Previously playing sepak takraw, Nicole Tabucol and Crystal Cariño nabbed a bronze medal at the Asian Youth Games in a different sport—teqball.
Preparation has always been the backbone of success in sports.
But for Nicole Tabucol and Crystal Cariño, that isn’t necessarily true.
Tabucol, 17, and Cariño, 15, had only started out playing teqball earlier this year, when a coach introduced them to the sport with a competition in Tarlac last July.
Months later, they’re now the proud owners of bronze medals from the recently concluded 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, where they stamped class on the host country in a dramatic battle for bronze match last October 23.
The two players had previously played sepak takraw. But when they were presented the chance to play teqball, which involved similar movements, both athletes were willing to make the switch.
“Yung skills po ng teqball, skills din ng sepak takraw,” Tabucol told One Sports during the recent presentation of Asian Youth Games medalists in Parañaque.
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But representing the national team in an entirely different sport was an unfamiliar challenge for both Pangasinan natives. That is, there wasn’t really anything going for them that would’ve pointed to the chance to play in Bahrain.
Still, they were ready to step up to the challenge.
“Unexpected po,” Cariño admitted.
A new path
Now that they’ve had a taste of teqball action, Tabucol and Cariño said that they’re looking to continue on this path. Measuring themselves up against more seasoned athletes in the sport, they believe that they have what it takes to push themselves even better.
“Magtuloy tuloy po [kami] ng teqball,” said Tabucol.
“Marami pa po kaming pagkukulang sa laro and madami pa po kaming matututunan at babalik po kaming malakas,” added Cariño.
Tabucol and Cariño were among the medalists who received monetary incentives from the Philippine Sports Commission, and the Philippine Olympic Committee for their performances. They are also set to receive new iPhones.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.