‘Pusog’ to Palaro: Bamboo stick thrower Charles Turla breaks javelin record in 1st-ever event

Not far removed from training with bamboo sticks in his home province Iloilo, potential javelin gem Charles Turla makes his name known with a record-setting throw in his first-ever Palarong Pambansa

CEBU, Philippines – Charles Daniel Turla made waves at the Palarong Pambansa 2024 boys elementary javelin throw after snapping an eight-year-old record with a gold medal-winning 60.26-meter throw on Friday, July 12.

The 12-year-old standout handily beat the previous 57.50m mark of Calabarzon’s Jerick Mendoza in 2017, notably in just his first-ever Palaro appearance.

Achievements like this make it sound like Turla has been around the javelin scene for a long time training with first-class equipment, but it was simply not the case for the pride of San Agustin, Iloilo.

“When we found him in Grade 5 training from a barangay school, he was throwing around bamboo sticks we call ‘pusog,’ old and heavy bamboo, that’s what he was practicing with,” Turla’s coach John Aghon said in Filipino.

“We told him to keep working, keep practicing, so someday you may achieve your dreams, and here we are, we’ve reaped [the reward].”

In a competition where the best throw is tallied as the final result, Turla achieved his top mark in just his third throw out of six total attempts, and even his coaches Aghon and Rommel Gardoce were dumbfounded with the surprising result from their promising ward.

“In practice, he was only hitting 49 meters, and we told him we’d already be happy if you hit 50,” Aghon continued. “But his first throw, he hit 51, and we were surprised. Second throw, he got 52.

“Then he got 60 in the third throw, and we just refused to believe it. It’s like I was flying without wings.”

Aghon and Gardoce beamed with confidence in Turla’s potential moving forward, believing he may just reach national team status and join international competitions like the Southeast Asian Games if he keeps up his work ethic.

“From what I see from his work and his character, he can reach the summit [of competitions] if he keeps it up,” Aghon said. “He has the potential, the body mold, the height, dedication, and self-discipline.”

“He’s a good kid. He obeys his parents, us coaches on our guidance and tips, and his other mentors,” Gardoce added.

It’s long known that bamboo is one of the world’s fastest-growing plants, growing sturdy and tall in a moment’s notice, and nothing could be a more perfect representation of Turla’s sky-high potential. – Rappler.com