By Angel Joyce C. Basa

After appearing on noontime television show ‘It’s Showtime,’ Far Eastern University (FEU) Trackster Hana Roxas proudly shared how race walking paved the way in getting through the hardships she faced as a student-athlete and a transgender woman.

Last March 14, the Morayta-based trackster, together with several other varsity athletes, took part in the show’s ‘Laro, Laro, Pick’ segment, where she was asked to demonstrate race walking to the audience.

Following the buzz of Roxas’ demonstration on the show across social media platforms, netizens had mixed reactions toward the nature of the sport. But for her, it is more than just walking and reaching the finish line — it was her one chance at a brighter future.

Just in time for Transgender Day of Visibility, Roxas shares how race walking shaped her in becoming an athlete and a proud transgender woman.

The starting line

In an online interview with FEU Advocate, the green-and-gold race walker shared that her journey started with her goal of becoming a track and field athlete to live a healthier lifestyle.

After showing her potential as a 400-meter and 800-meter dash high school runner, Roxas was then convinced by her coach to try race walking instead, to which she fell in love with. She later got scouted by a private school in Quezon Province, which granted her a full scholarship for the rest of her senior high school years.

Early in the race. Roxas contends for race walking in high school meet.

However, she pursued the sport not only because of passion — it was a means of survival for the struggles she and her family faced, causing her to almost pass on pursuing a college degree.

“Hindi na dapat ako magka-college dahil sa sobrang hirap ng buhay sa amin [at] hindi ko rin ine-expect na magko-commit ako sa FEU, dahil who knows? Isa lang akong normal na bata [na ang] libangan ay ang walkathon (I wasn't supposed to go to college because of how hard our life was and I also didn't expect that I would commit to FEU, because who knows? I was just a normal kid whose hobby was walkathon),” she said.

Just like in track and field, the Sariaya-hailing Tamaraw faced hurdles in chasing her dreams as her father was initially against the idea of moving to Manila for the sport. 

Not letting the resistance stop her, Roxas reached out to her province’s local government unit to ask for solicitation to fund her travel expenses to Manila.

Just as she was losing hope, the trackster received the last-minute support she needed which allowed her to try out at FEU.

“One day before tryouts kasi, nagparamdam ‘yung solicit [na] akala ko hindi na magpaparamdam sa akin. Kasi once na hindi ‘yun nagparamdam, meaning [ay] hindi talaga para sa akin ito (One day before the tryouts, the solicitation reached out when I thought they wouldn’t. Because once they don’t reach out to me, that means this wasn’t for me),” she stated.

With the only sign she needed, Roxas successfully earned her place in the green-and-gold team with the hopes and passion to reach her dreams.

Repping the walk

After committing to the sport and the University, the Tamaraw rookie turned her dream into a reality of competing in race walking at the collegiate stage.
During the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s athletics tourney, Roxas helped the team bag a silver medal finish.

Parading the green and gold. Roxas braves the UAAP oval during the men's athletics tourney.

Despite bringing pride to FEU, however, people still have preconceived judgments on race walking. Wanting to break the stigma, the Morayta-based athlete saw it as a challenge to help fellow race walkers persevere amid the noise.

“Hindi sila [bashers] ‘yung titingnan ka lang kapag nakita [ka], sila ‘yung tatawa at gagayahin ‘yung ginagawa mo tapos titingnan ka habang hinuhusgahan. Sa akin, normal na lang ‘yun kasi alam ko naman ginagawa ko, pero iniisip ko, ‘Paano ‘yung ibang batang atleta na nakakaranas ng parehas na nararanasan ko?’ [dahil] baka hindi nila kayanin at hindi na magpatuloy sa sports na walkathon (Bashers aren’t the type who would just look when they see you, they are the type who will laugh and mock what you do while judging you. For me, that’s normal because I know what I am doing, but I thought, ‘What about those young athletes who experience what I am experiencing?’ because they might not be able to handle it and stop pursuing walkathon),” she said.

With limited resources, she tried to make other people more aware through her social media platforms to eliminate the discrimination towards the ‘unconventional’ way of performing the sport.

Aside from her social media platform, Roxas also coaches aspiring athletes with the hopes of bringing mainstream visibility, as well as to create a documentary about race walking.

“Nagtuturo ako sa running club ng [race walking] para mas marami pa ang makaalam sa sport na walkathon, and naghahanap ako ng puwedeng [gumawa ng] documentary about sa sports na ito dahil interesting talaga siya malaman (I teach at a race walking running club so that many people would know about walkathon, and I am also looking for someone who could create a documentary about this sport because it is interesting to know about),” she added.

Relaying trans visibility 

Roxas, who calls herself ‘Barbie Tamaraw’ online, not only aims to make race walking recognized as a household sport, but to also eliminate the stereotype on transgender athletes.

The Quezon native saw the opportunity of representing race walking and the transgender community on It’s Showtime as a win, stating that gender is never an obstacle in playing sports.

“Malaking panalo po ito para sa’kin dahil na-represent ko sa national television na hindi hadlang ang kasarian at ang kahirapan sa larangan ng palakasan. ‘Yung stereotype kasi sa amin pagdating sa sports, hanggang ngayon nararanasan pa rin namin. Dahil isa akong transgender [woman], iisipin agad nila [na] mahina [at] wala akong ibubuga. ‘Yun ‘yung gusto ko patunayan na mali sila, na kaya rin namin makipagsabayan at kaya [namin] silang pahirapan (It is a big win for me because I was able to show on national television that gender and poverty are not obstacles in sports. Even now, we still face stereotypes in sports. Because I am a trans woman, they would immediately think that I am weak and I have nothing to show. That's why I want to prove them wrong, that we could keep up with them and we can make it hard for them),” she shared.

Rising to the occasion. Roxas proudly brings race walking and trans visibility on ‘It’s Showtime.’

At the end of the day, Roxas aims to let her story be known as a trans woman and an athlete with a humble background, inspiring young athletes to dream big.

”Ganun din sa kahirapan, noong bata kasi [ako], nagtitinda lang ako ng lumpiang gulay at mga fishball at kikiam. Ito ‘yung naging inspirasyon ko na gusto ko, balang araw, magkaroon ng comfortable life, ‘yung tipong hindi survival mode (It's the same with being from poverty, when I was young, I was just selling lumpiang gulay and fishball and kikiam. This became my inspiration that one day, I want to live a comfortable life, the type that I don't need to be in survival mode),” Roxas stated.

That one noontime show appearance is just the beginning for Roxas. As she carries the race walking and transgender communities, this goes to show that for athletes like her, being in FEU helps bring their identities, stories, and aspirations into the field — elevating how people view them and the sport they represent.

(Photo screen grab from ABS-CBN It’s Showtime Youtube channel)