By Ramon Rafael Bonilla
MARY JOY TABAL breached the qualifying time for women’s marathon for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a race in Canada. But she could not officially earn a ticket to Rio just yet.
Tabal clocked two hours and 43 minutes in the Scotia Bank Marathon on Sunday in Ottawa, breaking the Rio standard of 2:45:00. It was her second attempt at a Rio berth after the Boston Marathon last month.
But the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) could not declare Tabal as its third athlete to qualify for Rio after Filipino-American Eric Shauwn Cray in the men’s 400-meters hurdles and Marestella Torres-Sunang in women’s long jump. The International Alliance of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Patafa President Philip Ella Juico told the BusinessMirror, must first certify that Tabal indeed made the minimum qualifying time for Rio.
Second, Juico added, Tabal, the 2015 Milo Marathon Queen from Cebu, must drop her corporate sponsors, a requisite to become a national athlete under the fold of the Patafa.
Tabal left the national team late last year and became some sort of a freelance athlete with a private sponsor.
Motor Ace Philippines funds Tabal’s Rio dreams, sending her to Japan to train under a Japanese coach for the Boston Marathon. The same company is believed to have extended its support for Tabal in Ottawa.
“I am very happy for her,” Juico said. “But we have not received her results in Canada. But this is good news for the Philippines.”
“But she must be a national team member before finalizing her inclusion on the Olympic delegation,” Juico added.
Also qualified for Rio are boxers Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon, table-tennis player Ian Lariba, taekwondo jin Kirstie Elaine Alora and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.