of two hour, 43 minutes and 34 seconds in the 2016 national Milo Marathon, going down by almost six minutes.

She improved it to 2:43.31 when she hit the Olympic qualifying standard in the 2016 Scotia Bank Marathon.

With time running out before the Olympiad, officials of the PATAFA will let Tabal train at the Nippon Sports Science Institute in Yokohama towards the end of July.

Tabal earlier trained there for two months last March, before joining the recent Boston Marathon.

 Duenas can also be involved in her preparations, but it will be with coordination with the coaches of the PATAFA, and Herrera, who will be her official national coach.

“She has come here. This forms part of the so-called confidence-building process that we have to go through because of what happened in the past. So, we’re happy that she came with her two benefactors,” said Juico, who met Tabal with PATAFA secretary Rene Unso and marketing chief Edward Kho.

Tabal, who came with her sponsors Jonel and Chippi Borromeo of Motor Ace Philippines, sees no problem in complying with the conditions the PATAFA laid out.

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