Tabal to represent PH in Adidas KOTR Finals

MARY JOY Tabal brought her winning ways to Manila as she topped the 16.8-kilometer race in last Sunday’s Manila leg of the Adidas King Of The Road (KOTR).

Tabal edged rival Mary Grace delos Santos of Zamboanga in this qualifying race for the Southeast Asian Championships of KOTR in Malaysia slated October. Tabal clocked one hour, seven minutes and 45 seconds en route to the title.

Tabal will be joined by veteran runner Eduardo Buenavista in Malaysia as representatives for the Philippines.

Tabal did not know that Delos Santos joined the race until she saw her at the turning point in the race.

“I tried to push myself harder to keep my lead because I was going up against tough contenders,” she said. “Luckily, I crossed the finish line first.”

Tabal bagged P35,000 including an all-expense paid trip to Malaysia to compete against the winners from Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.  /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL