Cold revenge
It feels so good because I was able to do it in front of the Filipinos
Carlo Paalam would never forget his heart-breaking loss to a Malaysian foe in the previous staging of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.
That’s why when he saw that Malaysian again, this time in his home turf, he made sure to be at his best en route to winning the gold medal.
Competing with fire in his eyes, Paalam dominated Langu Kornelis of Indonesia, 5-0, to complete his revenge in the men’s light flyweight class of the 30th SEA games yesterday at the Philippine International Convention Center Forum in Pasay City.
The pint-sized Bukidnon-native admitted that he really wanted to emerge victorious so that massive win over Muhamad Redzuan of Malaysia — the man who beat him in the previous SEA Games — would not be wasted.
“I really wanted to win the gold medal so that I can avenge my lost in Kuala Lumpur. I got robbed there,” said Paalam, who settled for bronze medal following an ugly loss to the gritty Redzuan in 2017.
“He beat me in his home turf two years ago. Now that we are in Manila, I made sure that I would also beat him.”
Paalam admitted that crushing the man who beat him in a controversial fashion in the past, and winning the gold medal in the process, definitely felt good.
He said he couldn’t forget that loss and became obsessed in plotting revenge in this edition of the biennial meet.
“That loss motivated me to work even harder. I won’t be the boxer I am today if not for that painful setback,” he said, adding that the cheers of thousands of Filipinos pushed him to go for gold.
“It feels so good because I was able to do it in front of the Filipinos.”
Still, despite his rabid willingness to win, Paalam stressed that he still stuck to his game plan, especially in the finals against the Indonesian boxer whom he battered with a barrage of body punches that reduced him into a bloody pulp.
Although he was wary of Langu, who already competed in the Olympics, Paalam stressed that he was so hungry for success as he has yet to win his first SEA Games gold medal.
“I still wanted to execute my game plan,” Paalam said, adding that he didn’t allow his eagerness to affect his strategy.
“There’s pressure definitely because it’s natural for a person to feel pressured but I just kept reminding myself to just focus because, at the end of the day, no one is going to help me inside the ring so I just have to power through it.”
With the SEA Games already behind him, Paalam is now has setting his sights set on qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics next year.
“It’s really our dream to compete in the Olympics so I’m going to get up in the weight class because there is no 49kg there, only 52kg,” he said.
Also pocketing gold medals for the vaunted national boxing team were Rogen Ladon, Josie Gabuco and James Palicte.
Ladon crushed Yaodam Ammarit of Thailand in the men’s flyweight class while Gabuco dominated Endang Endang of Indonesia in the women’s light flyweight class and Palicte clobbered Van Hai Nguyen of Vietnam in the men’s light welterweight class.
On the contrary, Marjon Piañar bowed to Wuttichai Masuk in the men’s welterweight and Irish Magno fell prey to Thi Tam Nguyen of Vietnam in the women’s flyweight to settle for the silver medal.