By Nick Giongco
The Philippines is fielding 272 athletes to the Indonesia Asian Games that formally gets going Saturday with the capital city of Jakarta and Palembang sharing hosting duties.
The hunt for the gold medal won’t be easy considering that four years ago in Incheon, only one gold was produced– courtesy of Fil-Am BMX rider Daniel Caluag.
This year’s batch is said to be more talented and a bit more prepared but there is no doubt that the gold medal won’t be handed on a silver platter.
Here is a look at the Philippines’ brightest hopes for a gold:
Hidilyn Diaz (Weightlifting)
The 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist is undoubtedly a solid favorite in the 53 kg. division. But the presence of the traditional powerhouses in the sport should make Diaz’s bid interesting. Besides, Diaz swears the pressure to deliver is beginning to haunt her although the Zamboanga native is upbeat that she will make it to the podium.
Carlo Paalam (Boxing)
The fast-rising light-flyweight is coming off a rousing victory over 2014 Asian Games champion Shin Jong Hun in a Russian slugfest a few months back.
This alone makes him a strong candidate even in the talent-laden weight class.
Eumir Felix Marcial (Boxing)
A 2009 world junior champion, Marcial will campaign in the middleweight class. Banking on his strength and aggressiveness, Marcial, the 2017 Southeast Asian Games titleholder, should make waves even with the presence of bets from the former Soviet states.
Carlos Yulo (Gymnastics)
Yulo, 18, going into the event fresh from silver medal finishes in the Doha (Qatar) and Baku (Azerbaijan) World Cups. Last year in Yokohama, Yulo took a gold and a silver, a feat that signalled his arrival on the world stage.
A two-time Palarong Pambansa champion, Yulo is purely homegrown. To fulfill his dream of making it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Yulo will undergo advanced training in Japan.
Daniel Caluag (Cycling,BMX)
US-based Daniel Caluag is determined to score back-to-back victories after his sensational showing the last time in Incheon four years ago.
A veteran of the 2012 London Olympics, the 31-year-old Caluag also won gold and bronze in the Southeast Asian Games.
Meggie Ochoa (Jujitsu)
Multititled Ochoa, 27, has reaped rewards from just about anywhere that winning in Indonesia doesn’t seem like a far-fetched idea. Ochoa has her strutted stuff in impressive fashion in the UK, Turkmenistan, Japan, US, Kazakhstan and many other exotic locales, leaving behind a trail of bruised bodies and aching bones.
Gaylord Coveta (Windsurfing)
Coveta, who carried the Philippine flag in Incheon four years ago, bagged a world title last year in Vietnam.
Kiyomi Watanabe (Judo)
This Cebu-born bruiser is a three-time Southeast Asian Games champion, medalists in European tournaments and a perennial competitor in Japanese grapplefests.
Trenten Beram (Athletics)
Winner of two gold medals in the 2017 Malaysia Southeast Asian Games, Beram, a 22-year-old from New York and a University of Connecticut standout, is among the top bets of athletics head Philip Juico.
