From his City High days to his University of Cordillera days as a varsity player, Sgt. Carranza has been molded into becoming an outstanding athlete. The changes in his path imposed no possibility of maiming his flame. With just a couple of opportunities offered at arm’s length, what first started as a hobby is now a path to make his country proud.

As he was a baseball player during his education years, participating competitively in running was something he knew he would one day do but spared no attention to it for it was only his hobby, but once he began-without doubts, he managed to prove in no time why he is at the top of his chosen sport. When he first competed in the Mankayan Mountain Marathon in Mankayan, Benguet in 2015, his main goal was to simply finish; however, after being captivated by the beautiful terrain of Benguet, he gave it a second chance.

To sustain his reigniting love for trail running, a few of his main and greatest motivators have always been his family and his passion for the sport.

“Lahat naman ng race ko dine-dedicate ko sa family ko. Secondly, ‘yong passion – nandon ‘yong for the love of the sport na feeling. Na nag-iignite talaga ‘yong passion na parang ‘you find comfort in the discomfort’ na feeling.”

With the overflowing pressure weighing on his shoulders, Police Staff Sergeant Carranza knew he had to immediately take action.

Endurance. Mental toughness. Preparedness.

Those are the three things that earned Sergeant Miguel Carranza his victory in his recent race.

After the national headquarters of the PNP issued a memorandum regarding the 2022 Police and Fire Games in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Sgt. Carranza took this opportunity to single-handedly represent the Police Regional Office-Cordillera. With the help provided by the PNP, his effort, and that of his sponsors, he was able to fly to the Netherlands on July 19, 2022.

As the goal-oriented individual he is, he took no time to waste, wore his shoes, and began to train at this foreign location. However, as an excellent athlete, Sgt. Carranza was quick to adapt to the changes of his Cordilleran runs to the Netherlands’ roads.

Sgt. Carranza is motivated to maintain a good police image. Every industry should expect to have a few stains. No one is exempt from such, not even the strongest and toughest soldiers in uniform, so he wants to show the Filipino people that policemen are just not capable of cop work but also of giving pride to the Philippines internationally.

“Normally very proud ako sa sarili ko dahil sa achievement [na nakuha ko]. Masaya rin kasi nare-represent ko ‘yong PNP, yong pagiging police ko na kadalasang nababatikos. Kaya ito positive siya,” said Sgt. Carranza.

With his sheer focus and determination, along with his two Polish teammates, Maciej Wojciechowski and Adam Thiel, they garnered gold in a team event and silver for his event.

“Victory favors the prepared,” he said. And, with his laser-like focus, incredible support system, and a strong desire to instill Filipino pride in others, he is unquestionably poised to triumph in whatever challenges he faces.