All the Philippine delegates are elite athletes themselves, but here are the Filipino Olympians to pay closer attention to
Can you believe it’s been nearly three years since Hidilyn Diaz won the first-ever Olympic gold for the Philippines?
It feels like Diaz nailing the fateful clean and jerk that tipped her over China happened just last week, especially since the pandemic pretty much messed with our perception of long-term time passing. But it’s really been three years since that happened; it’s now the summer of 2024, and it’s now time for the Paris Olympics.
The Philippines is sending a delegation of 22 athletes to the big international games. While they’re all elite athletes in their own right (despite the relative lack of medals compared to other countries, qualifying for the Olympics is no joke) there are some Filipino Olympians whose chances are better than others.
While we should definitely follow all of them, here are five Filipino Olympians to really keep track of:
Men’s gymnastics: Carlos Yulo
The most successful Filipino gymnast in the country’s history is up there when it comes to bringing home a potential gold. Yulo is coming off his first all-around gold in this year’s Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last May. This elite athlete is coming in peak form, and the Philippines will likely keep a close eye on his performances in Paris.
Pole vault: EJ Obiena
Our record-breaking pole vaulter also stands some of the best chances to take home another gold. Obiena is already one of, if not the best in Asia, with six gold medals won in the continent—his most recent in the Cambodia SEA Games last year—and a gold in the 2019 Universiade in Italy. His newest record is clearing six meters for the first time back in June 2023, setting a new mark. No doubt Obiena’s been working really hard in having a great run in Paris.
Boxing: Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam
Paalam and Petecio were silver medalists in Tokyo back in 2020, and that’s certainly nothing to scoff at. Paalam is still in top form with two gold medals at bantamweight at the 2022 Asian Championships and 2023 SEA Games, while Petecio also took gold in Cambodia at featherweight.
Women’s gymnastics: Aleah Finnegan
Filipino-American Aleah Finnegan is the first Filipina gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in nearly 80 years. The collegiate gymnast from Louisiana State University (Shaquille O’Neal’s alma mater) notably helped her school win the SEC championship and its first-ever NCAA Championship in women’s gymnastics, while winning the gold for the Philippines at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi.
Finnegan is actually joined by fellow Filipino-Americans Levi Ruivivar and Emma Malabuyo, who respectively won bronze in uneven bars and gold in floor exercise for the Philippines in Tashkent. The three may be our best shot at a gold for women’s gymnastics, if not any medal, which we have none of yet for the sport.
Women’s weightlifting: Elreen Ando
It’s crazy to know that Hidilyn Diaz failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, but we shouldn’t dwell so much on it as we have Elreen Ando, the woman who defeated her to earn the one spot for their weight class. Ando previously competed in Tokyo in 2020 at the 64-kg weight class, and she’s moved down to the 59-kg. She’s coming off of a gold at Cambodia last year and second place in her weight class in the Asian Championships last February. Right now, anything can happen, as it did for Diaz.