By: Nicole Parallag
CAPAS, Tarlac — Finding inspiration is often the key to achieving one’s dreams.
For National University Nazareth School’s sprinter Kharis Pantonial, having a role model to look up to played a crucial part in his journey to success.
Pantonial woke up Monday morning at the Athletes’ Village in the New Clark City Sports Hub here feeling refreshed.
After competing in the 200-meter dash heats at this season’s UAAP Athletics Championships, a visit from Adamson University’s Dave Tumangan brought him some great news.
“Parang unexpected po. Pagdating po sa dorm namin, natulog po ako tapos ginising po ako ni Kuya Dave. Sabi niya, ‘Uy, na-break mo yung record ko.’ Abot-langit yung saya ko! Grabe, thank you talaga kay Lord!” Pantonial shared, beaming with joy.
“Parang it’s hard to explain po. It’s such a big privilege na ma-break ko po yung record ng mismong tao na nag-motivate po sa akin.”
Pantonial shattered Tumangan’s previous record of 21.99 seconds, set last season, with a new mark of 21.72 seconds.
For the 19-year-old, the feat was unexpected. Originally a hurdler, Pantonial shifted to sprints due to a nagging glute injury that limited his ability to continue jumping events.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“This year lang po, during the Provincial Meet, gusto ko po talaga mag-hurdle, pero pinilit po ako ng coach ko na huwag na. Sabi niya, ‘Kung mag-hurdle ka, parang di mo na maabot yung pangarap mo dahil hanggang dito na lang ang career mo dahil sa injury’,” he recalled.
Taking his coach’s advice to heart, Pantonial found encouragement in Tumangan, who consistently pushed him to aim higher and break records.
“Actually, goal ko po talaga kahapon ma-break yung record ni Kuya Dave Tumangan. Siya po palagi yung nag-iinsist na i-break ko yung record niya. Pero kahapon, short ako ng 0.5 milliseconds,” Pantonial shared, referring to his close attempt at breaking Tumangan’s 100-meter dash record.
With Tumangan’s encouragement and the unwavering support of his NUNS coaches, Pantonial turned what could have been a setback into a momentous achievement.
“Para siyang blessing in disguise. God’s will po talaga,” he said.
Riding on this milestone, Pantonial went on to deliver another record-breaking performance as part of NUNS’s mixed 4×400-meter relay team.
Together with Larry Taripe, Jean Albaciete, and Jamaica Santiago, the Bullpups clocked an impressive 3:43.96, eclipsing the previous record of 3:50.21 set by Adamson University.
Interestingly, that record-breaking relay team also included Tumangan, alongside Athena Besana, Hussein Loraña, and Juvelle Matnog.
