Filipino netters cope with Lariba absence

MANILA, Philippines - With top player Ian Lariba on the sideline, members of the Philippine table tennis team to the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in August are struggling to keep their focus on the difficult task on hand.

Lariba, the first table tennis player from the Philippines to make it to the Olympics, was diagnosed with leukemia more than two weeks ago.

And while officials of the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP) would like to keep her in the lineup, the circumstances have forced them to take the proper action.

“Up to the last minute, we did not want to take her name off the list. But we had to name a replacement,” said TATAP president Ting Ledesma yesterday.

Ledesma told the PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel that the rest of the SEAG-bound team have yet to fully recover after they learned of Lariba’s condition.

“We, including the coaches and the association, have been urging the players to keep their focus on the SEA Games. We had to constantly remind them this,” said Ledesma.

“It’s Yanyan (Lariba) that’s on their mind. They want to see her and visit her and find ways to help her. But we keep on telling them to continue the fight,” he added.

The TATAP chief reiterated the call for help for Lariba, and so far there’s been an outpouring of support for the veteran of the Rio Olympics and graduate of De La Salle University.

Ledesma is hoping and praying that Lariba hurdles the biggest fight of her life, and if her condition permits, they would take her to Kuala Lumpur to provide the inspiration to the team.

“That would be nice. We hope she gets well and if she could, then we will take her to the SEA Games,” said Ledesma.

Seven gold medals will be up for grabs in table tennis in Kuala Lumpur, and Ledesma said the Philippines will be happy to land a medal of any color.

Richard Gonzalez is the last Filipino table tennis player to win a SEA Games medal, a silver medal during the 2015 edition in Singapore.