By REY C. LACHICA
With their immense wealth, the United States and China are expected to battle it out toe to toe for the overall championship in the 2024 Paris Olympics which starts on Friday, July 26.
According to the Associated Press, Team USA is projected to win 123 medals – 37 of them golds – and China is to collect 36 golds out of 87 medals.
Their interesting showdown would again relegate others to fight over the crumbs for the next two weeks of supreme battle for fame and fortune.
And Team Philippines?
The Filipino athletes will have their own war to wage against fellow member of the Southeast Asian region.
Its mission is to close the gap with frontrunners Thailand and Indonesia which is the fervent wish of the Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
The margin is so large for now but Tolentino is confident the well-trained and fully motivated Filipino athletes, what with their burgeoning allowances, will come out with performances to remember to cut the deficit bit by bit.
Olympics is after all about winning so most of the 22-player Team Philippines are dreaming to go home with medals around their necks and be called heroes and heroines by their adoring fans.
Right now, the Philippines is third in the medal tally with one gold, five silver and eight bronze medals.
On the strength of its unbelievable feats in weightlifting in the past, Thailand is leading the way with 10 gold, 8 silver and 17 bronze medals followed by Indonesia with 8-14-15.
Vietnam is fourth with 1-3-1 and Singapore is fifth with 1-2-2.
The six others nations, except for Malaysia, are yet to win a medal of any color.
Malaysia has 8 silver and 5 bronze medals.
The Tokyo edition is the country’s most productive showing since the three-bronze medal performance in the 1932 Los Angeles Games – greats thanks to high jumper Simeon Toribio, boxer Jose Villanueva and swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso.
