Marestella Torres-Sunang

Last updated

Marestella Torres-Sunang
Marestella Sunang (cropped).jpg
Sunang in 2016
Personal information
Birth nameMarestella Renido Torres
Nationality Filipino
Born (1981-02-20) February 20, 1981 (age 44)
San Jose, Negros Oriental
Height157 cm (5 ft 2 in) (1.57 m) (2015)
Weight56 kg (123 lb) (2015)
SpouseEliezer Sunang
Sport
CountryFlag of the Philippines.svg Philippines
Sport Track and field
Event Long jump
Retired2022
Achievements and titles
Personal best6.72 m (2016)
Medal record
Women's Athletics
Representing Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
Event1st2nd3rd
Asian Athletics Championships 111
Asian Beach Games 001
Southeast Asian Games 402
Total514
Asian Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Guangdong Long Jump
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2005 Incheon Long Jump
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Colombo Long Jump
Asian Beach Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2016 Da Nang Long Jump
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2005 Manila Long Jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima Long Jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Vientiane Long Jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 Palembang Long Jump
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2015 Singapore Long Jump
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2017 Kuala Lumpur Long Jump

Marestella "Mariz" Renido Torres-Sunang OLY (born February 20, 1981) is a Filipino long jumper.

Contents

Career

Torres-Sunang started long jumping in 1994 in Negros Oriental. Her talent was recognized by her teachers but she often trained on a limited budget, doing jumps on rice husks rather than a proper sand pit. [1]

Torres-Sunang finished fourth at the 2002 Asian Championships and won the silver medal at the 2005 Asian Championships. [2] She also competed at the 2005 World Championships without reaching the final. She also participated in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. In 2009, she surprisingly won the 2009 Asian Championships with a leap of 6.51 m.

Her personal best jump of 6.71 m, achieved at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Palembang, is currently the Southeast Asian Games Record.

Torres-Sunang finished 22nd of 32 at the 2012 London Olympic Games, failing to advance to the final.[ citation needed ]

On April 7, 2016, Torres-Sunang, who came from maternity with the help of her coach and sponsor James Michael Lafferty and nutritionist-wife Carol Lafferty, won the gold medal in the women's long jump event of the 2016 Ayala-PATAFA Philippine National Open Invitationals held at the Philsports Arena. She registered a 6.60 m jump in her 5th attempt, falling 10 centimeters short from the Olympic qualifying standard. [3] [4]

In May 2016, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) formally accepted the nomination made by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) for the universality slot of Torres-Sunang in the 2016 Summer Olympics. [5] However, the slot was junked after the inclusion of marathon runner Mary Joy Tabal in the Rio-bound Philippine delegation. [6]

In July 2016, Torres-Sunang achieved the Olympic qualifying standard in the Women's Long Jump in the Kazakhstan Open and setting a new national record of 6.72 meters, thus making it into the Rio Olympics. This would be the third straight and the final Olympic appearance for the Filipina long jumper, who is the most senior member of the national contingent. [7] [8]

Personal life

She is married to a fellow Filipino athlete, shot putter Eliezer Sunang with who she has a son. [9]

Personal bests

(Outdoor)

(Indoor)

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
2002 Asian Athletics Championships Colombo, Sri Lanka 3rdLong Jump 6.40 m
2002 Asian Games Busan, South Korea 6thLong Jump 6.08 m
2003 Asian Athletics Championships Manila, Philippines 4thLong Jump 6.34 m SB
2003 Afro-Asian Games Hyderabad, India 5thLong jump 6.29 m
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 15thLong Jump 6.46 m
2005 Asian Athletics Championships Incheon, South Korea 2ndLong Jump 6.63 m
2005 Southeast Asian Games Manila, Philippines 1stLong Jump 6.47 m
2006 Asian Games Doha, Qatar 6thLong Jump 6.25 m
+0.2
2007 Southeast Asian Games Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 1stLong Jump 6.31 m
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 34thLong jump 6.17 m
+0.8
2009Vietnam Open Hanoi, Vietnam 1stLong Jump6.45 m
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 29thLong Jump 6.22 m
2009 Asian Athletics Championships Guangzhou, China 1stLong Jump 6.51 m
2009 Southeast Asian Games Vientiane, Laos 1stLong Jump 6.68 m
2010 Asian Games Guangzhou, China 4thLong Jump 6.49 m
+1.1
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 21stLong Jump 6.31 m
2011 Asian Athletics Championships Kobe, Japan 5thLong Jump 6.34 m
2011 Southeast Asian Games Palembang, Indonesia 1stLong Jump 6.71 m NR
2012Bangkok Asian Grand Prix Bangkok, Thailand 3rdLong Jump6.37 m
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 22ndLong jump 6.22 m
2014 Asian Games Incheon, South Korea -Long Jump NM
2015 Southeast Asian Games Kallang, Singapore 3rdLong Jump 6.41 m
2016 Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 28thLong jump 6.22 m
2016 Asian Beach Games Danang, Vietnam 3rdLong jump 6.22 m
2016 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships Doha, Qatar 8thLong jump 6.03 m
2017 Asian Athletics Championships Bhubaneswar, India 5thLong Jump 6.20 m
2017 Southeast Asian Games Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 3rdLong Jump 6.45 m
2018 Asian Games Jakarta, Indonesia 9thLong Jump 6.15 m
2019Southeast Asian Games Test Event Tarlac, Philippines 1stLong Jump6.20 m
2019 Southeast Asian Games Tarlac, Philippines 4thLong Jump 6.16 m
2021 Southeast Asian Games Hanoi, Vietnam 7thLong Jump 5.92 m

References

  1. Reyes, Lai S. (December 7, 2019). "Three-time olympian Marestella Sunang is still a milk drinker at 40". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  2. Asian Championships - GBR Athletics
  3. Leyba, Olmin (April 8, 2016). "Marestella flashes vintage form, boosts Rio bid". The Philippine Star . Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  4. "Torres falls 10cm shy of Rio norm". Philippine Daily Inquirer . April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  5. Co, Adrian Stewart (May 6, 2016). "Long-jumper Torres–Sunang gains Olympics seat". Panay News. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  6. David, Jean Russel V. (June 17, 2016). "Marathoner Tabal officially Rio-bound". Manila Times . Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  7. Terrado, Reuben (July 4, 2016). "Marestella Torres punches ticket to Rio by surpassing Olympic standard in last-ditch attempt". Sports Interactive Network Philippines . Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  8. "Marestella Torres-Sunang vows to make third Olympics her best". Rappler . August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  9. Terrado, Reuben (April 8, 2016). "Husband sets aside own athletic career to help Marestella Torres book ticket to Rio". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved May 28, 2022.