NOT even the stinging pain on her calf could stop Myla Pablo from bringing Petro Gazz who's on the cusp of a first-ever PVL All-Filipino crown.
Even during her F2 Logistics stint in 2023, the 31-year-old winger had to play the nagging calf injuries which eventually led to limited minutes throughout her time as a Cargo Mover.
The same calf pain struck Pablo during the Angels’ four-set semifinals loss to Choco Mucho and had to carry it through their semis-ending win over Akari and in Game 1 of the PVL Finals against Creamline — one they won in five sets.
READ: Petro Gazz nears PVL title as it outlasts Creamline in five sets
“Nu’ng Choco Mucho pa ‘tong calf ko eh,” said Pablo.
“Wala naman kaming choice sa mga next games kasi kailangan talaga mgmaging healthy yung mga katawan namin and matapos ‘tong conference na ‘to na walang injury.”
While Pablo’s return to form has been integral to the Angels’ run to the finals, what allowed her to still run the course in pain was the leniency their coaches gave in terms of not being pressured to perform when their bodies aren’t primed to play yet.
“Yun din maganda sa coaches namin, sinasabihan kami ng mga coaches namin kung kaya ba namin maglaro ganyan, kung hindi, ilalabas ka,” said Pablo.
“Naging maganda na rin nu’ng fifth set na ginawan ng paraan ni coach [Koji Tsuzurabara] na si Aiza [Maizo-Pontillas] din yung mas ginagamit kasi di ko naman iaalay ‘tong calf ko kung may injury.”
What keeps Pablo going? The desire to cross the finish line as she believes that the Angels didn’t get this far just to get this far.
“‘Di ako satisfied sa performance ko this Game One kasi medyo may nafi-feel ako sa calf ko nga. Sabi ng mga teammates ko, 'My, last push na sa Thursday. Ilaban na natin,’” said Pablo.
“Kung ako nga, pinu-push ako ng teammates ko, so bakit ako hindi ko ipush yung sarili ko para makuha namin yung [championship] on Thursday?”
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