Champion makes mother's dream a reality

CEBU, Philippines - For a mother who had to deal with a kid who needed special care, Lynbel Monzon never expected that her son will be able to achieve something great, but she never lost hope.

Kenneth Monzon, who was once diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), was hailed as the fastest man in the 16th Milo Little Olympics (MLO) - Visayas Regional Finals after dominating the 100-meter run yesterday with a time of 11.30 seconds.

“I never expected that Kenneth will get such achievement. All we know is that we are here to support him in all his endeavors in life,” Monzon said.

Kenneth defended the title he won last year.

He said that he was able to get the gold medal because of his mother.

“I’m inspired by my mom, who has been very supportive to me. She is always there in every game that I participated in. In every run that I make, I offered it to my mom and to God,” said Kenneth.

His mother said that sports really helped her son overcome the disorder. She was able to see the improvement that his son got from joining the athletics squad of the University of Cebu.

“When he was a kid, he was diagnosed with ADHD but when he entered into the sports world through athletics, he was able to outgrow it. I believed that his achievement was caused by his great self-esteem,” she said.

In every competition he’s participating, his dad always gives him advices. His father, who is in Guam, never fails to call him before his games.

“My dad always tells me, that I should not be complacent, that I should always pray to God and believe in myself. I should not be intimidated with what other people will say against me because it’s me who will run, not them,” Monzon said.

“They also assured me that win or lose they will always be here for me. My dad keeps on telling me that I should be gracious in defeat,” he added.

Aside from being the fastest man, the 17-year old senior high school student also bagged the gold medal in the 200-meter run with a 23.45 seconds clocking and he anchored their 4x100 relay’s triumph.

Monzon was very satisfied with his performance this year, which is also his last inclusion of the prestigious multi-sporting event, because he was able to break his personal records as he was encouraged by his coach, Eldie Banzon.

“My striding lengths now is like that of the horse compared before, it’s like a damaged motorcycle. My rigid training helped me a lot,” said Monzon, who is a good example for an athlete who was not only able to balance sports and academics at the same time deal with a disorder not experienced by other regular athletes.

“We are happy with our son’s achievement now. We will never stop supporting him in all his activities. And we will do so until we die,” his mother ended. - THE FREEMAN