Region 8 athletics bet Chrisia Tajarros claims first gold in 2025 Palarong Pambansa
Chrisia Mae Tajarros, 13, is the first gold medalist at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. BEA MICALLER/GMA Integrated News
LAOAG - Eastern Visayas representative Chrisia Mae Tajarros completed her redemption tour after ruling the 3000m secondary girls finals of the 2025 Palarong Pambansa on Monday at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
The 13-year-old runner dominated right from the get-go to bag the first gold in the ongoing Palaro and turn her silver medal outing last year to a gold plum this time around.
Tajarros, a Grade 9 student at the Tanauan National High School in Leyte, finished second in the 2024 edition behind then gold medalist Asia Paraase of Lapu-Lapu City.
"Naiiyak po ako kasi nakuha ko po 'yung gold, hindi po nasayang 'yung training," an emotional Tajarros told reporters after reigning supreme in the 28-woman field.
"Nagpapasalamat po ako kay God kasi narinig niya po 'yung panalangin ko at 'yung mga sacrifices ko sa training. Minsan po kasi sa training naiiyak rin po ako pero ginagawa ko po 'yun na motivation para makuha 'yung gintong medalya sa Palarong Pambansa."
Tajarros' head coach Damaso Olidan Jr., a former boxer and long distance runner, expressed pride in seeing his ward achieve what they have been preparing for since last year.
"Happy na happy po kami. Hindi nasayang 'yung dalawang beses na training sa isang araw kahit umulan o umaraw. Sabi ko lang sa kanya, kung ano man 'yung makukuha natin ngayon, okay lang," Olidan told GMA News Online.
"Dati nanghinayang siya kasi silver medal lang siya last year." —KG, GMA Integrated News
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It was serious, but also I was just being a kid as well at the same time.' Far from his usual life in Muntinlupa, Sandro learned not only about football, but also the challenges of being a Filipino overseas. 'I was forced at a very, very young age to learn about independence. I think [my] life as a kid would have been very different if I was living in the Philippines when I moved at such a young age to Spain,' Sandro said. 'I was just living with my mom and my mom would go home sometimes. So I would also be alone sometimes. And, you know, the life in Europe is very different from Manila. 'There's no car, you have public transport, you just go alone everywhere at such a young age. You take care of yourself, you know, the laundry, the dishes. So just everything in general, it made me grow up much faster, I think, than I would have in Manila.' 'And I think it also really helped me in my football life. For the last three years, [I am] already living alone in Germany, [it's] not an easy country to live in. So Spain prepared me really well for times like this.' Shining moment While in Spain, Sandro would also play for the youth team of the Philippines before he showcased his talent locally in clubs like the Azkals Development Team and Kaya-Iloilo. Now, Sandro is part of German club FC Gütersloh, where he plays professionally. But many of Sandro's shining moments come for the Philippines, like in the recent ASEAN Championships where they reached the semifinals. En route to the semis, Sandro scored one goal against Laos which ended in a 1-1 draw. Days after that, and two days after Christmas, he and the team gift-wrapped for Philippine sports one of its best presents. in the semis of the tourney, the Philippines beat Thailand in football, 2-1, for the first time in over five decades — a drought of 52 years. 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