To say the Filipino athletes for the Tokyo Olympics this year were phenomenal would be an understatement. Not only did they bring honor to the country, but they also rewrote history for Philippine sports.
The Filipinos truly did not disappoint as they brought home four Olympic medals – one gold, two silvers, and one bronze. It was the largest medal haul in a single Olympiad in Philippine history and the best finish by a Southeast Asian nation in this year’s Olympics.
After Zamboangueña Hidilyn Diaz's historic golden feat, the other Filipino athletes were on a roll, finishing 50th place in this year’s Games – the best Olympic standing for the country in three decades.
The Philippines finally added three medals to boxing’s haul, 25 medal-less years after Onyok Velasco’s silver medal win during the 1996 Atlanta Games.
2019 World Champion Nesthy Petecio ended the country’s boxing medal drought after winning a silver medal in the women’s featherweight final. Despite falling short of a gold medal, the pride of Davao del Sur still wrote her name in the history books as the first Filipina boxer to have a podium finish at the Olympics.
From scavenging for scraps of metal to saying hello to the country’s second Olympic silver medal, Carlo Paalam fought his hardest in the men’s flyweight final, settling for a split decision in favor of Great Britain.
"Itong medal na ito ay simbolo ng buhay ko. Isa akong mangangalakal at itong medalya ay gawa sa mga sirang gadget po," said Paalam. "Sa basura siya galing, kaya nai-connect ko po siya sa buhay ko."
Home to two of the Philippines’ Olympic medalists, Zamboanga is beaming with pride as boxer Eumir Marcial bagged a bronze medal in the semi-final bout of the men’s middleweight category. Marcial ended his Olympic stint after a split decision loss to his Ukrainian foe.
Competing against gymnastics veterans and being the youngest in the field, Carlos Yulo placed fourth in the men’s vault final after narrowly missing the podium. The first-time Olympian landed with a final score of 14.716 and recorded the second-highest score of 14.866 in his second attempt.
Meanwhile, skateboarding sensation Margielyn Didal ended her maiden Olympic campaign by landing a spot in the finals and placing seventh overall. However, despite failing to make it to the podium, she warmed the hearts of people around the world with her smile, sportsmanship, and cheerful attitude.
Despite a rocky 47th place start, Yuka Saso managed to swing her way to a joint 9th place at the women’s golf tournament. She finished the tournament with a 10-under par 274, seven strokes away from American gold medalist Nelly Korda.
Pole vaulting prodigy EJ Obiena leaped his way through the finals and finished 11th overall in the event. The only Asian qualifier, Obiena ended his Olympic debut after failing to clear 5.80 meters.
Swimmer Luke Gebbie wrapped up his Tokyo experience after failing to make the semifinals of both the 50m and the 100m freestyle, but he came home with a new national record in the 100m freestyle with a time of 49.64 seconds – beating his previous record of 49.94 seconds.
The future of Philippine sports is indeed bright, as we will be seeing our athletes compete on the big stage again at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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