MANILA, Philippines – The offer to become the Meralco Bolts’ muse came as a surprise for SEA Games triathlon queen Kim Mangrobang.

But Mangrobang grabbed the opportunity as she proudly represented her fellow Filipino athletes in the opening ceremony of the 47th PBA season on Sunday, June 5, at the Araneta Coliseum.

“I got surprised when they contacted me because as far as I know, you need to be a beauty queen, model, or actress to be a muse in the PBA,” Mangrobang told reporters in a mix of Filipino and English.

“I checked my account and asked myself if I’m at the same level as them. But I’m super happy that Meralco gave athletes like me this kind of opportunity to represent sports in this country.”

Mangrobang delighted Filipino sports fans recently by pocketing a pair of golds when she ruled the women’s triathlon and duathlon events in the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

Reigning in the triathlon event for the third straight SEA Games, Mangrobang wound up as one of the only five Filipinos to win multiple golds in Vietnam as she raised her gold tally in the biennial meet to five.

Her latest SEA Games exploits prompted Meralco to pick her as its muse, with the Bolts paying tribute to the excellence of Filipino athletes.

“I’m super proud and I know national athletes are hard workers. To represent the Meralco Bolts, they are a really good and hardworking team, I’m proud to be their muse.”

“It is a really different experience and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Mangrobang will immediately go back to work as she competes in the duathlon event of the World Games in Alabama, USA. – Rappler.com