Gold & Grit: The Philippines’ Journey to 2024 Olympic Glory (Part I)

The Philippines celebrated a historic achievement with Carlos Edriel "Caloy" Yulo setting a national record, bagging not just one but two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics held from July 26 to August 11, 2024. 

During the men’s floor exercise final last August 3, Yulo snatched the country’s first gold medal of the Paris Games, scoring 15.000, which barely surpassed Artem Dolgopyat of Israel who scored 14.966 points. The next day, Yulo secured his second gold medal at the men’s vault final by garnering an impressive 15.116 points over his opponents.

With 14 out of the 22 Philippine athletes showcasing their exceptional skills and determination in the first half of the games from July 26 to August 6, the Philippines anticipates more medal wins in the latter part of the games.

GYMNASTICS

Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar of the women’s gymnastics team were the first Filipino female gymnasts to compete in 60 years. Their Olympic journeys were short-lived as they fell short of the top 24 needed to advance into the medal rounds. Ruivivar and Malabuyo both scored 51.099 points, landing in 40th and 41st respectively, whereas Finnegan placed 47th with a score of 50.498.

POLE VAULTING

Pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena secured his spot in the finals despite a rocky start, clearing 5.75 meters to rank 7th overall. Overcoming early struggles, EJ made a critical leap at 5.70 meters before smoothly advancing to 5.75 meters, ensuring his spot in the final 12. However Obiena fell short of an Olympic medal as he failed to clear the 5.95 meters in three tries during the finals. Obiena locked in at 4th place, a huge improvement from his 11th place finish in the Tokyo Games. 

BOXING

The Philippine team experienced a mix of successes and setbacks in the boxing ring. Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Carlo Paalam, who dominated in Round 16 of the men’s 57kg division, saw his triumphant run come to an end in the quarterfinals as he narrowly lost to Charlie Senior of Australia by split decision, 2-3.

Likewise, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial faced a tough loss to Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in Round 16 of the men’s 80kg division, 0-5.

Female boxers Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio guaranteed at least two more medals for the Philippines after hard-fought victories in their respective quarterfinals. Villegas secured a bronze medal after narrowly defeating France’s Wassila Lkhadiri, 3-2, while Petecio, a Tokyo Olympics silver medalist, bested Xu Zichun of China with a unanimous 5-0 victory. Villegas will face Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey in the semifinals on August 7 and Petecio takes on Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the semifinals on August 8.

In the women’s 75kg division, Hergie Bacyadan was unfortunately defeated by China’s Li Qian in Round 16.

ROWING

As the Philippines’ first female rower to qualify for the Olympics, Joanie Delgaco advanced to the repechage race with a 4th-place finish in her heat with a time of 7:56.26. In the semifinals C/D, Delgaco secured 5th place with a time of 8:00.18, earning a spot in the D Finals. There, she delivered a standout performance with a time of 7:43.88, ranking 20th in the world for the D Finals. 

SWIMMING

Kayla Sanchez made waves with a national record-setting performance in the women’s 100m freestyle, clocking in at 53.67 seconds during the heats. Despite her impressive time, Sanchez was eliminated in the semifinals, finishing 15th out of 16 competitors. 

In the men’s division, Filipino-American swimmer, Jarod Hatch, finished 36th overall in his event, which was not enough to advance to the semifinals.

HURDLING

Hurdlers John Cabang Tolentino and Lauren Hoffman failed to advance to the semifinals for their respective divisions, with Tolentino resigning from the finals due to an injury. Tolentino placed 6th in Heat 1 of the men’s 110m while Hoffman finished 8th in Heat 4 of the women’s 400m. Finishing in last place of the 400m women’s hurdles, Hoffman's Olympic campaign for a medal came to an end. 

FENCING

Fencer Samantha Catantan showcased great grit and determination during her foil event while battling through a knee injury. Catantan bested Mariana Pistoia of Brazil with a thrilling 15-13 victory in Round 64. Cantantan’s outstanding performance boosted her world ranking in the International Fencing Federation (FIE) from 266th to 87th. Her journey came to an abrupt end with her fall to Italian Arianna Errigo, 12-15, in Round 32.

JUDO

Filipino-Japanese Judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, ranked 92nd in the world, faced off China's 22nd-ranked Tang Jing in Round 32 of the women's 63kg division. In just 51 seconds, Tang secured victory with a kuzure-kesa-gatame, pinning Watanabe for 20 seconds and winning via ippon. It was a déjà vu moment for Watanabe, who suffered a similar fate at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

The debutants of the Philippine team continue to generate excitement. Weightlifters John Ceniza, Elreen Ando, and Vanessa Sarno are all set to lift the country’s Olympic spirit on August 7, 8, and 10 respectively.  Golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina are ready to swing into action and make their first appearance in the Olympics this August 7. 

As Filipinos anticipate successes in the Olympics, all eyes will be on these talented athletes as they aim to bring pride to our country.