CAGAYAN de Oro table tennis folks revisited the making of Ian Nietes Lariba, arguably the best Filipina paddler of all time.
Dario Hernane, the director of Table Tennis Association of the Philippines in Northern Mindanao, witnessed Lariba’s upbringing in the sport.
Lariba played in a lot of Cotaa-organized tourneys mostly held at Pelaez Sports Center in Cagayan de Oro City before its renovation.
Cotta now finds its permanent home at the former Amphi Theatre in downtown Divisoria.
As a veteran player himself, Hernane knows a talent when he sees one. And he had no doubt then that the young Lariba was a gem of a talent. A raw, uncut diamond waiting to have her break for stardom.
As one of Lariba’s past trainers, Hernane said the scouts from various universities in Manila had their eyes set for the City of Gold’s most promising kid.
“Daghan niduol sa ako asking about her, pero si Yan-Yan gyud ang namili og sakto sa iyang kagustohan,” said Hernane.
Lariba made a mark in the annually-held Palarong Pambansa where she held a record of seven straight gold medals from grade school to high school.
Hernane boldly told Tatap’s scouts and trainers that his ward can beat their best players in Manila.
Apparently, they could not be convinced thinking Hernane was only joking. They told him back that the best table tennis players in the country were already in Manila. Until they themselves saw her play.
Soon Lariba made the cut for the national team to the Southeast Asian Games at the age of 15, shortly before donning the De La Salle University jersey.
With De La Salle in college, Lariba became a multi-titled player in the UAAP Games onward to become the first table tennis player in the country to qualify in the Summer Olympics, specifically the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016.
However, the 23-year-old Lariba’s booming career was cut short when the big C caught up on her.
The local table tennis community was saddened of her passing on Sunday, September 2 at St. Luke hospital in Manila.
Now, they are making preparation for her remains to be brought home in Cagayan de Oro today at the St. Peter’s Funeral in barangay Lumbia.
“Friday na iyang haya dire instead Thursday kay nag-request ang La Salle nga magpa-public viewing didto,” Hernane told SunStar Cagayan de Oro.