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Utmost humility and unwavering faith in God in the form of a prayer clinched the gold for senior Shepherdine Maria Erika Tiad when she produced a gold in the girls’ shot put competition in the 2010 Palarong Pambansa held in Tarlac Recreational Park in San Jose, Tarlac which lasted from April 11 – 17, 2010.
She threw the shot put to become the top woman finisher in the 2010 Palarong Pambansa. “I didn’t think I could win since I wasn’t feeling well the night before the competition,” she said. “But I need to win, to bring prestige and honor to my school and my family… I am extremely happy!" exclaimed an exuberant Tiad.
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Describing her training as difficult yet enjoyable, her exercises included weight training, jumping and running for three hours daily which built her stamina, endurance and staying power for the event.
During the competition, Tiad threw her first shot at 8.61 meters, followed by her 8.66 meters and finally, her 8.94 meters besting her nearest competition from Region VI (Western Visayas) by 0.28 meters who came up short with 8.66 meters throw.
Shot put competitors take their throw from inside a circle 2.135 metres (7 feet) in diameter, with a toe board approximately 4" high at the front of the circle. The shot must land within an angle of approximately 30 degrees. The athlete must rest the shot in between the neck and shoulder and keep it tight to the neck while throwing. At the end of the throw, the thrower must push the throwing arm straight with the thumb pointing down; if the thrower does not push the ball out and throws it like a baseball, the thrower may receive injury. Throwing a shot requires immense strength and power as well as grace and balance; while not as much so as discus, shot put is not merely heaving a metal ball but requires finesse. The shot putters must enter and leave the circle from the rear half of the circle, or a foul is called. The distance thrown is measured from the front of the circle to where the shot lands at its nearest disturbance of the soil.
Each competitor gets a certain number of throws, usually 6 in elite competition, and the competitor with the farthest legal put is declared the winner. In men's competition, the shot weighs approximately 7.26kg (16 pounds). The women's shot weighs 4 kg (8.8 pounds).
The Palarong Pambansa is an annual competion joined by elementary and high school students from the different regions competing in the athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, archery and Arnis, among others.
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