Tabal braces for SEAG title defense
CEBU, Philippines — Cebuana Olympian Mary Joy Tabal is determined to extend her reign and claim her second straight gold medal in the women’s marathon event of the 30th Southeast Asian Games on December 6 at the New Clark City in Tarlac.
“I have no target time to finish, what matters is I get that back-to-back gold. Makita ra unya na inig dagan. There is a lot of factors like adrenaline rush, so it’s hard to go for a record time,” said Tabal in a press conference yesterday at the MotorAce office in Gorordo Avenue.
Tabal sees the runners from Vietnam and Thailand as her closest rival during the race.
Tabal admitted that she feels a little pressure as she will try to win the gold medal in her own soil.
“I still feel nervous because of the overwhelming expectations from our own kababayans, but I am also inspired to win for the country,” Tabal said.
Tabal, who trained for five-months in Japan, hopes to gain an advantage as she is more familiar with the race course.
Tabal’s trainer John Philip, for his part, is confident that the Cebuana can deliver another gold.
Meanwhile, there is a big possibility that Tabal will skip the opening ceremony to get an ample time to rest and be ready for the competition.
- Latest
