PHILIPPINE Olympian Ian Lariba provided the inspiration to at least 4,000 young athletes as she graced the opening ceremonies of the 2016 MILO Little Olympics at the Marikina Sports Center recently.
The PH’s flag bearer during the Rio Olympic games and two-time UAAP Athlete of the Year told her young audience the importance of three key things: hard work, striving for more and humility even in times of success.
“You have to work hard, dream big and kahit na malayo na narating ninyo, always remember to be humble,” said Lariba, who was nostalgic during the ceremonies as she was a former MILO Little Olympian herself.
The table tennis star recalled how she was just the same as the aspiring athletes in front of her, that she too first started in various sporting tourneys that helped her hone her skills.
More Little Olympics, please
The 2007 Milo Little Olympian hopes that events like these continue to provide the avenue for kids to showcase their talents.
“Sana sa future dumami pa ‘yung mga events na ganito,” added the 22-year-old, Lariba stressing that friendly competitions such as the Little Olympics can greatly aid the young contingents in their sporting goals.
“Dreams really do come true if you work for it. If you would be determined in what you do, eventually everything will pay off,” added the CDO native whose own dreams were fulfilled when she made it to the Olympics, becoming the first in her sport to represent the Philippines in the greatest sporting spectacle on Earth.
During the opening ceremonies of the Rio games, the weight of the whole moment dawned on her as she was fixated at one single goal—not to drop the huge Philippine flag she was carrying.
The walk was just a couple of paces but for her, the end line seemed a thousand miles away.
“Totoo pala talaga ‘yung mga slow-mo moments,” said Lariba. “Noong pinanood ko na ‘yung replay, ang ikli lang pala talaga (ng lalakarin), ilang seconds lang pero para sa akin sobrang bagal talaga.”
First to battle
The 21-year-old still couldn’t digest the fact that the surreal happened, but after the Rio opener, she still had one daunting task: Be the first PH bet to battle it out against the world.
“Noong nasa gitna na ako ng court sabi ko sa sarili ko na whatever happens, gagawin ko lahat, ibubuhos ko na. Beause it’s really a rare opportunity,” recalled Lariba in her game against Congo’s Xing Han.
“First set palang feel ko na talaga ‘yung kaba ko, iba kase ‘yung atmosphere eh, iba ‘yung aura,” added the DLSU standout who got blanked in that match, 4-0 but still saw a silver lining after her performance.
“Sayang talaga lalo na ‘nung second set, siguro (kapag napanalo ko) maiiba ‘yung momentum,” she said, rueing the crucial set that could’ve spelled a different outcome.
Room for improvement
“It’s a learning experience for me, marami pa talaga akong kailangan i-improve,” she added, stressing that kids at the Little Olympics should also learn from defeat.
“’Yung mga losses, ‘yung mga failures, it’s really part of the journey, kase ‘yan ‘yung makakapag-strengthen sa ‘yo not only as an athlete but also as a person. Based from my experience, losing is part of the learning process, kelangan mo ma-feel ‘yung ganu’ng struggles for you to be stronger. ‘Yun ang gawin mong motivation.”
Lariba lit the cauldron afterwards to officially mark the start of the MILO Little Olympics NCR Leg, symbolizing a bright path ahead for the athletes.
But for the wide-eyed MILO throng, her words of wisdom shone brighter.
