PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — After more than two decades, Mary Joy Tabal is back in the Batang Pinoy, this time as the head of the delegation for Mandaue City.

The 35-year-old said this year’s Batang Pinoy felt like a homecoming as she competed in the sportsfest in 2002 as a sprinter.

Tabal is currently a Mandaue City Sports Commission officer and is tending to the needs of the athletes for this year’s Batang Pinoy.

“Batang Pinoy was my first national sporting experience. This is one of the events that opened many opportunities for me,” Tabal said.

“I’m glad to be a product of Batang Pinoy and be here with them.”

While Tabal wasn’t able to win any medals in her stint in the Batang Pinoy, it served as a jumpoff to bigger things.

Tabal would go on to win the gold medal of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in 2017 and got two silver medals in 2015 and 2019 editions of the biennial meet.

But her biggest achievement was becoming the first Filipino Olympic female marathoner as she competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games where she finished at No. 124th with a time of three hours and two minutes and 27 seconds.

Now, she is using her story to inspire the athletes of Mandaue City and urging them to enjoy every second of competing in Batang Pinoy.

“As I launch the grassroots development program in Mandaue City, this is one of the biggest avenues for athletes to be someone. This tournament isn’t just limited to students but also to out-of-school youth as well,” Tabal said.

“This is just part of who they want to become. I’m sharing my story, telling them it’s not about winning but having a love for the game itself. The experience they will get here will be with them when they grow up.”