Tokyo gold rush?
Time was when the Philippine delegation to the Olympics was composed of autograph-seekers and the sight-seeing kind
This is the perfect time for the Philippines to bring home a gold medal (or medals) from the Tokyo Olympics.
Undoubtedly, the current batch of athletes have what it takes to do just that.
There are 19 Filipinos who made the grade for the Summer Games and for the first time in a very long while, we have sent legit gold medal bets.
Time was when the Philippine delegation to the Olympics was composed of autograph-seekers and the sight-seeing kind.
Now, we have solid bets from boxing (Eumir Marcial and Nethy Petecio), gymnastics (Carlos Yulo), weightlifting (Hidilyn Diaz), golf (Yuka Saso) and athletics (EJ Obiena). Before, all we had were athletes who barely made the Olympic standard and those who were token representatives via universality. But things have changed. The delay in staging Tokyo2020 proved to be beneficial for the Filipino athletes.
When Obiena earned a slot to Tokyo in 2019, he could only
do 5.81 meters.
Just a few weeks ago, Obiena, who has been training in Italy the past three years, did 5.87 meters and has actually beaten some of the world’s very best in tournaments across Europe.
Remember, in golf, you can be a champion this week (but) next week you will miss the cut.
Diaz, silver medalist in Rio in 2016, trained exclusively in Malaysia for over a year when she got caught during the thick of the pandemic in Malaysia.
Yulo is likewise a solid contender given the expertise he had been receiving in Japan.
The Fiipinol-Japanese Saso is also worth-watching since she will be playing on home soil. Besides, her confidence-level shot up after winning the US Women’s Open last month.
But Rey Bancod, our golf guru in this paper, insists “it is no guarantee that she will win.”
“Remember, in golf, you can be a champion this week (but) next week you will miss the cut,” he cautioned.
Still, the talented Saso is a much-improved version of last year’s campaigner.
As to boxing, which has provided five of the country’s 10 medals in the Olympics, including two silvers and three bronzes, you can count on Marcial and Petecio to lead the charge. Two other fighters — Carlo Paalam and Irish Magno — can’t be counted out either.
Marcial topped the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifying and is the 2019 world championship silver medalist and the Olympic fourth seed, while Petecio is the 2019 world champion.
Things are indeed looking up for the Philippine team which will also be fielding competitors in taekwondo, rowing, skateboarding, shooting, swimming and judo although their chances of medalling pale in comparison with the above-mentioned names.
So, Filipino athletes who are dreaming of Olympic medals should not look beyond Tokyo.
With some of the finest athletes from other countries not taking part owing to Covid-19-related reasons, the level of competition has diminished a bit.
And while there are still marquee names competing, this Olympics won’t be as intense as the previous ones back in the old days since some of them are already saying they’re not in terrific shape.
Still, I don’t think it would be just to put an asterisk on anyone who wins a gold. That would certainly be utterly unfair.