Ian Nietes Lariba was a table tennis player who competed in the women's singles event at the 2016 Summer Olympics Ganes in Athens, Greece. This makes her the first Filipina table tennis player to qualify in the Summer Olympics since its introduction in 1988 as a demonstration sport.
In 2016, Lariba carried the Philippine flag as the delegation's flagbearer for the opening ceremony. She was defeated by Han Xing of the Congo in the preliminary rounds. Lariba led the Philippine team to a first-place finish in Division 4 of the 2014 World Table Tennis Team Championships in Tokyo, Japan, together with Jamaica Sy. She also competed at the 2013 and 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Prior to taking up the sport, Lariba played badminton at a sports complex in Cagayan de Oro but found herself to be too small for the sport at that time.
At the age of 10, coach Noel Gonzales of the Philippine national table tennis team discovered Lariba while playing in the Palarong Pambansa. Lariba was also a varsity player for the De La Salle University. She entered the table tennis team after being scouted in a national competition. She led her team to win the championship at UAAP Season 77 and was awarded a second MVP recognition along with being named UAAP Athlete of the Year. In 2017, Lariba developed leukemia and lived only one more year, dying at age of 23.
In 2016, Lariba carried the Philippine flag as the delegation's flagbearer for the opening ceremony. She was defeated by Han Xing of the Congo in the preliminary rounds. Lariba led the Philippine team to a first-place finish in Division 4 of the 2014 World Table Tennis Team Championships in Tokyo, Japan, together with Jamaica Sy. She also competed at the 2013 and 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Prior to taking up the sport, Lariba played badminton at a sports complex in Cagayan de Oro but found herself to be too small for the sport at that time.
At the age of 10, coach Noel Gonzales of the Philippine national table tennis team discovered Lariba while playing in the Palarong Pambansa. Lariba was also a varsity player for the De La Salle University. She entered the table tennis team after being scouted in a national competition. She led her team to win the championship at UAAP Season 77 and was awarded a second MVP recognition along with being named UAAP Athlete of the Year. In 2017, Lariba developed leukemia and lived only one more year, dying at age of 23.
GAMES
2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro