SPORTS
JANUARY - JULY 2020 | PAGE 26
VOLUME 34 DOUBLE ISSUE
Ran Abdilla: A SEA Games silver medalist Donning the Philippine flag with Patriot spirit by Christine Marie Romero Photo by Rona Santarin
Alnakran Abdilla had a plethora of awards and recognitions attached to his name, and has continued to do so ever since his departure from DLSU-D in 2013. The spiker had visited big local leagues such as the Spikers’ Turf, Premiere Volleyball League, and the highly-awaited Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). Getting to his Spikers’ Turf career peak as a top hitter for the Philippine Air Force, he has continued to turn heads in the international picture with a historic silver medal finish in the recently concluded SEA Games Men’s Volleyball tournament. As smooth as it may sound though, his journey towards these exceptional milestones isn’t as easy as how he makes his tenacious spikes look easy on court. Stepping into the volleyball court Abdilla first entered the world of sports as a basketball player. Though being a little short for the game, Abdilla had a good support system in his grandfather figure who encouraged him to play the game, a person he considers a grandfather figure encouraged him to try volleyball. The transition proved easy with the Abdilla, as he came from a volleyball-inclined family. Abdilla got his first taste of competitive volleyball during his third year in high school. Though a late bloomer, Abdilla lead his high school team in a victorious Palarong Pambansa where he became a Tawi-Tawi pride. This feat lead to a certain number of universities eyeing Abdilla. Numerous attainments in the field during his stay in the university, including three consecutive Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) - Nationals, two National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA), and three Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (UCAA) championships, did not stop Abdilla from continuing to pursue volleyball after college and soar for bigger achievements. It sure reflected in the number of trophies and plaques he displayed in his home which he shared and even joked, “wala pa ‘yan, ‘di pa ‘yan lahat.” In 2015, however, the wing spiker suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee which took him almost two years to recover from, as his team, Philippine Air Force, could not finance his operation immediately. Keeping an optimistic mindset, he took it as a challenge: “kasi ‘pag iniisip mo, wala ka nang ia-angat. Hanggang doon [ka] na lang. Hindi ka na magle-level up.” Proving his power and perseverance, Abdilla returned back in action at the 2017 Spikers’ Turf Reinforced Conference with a most valuable player (MVP) award over other renowned volleyball players in the country, including those from University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) schools. It was even followed by another top individual award in 2019 in the mentioned first-ever league that is dedicated to men’s volleyball. But the 6-foot-1 Mindanao pride also aimed more than that. He has been securing a spot in the national team since he was in second year college in an attempt to bring home a history for the country’s men’s volleyball, but he was not successful in the past years. “Dito sa Pinas, wala na akong kailangang patunayan pa. Kaya tumatak sa isip ko na dapat sa international leagues naman.”
Road to SEA Games historical medal The go-to hitter of the national men’s volleyball team during the 2014 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship in Manila and 2017 SEA Games shared that just before the most recent SEA Games, he was about to retire from the indoor volleyball scene to focus more on beach volleyball. But the squad’s head coach, Dante Alinsunurin, encouraged him to still play to complete its powerful
lineup together with Ateneo De Manila University’s Marck Espejo, National University’s Bryan Bagunas, and other younger UAAP star players. The team only had six months for preparation but their eagerness to win helped them shock and cruise past the fourtime defending champion, Thailand, in the 30th SEA Games semifinals and entered the championship round after 42 long years. Reminiscing how surreal that moment was, Abdilla even described the win as a miracle. He added, “no’ng nanalo kami do’n, feeling namin champion na kami. Iba ‘yong feeling na natalo mo ang isang powerhouse team.” What’s more mind-blowing in that game, according to the La Salle pride, was the crowd consisted of thousands of Filipinos cheering for them, which was unusual for men’s volleyball in the country. “Sa tingin ko ‘yong nagpalakas ng morale namin ay ‘yong
“Ngayon, hindi pa rin ako dapat makuntento. Dapat palaging maging gutom na mag-level up.” crowd. Iba ‘yong feeling na nakikita mong pati ‘yong crowd lumalaban … palagi kasi kaming napag-iiwanan ng women’s [volleyball],” he shared, considering that one of their main goals in the tournament was to also lift the market of men’s volleyball in the Philippines. Unfortunately, their team fell short against Indonesia in the final round, ending with a historic silver medal finish. “More exposure and trainings pa sana sa ibang bansa. Isipin mo, ang Thailand, ilang beses lumalabas ng bansa sa isang taon, pero natalo natin sila,” Abdilla said regarding his hopes for the sport. In line with this, their recent success immediately bore fruit as there are already upcoming international trainings for the team. Pushing past the limits Realizing the life changes he has gotten through his volleyball success, the stellar spiker described the sport as the other half of his life. He emphasized the fact that other than being able to play his passion, he also earns to afford his family’s necessities such as a decent home and other stuff. But Abdilla never settles for anything that he has in the present and, as usual, aims for more. The always-driven athlete has already succeeded in playing volleyball, entered coaching, been invited as guest speaker in local leagues, and now, he eyes for more opportunities to play internationally. “Ngayon, hindi pa rin ako dapat makuntento. Dapat palaging maging gutom na mag-level up,” he said.
Ran Abdilla has always been motivated to push through his goals, with the help of his tough support system. Having his wife, Charm Abdilla, and two children who always have his back, made it much easier for the volleyball star to attain all that he has now and continue to improve on his career. “Minsan sinasabi ko, ‘wag na kaya ako maglaro? Pero siya (Charm) ‘yong nagpu-push sa ‘kin. Nakikita niya kasi [kung] paano ako mag-ensayo. Pag nag-eextra training ako, sinasamahan niya pa ako. Hanggang ngayon, gano’n pa rin siya,” he shared regarding his all-support wife, who was also once a part of the DLSU-D volleyball team. *** Throughout Abdilla’s ups and downs in the volleyball scene, one thing he would like to impart to the current DLSU-D and other non-UAAP school athletes is to always work hard and push past their limits. “Hindi hadlang ang hindi pagiging UAAP player kung desidido ka na makamit ‘yong goal mo,” he imparted. Emphasizing how his perseverance pushed him to be the volleyball sensation in the country as he is now, Abdilla advised, “Pagpatuloy lang nila (aspiring athletes) ‘yong pangarap nila. Hangga’t ‘di mo pa nakukuha ‘yong gusto mo, ‘wag kang titigil.”