De La Salle University Table Tennis superstar, and now Olympic-bound Yan Lariba has added another milestone to her incredible career, as she has been named the Philippine flag bearer for the 2016 Rio Olympics, which will open on August 5 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The 22-year-old Lariba is the first Filipina in the Olympics for the Table Tennis tournament. She also won the co-Athlete of the Year plum in the UAAP to cap her impeccable collegiate run. And now, she has booked a ticket to the Olympics by storming through the 2016 ITTF Asian Olympics Qualifying Tournament in Hong Kong last April.
Lariba mentioned that she had not expected the honor of carrying the colors of the Philippine flag in the event, but felt humbled for the opportunity to do the task for the country.
“Siyempre hindi ko talaga in-expect. Pero nung sinabi sakin ni sir Joey (Romasanta), na surprise talaga ako.”
“Of course, di na ako tumanggi. Tatanggi pa ba ako, eh once in a lifetime yung opportunity na mapili bilang isang flag bearer tapos sa Olympics pa.”
“So it’s such an honor and a blessing talaga for me. Just grateful and humble rin,” she said.
On Monday, Lariba and the rest of Team Philippines in the Olympics were given a send-off call by President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang.
“Yung tumatak talaga na message ni President Duterte ay yung sinabi niya na just try yung best lang talaga and sabi niya rin na not everybody is given this honor to represent the country, so lubus-lubusin niyo na,” Lariba shared.
As for the preparation, Lariba mentioned that the level of intensity in training had increased for the upcoming games. As having a bigger audience compared to her previous tournaments, the Cagayan de Oro native says she uses this for her mental preparation and much-needed focus to give pride to the PH Republic.
“Mahirap talaga yung preparation, training, and everything. Lalo na yung pag disiplina sa sarili. Maraming sacrifices and hardwork and patience na kailangan talaga,” she said.
“Yung pressure andyan na yan. But for me, I want to take this pressure as a motivation na lalo pang galingan yung training and performance ko dun. Siguro kailangan ko ngayon i-focus yung mental toughness preparation ko since bigger audience yung andun sa Olympics.”
The Philippine Olympians are set to leave for Brazil on July 23, while Lariba will open her Olympic Table Tennis games on August 6. The Olympics will be played until August 21st.
