TABLE tennis icon Ian Nietes Lariba of Cagayan de Oro already fulfilled what she wrote in her high school yearbook before battling with cancer and finally joined her Creator on Sunday, September 2.
Yan-Yan as she was fondly called by her family, friends and the table tennis community had it written when she was graduating from high school at Corpus Christi School, SY 2010-2011.
Albeit quite sentimental, Corpus Christi School owner and director Alfonso del Fierro could not help but showed a copy of the year book.
The complete text says, “Life after school is a lot tougher than life here at school. I’m a girl full of dreams. I simply want to spend my whole life with my family and friends.”
“As an athlete, it was an honor to have been involved in the Sea Games, and it would be much more satisfying to make it to the Olympic Games. With my faith in God, who is the writer of my life, I know I will accomplish my goals.”
Lariba had it all written and accomplished what she dreamt of.
Del Fierro recalled that Lariba was a model student-athlete of the school and she received seven awards during her high school graduation.
She was awarded the athlete of the year, the San Lorenzo Ruiz Y Foundation, National Discipline Award, Outstanding Table Tennis player, Central Student Government Leadership award, Youth for Christ service award and Science Voyagers service award.
On top of that, she was the fourth student to receive the school’s highest distinction which was the Corpus Christi School award.
In 43 years of the school’s existence, she was the last to receive the Corpus Christi School accolade.
Lariba broke to stardom when she became a member of the RP table tennis squad for the SEAG when she was young as 15 years old.
She then suited up for the De La Salle Green Archers when she moved to college in Manila.
A multi-titled table netter in the UAAP, Lariba played with resilience in the national team and finally had her dreams to the Rio Olympics in 2016.
She became the first Filipina table netter to represent the country in the Olympics.
The Oro native was bound for another Sea Games stint last year, but she had to skip it in the last minute as news were spreading over the social media that she was diagnosed for acute Leukemia.
While undergoing chemo therapy, Lariba even made a surprise visit to Del Fierro at the school on December 12, 2017.
She surprised Del Fierro with a Philippine Team shirt she had when she represented the country in the SEA Games.
“She was bubbly, always alive and happy the last time I saw her, pero kami ang naguol sa iyang sitwasyon though we pretended to be happy to see her,” said Del Fierro, mortified at the sight of Lariba being hairless due to the causes of chemo-therapy.
She was reminiscing her student days with teachers and staffs and was even running around the school in jovial mood, but that was the last time they saw her.
On Sunday, the Corpus Christi family mourned after hearing the news that she passed away.
A teary-eyed Pearl Obenza, one of the closest teachers to Lariba, was in a state of disbelief of her passing.
“Yanyan, as an athlete, was the best in her field. She did not settle for less. She’d always been a fighter. She made herself an inspiration to other athletes,” Obenza said.
Lariba died at 23 years old. From Manila, her remains will be brought to St. Peters Oro Gardens in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro on Thursday before her interment on Sunday, September 9, at the Oro Gardens Memorial.
Her words in the yearbook were fulfilled and the rest was written by her Maker. The heavens probably needed an angel like her.