After almost 4 years, Chiara Permentilla Ecstatic to be Back on Court
It took her almost four years. Four years in limbo. Four years of questioning whether this is for her.
But as Chiara Permentilla took the court on Saturday night for Akari in the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference, she looked like she belongs. She is home.
The comely spiker out of Florence, Italy made her return to the taraflex for the Chargers, almost 41 months after tearing her ACL while playing for Marinerang Pilipina in the defunct PSL.
She made an immediate impact, connecting on and off-the-block hit and serving up an ace as Akari made a furious comeback after being down 10 midway through the third set.
But then reality sent in, and after back-to-back reception errors, she was back on the bench.
Nonetheless, it was a success story for Permentilla, who started working for a hotel chain last year before the Chargers were formed.
Being an ‘Adamson baby,’ the 5-foot-7 outside hitter was given by Akari a chance to join the team as she tried to return to form following a long layoff due to her ACL tear and the ensuing pandemic.
Since July 2022, Permentilla would spend hours and hours working with Chargers’ strength and conditioning coach Grace Gomez, gradually rounding into form as she put in the hard and the heart to her workouts.
She needed to learn everything again, from running, to jumping, to doing lateral movements, everything. But Permentilla was determined to make a comeback. And Gomez was there throughout her journey.
“Syempre sobrang saya, kasi I’ve been fighting to get back on the court for the last four years. And sobrang saya na I was given a chance to play again. Bumalik lahat yung feeling,” she said.
“I hope it’s gonna be the start ng comeback ko and I’m very excited for what’s more to come.”
