PH Olympic High

 

The Big 4 of PH Olympic lineup during #Tokyo2020. Image from Philippine Star Facebook page.

#Tokyo2020 was a great Olympic run for the Philippines. For the first time ever, we heard our national anthem played on the awarding ceremony. It was a tear-inducing moment for a country that waited for almost a century for it to happen.

But more than that gold, it's the stories these athlete brought with them that resonates deep within our people's collective souls.

As a semi-avid follower of the Olympic games, I was able to follow Hidilyn Diaz's Olympic journey for that coveted gold. From her debut at Beijing in 2008, to her disheartening DNF at London in 2012 (where she was the PH flag bearer), to settling for silver at Rio in 2016, to that awe-inspiring golden lift at Tokyo - not to mention her mental health battle, especially when she was haphazardly included in the Oust Du30 matrix - Hidilyn proved to be the golden ray of sunshine the country needed in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. With her winning lift, she has also lifted the spirits of Filipinos here and abroad. Plus, her forgiving nature to those who wronged her is a real class act. 

Days later, it was Nesthy Petecio's turn to deliver the PH delegation's first silver medal on women's boxing. Just like her namesake, Nesthy was such a refreshing presence on the boxing ring. I have huge respect for LGBTQ+ athletes who choose to compete within the sex group they were born into. They are only being fair, that is, biologically. Nesthy dedicating her silver medal on the WOMEN'S boxing to the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines is a refreshing way to honor the community coming from the athlete themselves. 

Eumir Marcial's bronze medal finish is a testament that good things come to those who wait. Eumir was already signed as a pro boxer under Manny Pacquiao's promotion and had one pro win. But he went back to amateur boxing, and waited for his turn to deliver his promise to his father: that he will bring home an Olympic medal. That he did spectacularly: his fights leading to the semifinals were one-round KO's. His fight with the Ukrainian was a really close fight, we couldn't have been more proud of his efforts in the ring. 

Perhaps the most poetic PH medal finish during Tokyo 2020 is Carlo Paalam's silver medal for the men's flyweight in boxing. Carlo used to be a scavenger, trading scraps for a little money. Now he's got an Olympic silver medal - made from cellphone scraps - which entitled him to at least 17M pesos worth of honorarium from public and private parties. No wonder he stared really hard at his medal during the awardimg ceremony - perhaps he was amused by the poetic justice boxing has afforded him. He also tagged along with him his coach of over a decade, the one who discovered his potential in a boxing park in Mindanao. 

Aside from these medalists we also saw some spirited efforts and uplifting stories from the other PH athletes in the Games. There's skateboarder Margielyn Didal, who captured the admiration of of the international sporting community with her optimistic charms and bright smiles. There's EJ Obiena who stood his ground on his right to a fair play by calmly but firmly explaining himself to the judges, even though it may not have given him a medal. There's the gymnastics darling Carlos Yulo who almost clinched a medal with his perfectly executed 2nd vault attempt. The golfers Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Juvic Pagunsan, who all braved the heat in the golf course to finish their turns. There's also another boxer, Irish Magno who was the first Filipina boxer to ever join the Olympics. Swimmers Remedy Rule and Luke Gebbie and runner Kristina Knott holding - and Gebbie even breaking - the national records for their respective pet events. There's also rower Cris Nievares, who was the first Pinoy rower in five olympiads to join the competition. Judoka Kiyomi Watanabe who was the flag-bearer in the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony. Weightlifter Elreen Ando and shooter Jayson Valdez doing their absolute best to represent the country.

For a country seemingly distraught over its local stories in last few years, this batch of Olympic delegation is arguably the best batch to ever represent our country in the Games. We are lucky enough to have witnessed their fight during perhaps the most trying time of our lifetime.

Congratulations to all these athletes! Padayon!

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