OLYMPIAN Mary Joy Tabal’s stint in the 27th Southeast Asian Games is in jeopardy.
Officials of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association said this as they get ready to finalize their roster for the Games.
Athletics’ Vice President Nicanor Sering explained that Tabal has been part of the national pool, but only until after she competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics as she quit the team after the games.
“In the case of Tabal, she never asked for reinstatement. So for the record, she is not part of the Philippine team,” said Sering.
Sering said they act on Tabal’s status only if she seeks reinstatement.
The 27-year-old Tabal had earlier publicly expressed her desire to be part of the national team again after she topped the women’s division of the 2017 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend half marathon in record-breaking time last Sunday.
Tabal, who is from Bgy. Guba in Cebu City, reached the finish line in one hour, 16 minutes and 27.4 seconds, to claim her first title in an international race.
Her sponsors agreed to send her back to Italy for intensive training and possibly prepare for the SEA Games, if she is reinstated.
“Now, Motorace Kawasaki is sending me back to Italy for two months, June 8 to August before the SEAGames,” said Tabal.
Her feat in Ottawa allowed her to break the nine-year national record of 1:18.45 Mercedita Manipol-Fetalvero set in 2008.