CEBU CITY – She may not have clinched the gold medal, but a Grade 7 student from Leyte won the hearts of the crowd at the 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City on Thursday, July 11.
Chrishia Mae Tajarros, a 13-year-old student of Matag-ob National High School in Matag-ob, Leyte, became emotional after winning the silver medal in the secondary girls’ 3,000-meter competition at the Cebu City Sports Center Track Oval. She also bagged the first medal for Eastern Visayas.
Her coach, Darlyn Rea Azucenas, shared in a media interview that Tajarros is accustomed to running barefoot. “They are used to running barefoot even when they joined the ASEAN Games in Vietnam. They feel that they run faster when they are not wearing spikes,” she said.
Tajarros finished the race with a time of 10:39.72, following Asia Paraase from Central Visayas (Region 7), who finished the race in 10:27.36. Paraase won the first gold medal in the entire sporting event this year.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane Pagayon from Davao Region finished in third place with a time of 10:52.72. By Marie Tonette Marticio (EV Mail July 8-14, 2024 issue)
