ARTJOY Torregosa’s difficult life in Las Nieves, a sleepy town in Agusan del Norte, fueled her desire to move to Cebu, egged on by a teammate who encourage her to try her luck at an athletic scholarship.
Now her running skills she discovered and nurtured through the intramurals during grade school sustain her family in Mindanao.
“I was inspired to run because of our situation. My parents could not afford to send me to college. This situation really taught me to strive more and help them, especially my father who needs maintenance medicine for his kidney stone,” she said.
In one of her recent races, the SM2SM run where she pocketed the top prize on March 3, she said she sent the money for her father’s medical needs.
“Every time I win a competition, I give some money to my family. Especially now that my father needs maintenance medicine every month. That’s why I always train hard to win so that I can sustain the maintenance of my father. It makes me feel satisfied every time I help my family; they are the source of my strength and inspiration,” she said.
Like any other intramural player, she dreamt of becoming successful but poverty was a hindrance. However, thanks to a teammate who told her that she could qualify for a scholarship to help her achieve her dream of getting a degree.
“I came to Cebu because my teammate told me that there is a school that offers a scholarship,” said Torregosa.
That school is the University of San Carlos. Under the guidance of coach Arvin Loberanis, the fourth-year BS Physical Education major has begun to make a name for herself locally, nationally, and even internationally.
This 24-year-old who’s named after her father “Art” and mother “Joy” won three gold medals in the women’s 5,000-meter, 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter runs in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc., which earned her a spot in the Private Schools Athletic Association national finals, where she also took home the gold in the 5,000-meter run.
Torregosa also won three silver medals at the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships held in March in Ilagan City, Isabela, an impressive feat considering it is the national championships organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association. Her performance there has also put her under the radar for future Southeast Asian Games.
She also had two second-place finishes in the Singapore Sundown Marathon and in the Pattaya Marathon in Thailand, two of her greatest achievements.
“My inspiration always comes from my family, especially my mama and papa, who always say, ‘Paningkamot gyud lang kay pobre ra ta,’” said Torregosa, whose resolve was tested just this year.
Torregosa suffered an injury in January after winning her first full marathon at the Cebu City Marathon 2024, and seemed destined to skip the SM2SM Run 12 four weeks later. However, thanks to the Asian Orthopedics team who took care of her IT band syndrome and with barely two weeks of training, she won the women’s division, allowing her to send the much-needed prize money to her father.
“I thank God for giving me the strength to overcome all of those challenges that I faced. This sport really helps me to grow and become a better version of myself. In addition to that, this sport will help me in my future success,” she said.