Charlie Tiaño, a native of Barangay Punao and former student of Julio Ledesma National High School (JLNHS) in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, bagged the silver medal for javelin throw in the recent University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85.
Tiaño said he started his career in sports when he was still in the elementary grade at Talave Elementary School, as a track and field athlete, until he made it to the Palarong Pambansa when he was in Grade 11, representing JLNHS, when he was discovered by a coach in Manila.
“When I was in grade 10, I saw how my family struggled with poverty. My father was a machine operator at Hda. Socorro while my mother tended our little store, so I decided to harness my skills in sports so I could reach Palarong Pambansa, thinking that it could be my key to getting a scholarship in college,” he said.
Tiaño then continued his Grade 12 at Adamson University in Manila where he first joined the UAAP Season 81 in 2018-2019, winning the bronze medal for javelin throw.
The 22-year-old track and field athlete is now in his third year in Bachelor of Physical Education at Adamson University, preparing for his time to clinch the gold medal in the next UAAP season.*