by Marian Gladys Baring, Asst Sports Editor
Michael Jerome Limpag, Sports Editor
Leading the gold medal winners was an athlete who came to the finals with the least confidence among the participants, Daniel Noval of Mandaue City...
“Mga dagko, tag-as, mga bag-o ug nawng tanan. I was the smallest finalist. Nitalaw ko nagtan-aw nila. Nakaingon ko na bisag second or third ra gyud ko ani,” he said.
But what really pushed him yesterday was when his coach, Ilde Banzon, told him, “Kung mutalaw ka, ayaw nala’g duwa.”That prompted him to shake off the jitters and give his all in that short but straining run.
The 5’ 4” sprinter made his Palaro dream come true with a time of 11.04 seconds, a millisecond away from equalling Navaja’s record. Navaja ended his Palaro campaign as the fastest man in 2008 when he made the record last year. That time, Noval came in at fourth place.
Noval, the son of a carenderia vendor, said his training at the Marcelo Fernan bridge paid off big time.
“My training ground is the second bridge. I run that bridge everyday,” he said.
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