By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
It would be a reunion of sorts for Filipino boxers who won medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after Carlo Paalam brought a taller Indian rival down to size and became the latest fighter to qualify for the 2024 Paris Games.
Paalam outgunned his semifinal rival in 5-foot-8 Sachin Siwach to claim an Olympic spot in the men’s 57kg, allowing him to join early Filipino qualifiers Eumir Marcial, and Nesthy Petecio – both medalists in the Tokyo Games.
Incidentally, the trio of the 5-foot-4 Paalam, Marcial and Petecio competed three years ago in the pandemic-delayed Games with all of them winning medals — a silver for Marcial and Petecio, and a bronze for Marcial.
The possibility of making it happen once again, and perhaps not just silver and bronze, excites Petecio.
“Babalik sa Olympics na magkakasama ulit! Sobrang sayo ko at pasok tayong tatlo ulit!” Petecio wrote on social media moments after Paalam punched his way to Paris on Saturday night, June 1.
“Paris, here we go! We are coming!” added Petecio, accompanied with three gold-medal emoticons.
Boxing has become a source of medal mine for the Philippines, winning eight of the total 14 medals won in the history of the Summer Games. Among the previous boxing medalists were Jose Villanueva (1932 Los Angeles), Anthony Villanueva (1964 Tokyo), Leopoldo Serantes (1988 Seoul), Roel Velasco (1992 Barcelona) and Onyok Velasco (1996 Atlanta).
The other member of the PH boxing team who earlier qualified to the global sporting spectacle is Aira Villegas.
The Olympic gold medal, however, remains elusive, with Anthony Villanueva, Onyok Velasco, Petecio and Paalam coming close with silver medals.
Maybe in Paris, it could happen.
