Green Journal: Yan Lariba’s road to Rio

With the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio right around the corner, Lady Paddler Yan Lariba describes how she is gearing up to face the world’s best in Brazil. It has been a new, exciting, and tough journey for the Season 78 Athlete of the Year, yet as Lariba approaches arguably the biggest tournament of her career, the flag bearer for the Philippine Olympic contingent remains confident and composed, dispositions that the Lasallian Olympian has had throughout her stellar UAAP career.

“All is well, all is well.”

Such a simple line yet so meaningful and straight to the point. All is well. All WILL be well. These are the words I usually told myself these past few months, days, and minutes of my journey to the Olympics. Yes, you read it right, Olympics. No need to elaborate. Hearing the word “Olympics” just overwhelms me. It excites me yet it pressures me. It is such a big privilege yet it is a greater responsibility. I say greater responsibility because of the fact and the reality that I have to prepare for it, that I have to train well, that I have to take care of my body, that I have to be ready for the most difficult opponent I will face, and that is myself. Even I still can’t imagine how I would see me standing and playing there in such a huge and rare moment, not just for myself this time, but for the Filipino people.

Yes, now that I’m qualified, the journey to Rio starts now. Okay, six hours training a day, six days a week. This would be my daily routine: Jogging in the morning, then drills, foundation and system plays and match plays, not to mention the recovery hours and of course, eating. I know many of you may not understand how it works in our sport, how technical, mental, and physical it could be, but I tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks.

My everyday routine is my everyday challenge. As they say, “the struggle is real” and so is mine, probably much more. I always have this constant battle to overcome myself physically, emotionally, and most especially, the hardest part, mentally. During my training days, I realized even more that everything goes back to will power, to mental toughness. I even experienced this during my training days in Korea for a month. Every day, every training session is a “mind-over-matter” experience, a roller-coaster kind of thing. There were times when my body wanted to give up already, my legs and muscles trembling because of minutes of speed jogging, my arms numbing up because of long rallies, intense drills, about an hour non-stop many balls, my back aching because of six-hour bending, and my heart pumping very fast and my breath hardly gasping for air just to survive every single training day. But above all these pains and aches, it was the will and mind power that kept me alive.

Day by day, I slowly realized that nothing indeed comes easy. I’ve learned that, for me to achieve something I haven’t reached. I must first do the things I haven’t done before. I have to go out further from my comfort zone and adapt to what we call constant change. Every day is a matter of self-improvement, a matter of overcoming your fears and self-doubts, a matter of overcoming yourself, and winning for yourself.

And now, the opening day of the Olympics is coming closer. Honestly, what I really pray for is for me to perform at my very best, to show the best version of my game, of myself, of everything I got. I hope that as I enter that table at the center, in front of the whole world, I pray that I would be able to feel the flow at that very moment, to give it all and play with joy, with passion and leave everything there with no regrets; for I believe that God did not let this happen to me for no reason. So whatever happens there a few days from now, I know that I will be guided by His grace no matter what. So, all will be well.

ALL IS WELL.