IF THERE is any leader fit to elevate a comeback-primed track and field squad, it would be none other than Southeast Asia’s long jump queen: Marestella Torres.
Once gracing the stages of international competitions, the three-time Olympian produced a lengthy and distinguished long jump career—notably setting the Southeast Asian Women’s long-jump record of 6.71m.
After retiring in 2022, Torres entered the Eagles’ nest as a coach for the Ateneo Track and Field Team (ATF), spawning a force of persevering athletes ready to personify brilliance in their respective competitions.
A fighter and a leader throughout her life, Coach Marestella continues to guide the ATF as the team gears up for the upcoming University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88. With her experience, she aims for their campaign to be painted in honorable medals.
Olympic dreams to reality
Torres emerged from humble beginnings as a spirited kid in the streets of San Jose, Negros Occidental. An active youth from the jump, she shared her routine of walking a steep eight-kilometer path to attend her classes at Siapo Elementary School.
“Kami kasi dati, like ako, naglalakad ako […] from bahay to school, four kilometers. So nilalakad namin ‘yun, kaya everyday balikan, sobrang layo,” Torres said, reflecting on her childhood’s rough circumstances.
(Before, I used to walk from my house to school for four kilometers. So we walked that distance every day, back and forth. It was very far.)
Her active lifestyle, however, turned into something bigger in fifth grade after a teacher encouraged the youth to join Siapo’s athletics program. Torres shared that the institution at that time lacked facilities for popular sports. However, given her physical inclination and her family’s financial situation, she still sought to pursue the opportunity.
“[Ito] din ang makakatulong para sa akin, kasi […] pagdating ng araw, hindi rin naman kaya [ng mga magulang ko na] magpaaral kasi mahirap rin lang kami,” she said.
(This was going to help me because I knew when the time came, my parents wouldn’t be able to send me to school because we were poor.)
From there, the young Marestella grew a passion for the long jump, competing in multiple tournaments throughout elementary and high school. The most notable athletic stint in this stage of her life was Palarong Pambansa, where she attained gold finishes for Central Visayas. Upon entering her senior year, she transferred to Mindoro after receiving sponsors, bringing the glory this time to the Southern Tagalog Regional Athletics Association.
Torres soon joined the Far Eastern University track and field team in college, where she won four consecutive gold medals in the collegiate division and caught the attention of the Philippine national team. With earnest eyes, the bemedalled student-athlete owed her success to her supporters and her aspirations of representing the country under the brightest lights. To this day, her UAAP record remains unbeaten.
“When I was in elementary, I just knew the highest competition in the world was the Olympics. So I [have always] dreamed that someday I could compete [there],” Torres reflected.
The long jump legend proceeded to compete in multiple global tournaments, becoming a four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist. Additionally, Torres’ aspirations materialized through hard work, as she became a three-time Olympian in 2008, 2012, and 2016.
Looking back, Torres shared that she still bears the perennial joy of having represented the nation, forever holding a smile for bringing honor to the country.
A pit of wisdom
With a fabled run marked in the history of Philippine sports, the Olympian set her horizons anew in 2022, turning a new leaf as a member of the ATF coaching staff. The retired athlete initially questioned her ability to coach but realized that departing knowledge to aspiring athletes was an essential responsibility.
“Napaka-importante, kung baga, kung meron kang knowledge, bakit hindi mo i-share? I-share mo para in [the] future, meron din magsusunod para sayo,” Torres uttered.
(It is very important, so to speak, if you have the knowledge, why don’t you share it? Share it so that in the future, there will be someone who can fill your shoes.)
Approaching her fourth year as a tactician in the Ateneo, Torres says that a handful of seasoned veterans departed from the athletics team. Nonetheless, she remains hopeful of the team’s future performances, especially with their offseason stints such as the Philippine National Games.
The eager mentor has centered practice on polishing the Blue Eagles’ skills on the track, making sure that the speed and power of the members out-level the performances of last season. “Dini-develop namin ‘yung speed muna, sa baga, mabilis lang sila mag-catch up, kailangan talaga [lang] palakasin ‘yung katawan,” the coach affirmed.
(We are first developing the speed of the athletes. And actually, they will catch up quickly. They just need their bodies to be strengthened.)
As a mother of one, Torres pinpointed the parallels between motherhood and mentorship, particularly in cultivating discipline and patience during training. In 2013, Torres left the long jump scene for a year amid her pregnancy, which coincided with the peak of her professional career. Facing maternal hardships, the mother remained committed to training vigorously, eventually going back into competition only after one and a half months.
“As an Olympian, grabe ‘yung self-discipline. Kung baga, in my twenty-four years in [the] national team, ‘yung track and field, kung wala kang disiplina doon, hindi mo kakayanin ang lahat,” Marestella acclaimed.
(As an Olympian, the self-discipline is intense. In my twenty-four years on the national team in track and field, if you do not have discipline then you won’t be able to handle anything.)
“Kailangan magkaroon ka rin ng acceptance sa mga failure, kasi hindi naman [kapag] mag-fail ka ngayon ‘ayoko na, quit,’” she added.
(You also need to be able to accept failures, it should not be that when you fail right now, you would want to quit already.)
With years of world-class experience under her belt, Marestella has molded herself into a stronghold of wisdom and work ethic in the sphere of athletics. In marking her legacy, she has faced every outcome imaginable in competition: the pain brought forth by failures and the embracing touch of victory.
Hoping to reinvigorate the squad’s UAAP jumpers, the coach has remained bullish in sending the team in the direction of triumph, expecting the ATF to capture medals in their competitions. Thus, the Queen of the Long Jump is determined to guide the Blue Eagles, hoping to one day pass on the crown to the future tracksters of the nation.
