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 At 12 years old, he already knew what he wanted to do. It was in 1998 in the city of Davao when Rexel Ryan Fabriga was awed by the divers’ twists and turns that ended up gracefully in the water, which was played on VHS by a coach traveling to recruit young diving protégés. He made it to the top six who were chosen among 100 hopefuls in Davao. Little did the coaches know that they had recruited a young man who would eventually be the Philippine bet in platform diving at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Beyond the awe, Ryan knew that diving would be his ticket to helping his family and providing them a more comfortable life. Today at 22, Ryan looks back at how he forced his parents to let him go to Manila to train as a diver and he looks back without a single regret at all. “Pangarap ko talaga, kahit noon pa na iahon yung family ko,” (It has always been my dream to be able to help my family) said the Olympic diver.
Life in Manila and away from his family didn’t come easy for Ryan at first. But he got used to staying at the Rizal Sports Complex and also living with one of the coaches. Ryan shares, “Di ko inexpect na mapapamahal ako sa diving. Marami rin akong kailangan i-sacrifice kasi para rin ‘to sa sarili ko, sa magulang ko at sa bansa.” (I didn’t expect that I would come to love diving. I had to sacrifice a lot but it is worth it because at the end of the day, I don’t only do this for myself, but for my parents and for my country as well.)
Ryan chose to build a niche in platform diving because he loves the height. He finds the thrill in diving from the 10-meter high platform. “Pag nasa platform ako, malawak yung natatanaw ko pag nasa taas,”(I have a broader view of everything when I’m atop the platform) he enthused. As part of his training, he uses a harness and a trampoline to practice his difficult twists, jumps and turns in Laguna under Chinese Coach Zhang Dehu. One dive, as Ryan narrates, takes from six months to one year to master. “It takes discipline, the right amount of rest, preparedness and obedience to what your coach says to become a good diver,” he adds.
Diving is also the reason why Ryan became closer to the Lord. He wasn’t a believer until he had an injury when he was 17. This is when he learned to pray and ask for a quick recovery from his injury. Now, Ryan takes pride in his faith in God, which serves as one of his motivations to be the best he can be.
Family serves as Ryan’s main inspiration in everything he does. “Pag kinakabahan ako sa competition, tinatawagan ko lang yung mama ko. Pag natatakot ako, sinasabi niya na siya na lang daw ang tatalon para sakin.” (When I feel anxious during competitions, I just give my mom a call. Whenever I feel nervous or afraid, she tells me that she’ll willingly be the one to jump for me instead.) Ryan didn’t expect to qualify for the Olympics, but with hard work and support from his family, he successfully landed a spot at this year’s Olympic games.
Before the Olympics, Ryan will go back to his hometown in Davao. He’ll be taking his two siblings with him when he returns to Laguna. This way, Ryan will be able to look out and cover for his siblings’ schooling. “Lahat ng ginagawa ko, para talaga sa kanila.” (Everything I do is really for them.)
Other than his family, Ryan dedicates his achievements to all those who have helped and supported him. “Gusto kong maalala ng mga tao yung mga nagawa ko para sa bansa natin, sa pagiging diver at athlete.” (I want people to remember my contributions to the country, as a diver and as an athlete.)
Ryan Fabriga is one of 11 athletes who will represent the Philippines in the Beijing Olympics this August. He will compete, along with fellow diver Sheila Mae Perez, for the Platform and Springboard diving events in Beijing on August.
Ryan made the country proud when he won two gold medals during the 2003 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held in Vietnam besting platform divers from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. After the Beijing Olympics in August, Ryan plans to continue training to focus on increasing the degree of difficulty of his dives.
In line with the forthcoming Beijing Olympics, Microsoft Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine Olympic Committee, has embarked on a campaign dubbed as Olympinoy, which aims to empower our Filipino athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and providing a channel for all Filipinos to show their support for the Olympians.
“We want to put the spotlight on the greatness of our Filipino athletes. Ryan has triumphed in showing the world what Filipino sportsmen could do and it’s about time we give him due recognition. We embarked on the Olympinoy campaign to honor our athletes and to enjoin all Filipinos in rallying behind Team Philippines,” said Rafael Rollan, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines.
Ryan is happy that a lot of people are helping out athletes like himself through campaigns such as Olympinoy. “Importante yung suporta at pakikiisa ng mga Pilipino at pagtulong sa mga atleta.” (The support and solidarity of Filipinos in helping the athletes are very important to us.)
With his abundant potential and his love for family as his primary motivation, Ryan will surely conquer greater heights in Beijing, and even long after the 2008 Olympic Games have ended. And this he will do, not just for himself, but for the people he loves most.
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