Marathoner Tabal reinstated by PATAFA for SEA Games
BACK ON THE TEAM. Mary Joy Tabal is allowed to compete at the Southeast Asian Games after a contentious, public dispute with the Philippines' track and field body. File photo by PJ Estan/Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) has reinstated Olympian marathoner Mary Joy Tabal for the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
According to a statement sent by PATAFA, it is granting the reinstatement request of Tabal after she allegedly agreed in an email dated June 14 to the several conditions they set in an email.
(READ: PATAFA sets conditions for Tabal's reinstatement)
The PATAFA statement said Tabal has agreed to several conditions starting with committing to comply with all of PATAFA's rules and regulations as well as agreeing to having Rene Herrera as her official national coach.
Herrera is a 5-time SEA Games gold medalist in 3000-m steeplechase. He placed 41st in the 5000-m in the 2012 London Summer Olympics. He also placed 8th in the Inchon International Half Marathon and 73rd in the World Half Marathon Championships. Tabal recently posted a new Philippine record of 1:16:28 in the ScotiaBank Ottawa Half Marathon in Canada.
The PATAFA statement, however, stated that Tabal is allowed to bring her own technical staff to the SEA Games competition.
Tabal is currently in Italy, where she is continuing her training set by long-time coach John Philip Duenas, Akio Usami, and Giuseppe Giambrone, who is heading the Tuscany training camp, which she started last April.
Tabal has credited her training in Italy as one of the factors which helped her bring home the crown and record in Canada.
Upon her arrival on August 9, PATAFA further stated that Tabal will immediately report to the PATAFA office and regularly thereafter.
PATAFA also said that Tabal made a statement that she never spoke negatively against the athletics governing body and has declared that she is withdrawing her February 17, 2017 letter to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
PATAFA also said that Tabal will continue with her "training program designed by her present technical staff and will submit the same to PATAFA and PSC, through PATAFA, in accordance with long-standing rules."
In the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, Tabal clinched a silver medal in her first time competing at the biennial meet. – Rappler.com
