GIRL power in long-distance running continues to put Cebu on the sporting map, from the era of Olympian Mary Joy Tabal to now the explosive rise of Artjoy Torregosa.
Following the success in major races, the fast-rising Torregosa is taking the same path Tabal once did, and that is to qualify for the world’s biggest sporting stage—the Olympics.
Torregosa, an alumna of the University of San Carlos, reset the women’s national record for the marathon with a time of two hours, 33 minutes and 54 seconds during the 2026 Tokyo Marathon.
Torregosa’s 2:33:54 was nearly 10 minutes faster than the previous women’s 42K record, set by no other than Cebuana Tabal in 2016 at the Ottawa Marathon in Canada.
Her coach, Alvin Loberanis, told this writer that they now aim to get into a running camp in Kenya next year as part of preparation for the Olympic qualifying race.
The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, California.
Tabal became the first Filipina to qualify for the Olympics. She competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
A decade later, Torregosa looks to become the next female runner from Cebu to qualify for the Olympics.
Torregosa is also a gold medalist in the women’s half-marathon event during the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. / RSC
