PARIS—A job well done as Filipino athletes do excel on the global stage against the elite and that there are opportunities to accomplish more with an aggressive program aimed toward Los Angeles 2024.
“We’re the best performer in Southeast Asia and No. 7 in Asia,” Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said on Sunday, Aug. 11, just hours before the closing ceremony for the Paris Olympics. “We wanted more but with two gold and two bronze medals, should we ask for more from Paris?”
Carlos Yulo’s gold medals on floor exercise and vault of gymnastics and boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas’s bronze medals put the Philippines in a share of 35th place with Hong-Kong China in the medals race.
China was No. 1 as of noon on Sunday with 39 golds, Japan was fourth with 18, South Korea seventh with 13, then Uzbekistan (eight) at No. 13, Iran (three) at No. 22 and Chinese Taipei (two golds with five bronzes) at No. 33.
The Philippines was No. 1 among countries competing in the SEA Games with its closest pursuer Indonesia also winning two gold medals but only had a bronze in badminton.
Kazakhstan, an Asian Games powerhouse, surprisingly only has one gold medal in judo.
“We’ve got quality in Paris—in gymnastics, a blue-chip sport,” Tolentino said. “And looking at the SEA Games countries, we outperformed our closest neighbors.”
Indonesia was a notch below the Philippines in the overall tally with gold medals in sports climbing and weightlifting, but only one bronze in badminton.
Thailand, a perennial SEA Games champion, could only go 1-3-2 with its taekwondo gold, while Malaysia lost its best gold medal hope when Azizulhasni Awang was disqualified in men’s keirin of cycling and will have to settle with two badminton bronze medals.
Singapore lost its sting in the pool and will go home with a sailing bronze medal.
