MARY Joy Tabal has broken the half-marathon Philippine record.
Back in February 2008, Mercedita Manipol-Fetalvero set the 21K mark by clocking one hour, 18 minutes and 45 seconds. Last year during the Adachi Goshikizakura Half Marathon in Tokyo, our very own Joy Tabal beat that record by one second! Joy timed 1:18:44. And then last Sunday, joining the Scotiabank Ottawa Half-Marathon race in Canada, she erased more than two minutes from her previous mark, clocking 1:16:28. In Joy’s Facebook page, a screengrab was posted of the race results: She was first out of 6,276 female participants and ranked 8th overall among 11,502 male and female runners. Thanks to her coach Philip Dueñas and to Jonel Borromeo and Motor Ace for the all-out support.
MILAN. Named after the famous Italian city that is acknolwedged as one of the world’s fashion and design capitals, Milan Melindo is a hero. As pointed out by Atty. Jingo Quijano two days ago, the new IBF light flyweight champ is still in disbelief, amazed at how his patience has resulted in his being crowned the world’s best 108-lb. fighter. His victory at the ripe age of 29 is a testament to his grit and determination. It’s also a recognition of the ALA Boxing Gym’s stamina and resolve, always giving opportunities to their boxers. Kudos to the father and son Aldeguer tandem (Tony and Michael) for their twin world champions, Milan and Donnie Nietes. I saw the photo of Milan and Manny Pacquiao taken last Friday when the new champ visited the Elorde Boxing Gym and I’m sure his victory will inspire our fighting senator for his July 2 bout.
GIRO D’ LUCA. In Italian, the word “Giro” means tour. That’s why the recently-concluded Giro d’Italia means Tour of Italy. Last Friday to Sunday in Bohol, there was the “Tour of Gianluca.” Named after the Ironman finisher Gianluca Giudicelli, it’s three days of biking to cover a total of 500 kms. On Day 1 (last Friday), it was 200 kms. The next day, 140 kms. And last Sunday, 160 kms. You may choose to bike one or two days or, for the hard-core cyclists, the full three days. This event is perfectly-timed not only during Gianluca’s birthday (a few days ago) but also because it coincides with the finish last weekend of the Giro d’Italia — the country where Gianluca hails from. I’ll be writing a full-length piece on the event soon.
ROLAND GARROS. From Canada (Tabal) to Japan (Milan’s victory) to Italy (Gianluca), the focus for tennis is in France. For two weeks, it’s the only major championship played on clay.
If you’re a SkyCable subscriber, it’s unlike the bad news of the non-showing of the Basketball TV channel; for tennis fans, here’s good news: SkyCable has two channels (304 and 305) that provide live coverage of the French Open.