By REY C. LACHICA
Traditionally, legends are born every four years, and there are several ways to become part of the Olympic lore.
One is to come out with magical and unimaginable feats of athleticism just like what weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz did in the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.
Blessed with an extraordinary power, Diaz reigned in the 55kg class – her natural weight division – to become the country’s first Olympic gold medal winner since the country first competed in the global sporting war in 1924 in Paris.
In the process, Diaz lifted the country’s pride beyond imagination that she was showered with mouth-watering gifts – money, house and lots, cars and other perks.
There are 22 Filipino athletes in the coming Paris Olympics – each one of them also determined to become a legend – and be a millionaire, too.
Here they are:
ATHLETICS
EJ OBIENA
Pole vault ace EJ Obiena is easily the most recognizable Filipino athlete in the Philippine team, what with his myriad of achievements, including joining the exclusive 6.0-meter club.
Being ranked No. 2 in the world, the pride of Tondo has been touted as the country’s top medal prospect in the world’s greatest sporting event. He booked his return ticket after clearing 5.82 meters in the BAUHAUS-Galan leg of the Diamond League in Stockholm last year.
Obiena, however, needs to jump stronger and higher if he is to win the gold medal he is aching to proudly hang around his next.
Lauren Hoffman
This Fil-Am hurdler Lauren Hoffman is amazing – brainy and strong.
The former Duke University standout barely made it to the Paris Games after finishing 39th out of 40 qualifiers in the women’s 400m hurdles, but she vowed to do everything to improve her time.
Hardened by so many international events she joined in the past – winning some of them – Hoffman is proud record holder in both the 400m hurdles (56.39) and 100m hurdles (13.34).
John Cabang Tolentino
Two years ago, hurdler John Cabang Tolentino was practically nobody. A resident of Spain, Tolentino was a walk-in participant in the weekly trials conducted by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association at the Phisports Arena. .
He caught everybody by surprise when he won the 110-meter hurdles, a feat so classy that it did not escape the eyes of the national coaches.
Tolentino is now part of Team PH to the Paris Olympics after finishing 30th out of 40 qualifiers, thus completing his unbelievable journey.
BOXING
Eumir Marcial
Eumir Marcial enjoys rock-star treatment wherever he goes because sports fans know what he can bring on the table. He is lively inside the ring, so he’s a joy to watch – like a maestro conducting a concert masterfully.
He will face a bevy of dangerous rivals in Paris, but Marcial, who hails from Zamboanga, is unfazed, aching to improve on his bronze medal performance in the 75kg division during Tokyo edition.
Marcial qualified to the Paris Olympics after collecting a silver medal in the 75kg class in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. His confidence to shine ever brightly this time remains sky high being forced to compete in the men’s 80kg class.
Nesthy Petecio
The ever-popular Nesthy Petecio of Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur has declared the coming Paris Games would her own version of “Last Dance.”
At 32, Petecio knows full well that she’s now nearing the twilight of an illustrious career, so before finally bidding goodbye, she wants to attain her lofty goal – winning the gold medal after settling for silver in the women’s featherweight class in the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games.
Standing only at 5-foot-2, Petecio is oozing with confidence as she takes her last shot at Olympic glory.
Carlo Paalam
Who would forget Carlo Paalam’s humble beginnings? From a garbage scavenger, Paalam is now a collector of pricey medals – 1Olympic silver medal (Tokyo Games), 1 Asian Championship gold medal and two SEA Games gold medals.
But the journey of the son of a bakery worker in Cagayan de Oro City – he was born in nearby Bukidnon — is far from over.
Though fighting in a higher weight division – from flyweight to featherweight – Paalam is as determined as ever.
He will go a gold medal in the Paris at all costs.
Aira Villegas
She almost quit from the national team after claiming she was beaten black and blue by senior members during training, but she persevered.
With her never-say-die attitude – not mention her clever moves and rapid-fire punches, the native of Tacloban booked her ticket to the Olympics last March, completing the five-player cast of Sumbag Pilipinas.
Turning 29 on Aug. 1, Villegas will be fighting in the women’s flyweight 50-kilogram.
Hergie Bacyadan
One of the two newcomers in the PH Olympic boxing team, Hergie Bacyadan is out to make an impression. She is the latest star out of Kalinga province – bailiwick of top wushu practitioners being one of them.
Bacyadan, 29, secured a slot to the quadrennial meet with a dominant win over Maryelis Yriza of Venezuela in the Women’s 75kg of the 2nd World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.
With her burning desire to bring honor to the country, it’s not surprising if the former world vovinam champion would make it to the Promised Land.
FENCING
Samantha Catantan
For the first time in 32 years, a Filipina with a lovely name of Samantha Catantan will be playing in the Olympics. A foil specialist, Catantan is going to fence in Paris where the sport enjoys immense popularity.
After starring for University of the East’s vaunted fencing squad in the UAAP, Catantan earned an athletic scholarship in the Penn State University in Pennsylvania, United States.
She nailed a spot in the Paris Games with a dramatic 5-4 win over Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Aktayeva in the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
GOLF
Bianca Pagdanganan
Beautiful Bianca Pagdanganan is one of the grizzled veterans in Team PH being a regular fixture in the Ladies Professionals Golf Tour (LPGT) since 2020.
Pagdanganan is hoping for a better finish this time after disappointing 43rd finish in the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Though she is just ranked No. 118 in the world and No. 92 in the LPGA, Pagdangangan remains upbeat about her chances. She wound up 35th in the Olympic rankings which bodes well to her campaign.
Dottie Ardina
Dottie Ardina is another first-timer in the Olympics, and like Pagdanganan, she is used to playing in high-stake tournaments.
The 30-year-old Ardina made the 60-player cut-off despite her roller-coaster performance in the LPGA and Epson Tours.
She made history when at the young age of 12 played at the World Amateur Team Championships, thus becoming the youngest player to see action in the prestigious event.
GYMNASTICS
Carlos Yulo
He stands only 4-foot-10, but Carlos Yulo has proven to be a winner, standing tall in the World Championships not only once but twice already.
And to prove that’s he still a force to reckon with after a much-publicized breakup with Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya, Yulo, 24, claimed another Olympic slot late last year.
Now free as a bird, Yulo, a six-time Asian champion and 9-time SEAG titlist, is out for redemption after a forgettable Tokyo Games performance.
Emma Malabuyo
Filipino-American gymnast Emma Malabuyo exclaimed in delight after finishing third in the all-around event of the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan – good enough for her to realize her Olympic dream.
Her feat was a product of sheer determination and courage – not to mention grace and power – after going through the extra mile to finally fulfill her initial goal.
“What a dream come true! I have never fought for something so hard in my life,” she said in an Instagram post.
Hopefully, she can do better than that.
Aleah Finnegan
Aleah Finnegan has been nothing short of spectacular since her SEA Games debut two years ago in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The charming Finnegan defied great odds to become the first Filipina gymnast to secure an Olympic berth since 1964.
Only 21, Finnegan is not only out to win the hearts of gymnastics fans but is also aiming for a podium finish.
Levi Jung-Ruivivar
At 18, Levi Jung-Ruivivar is youngest member of the Team PH. But make no mistake about it, Jung-Ruivivar has what it takes to make a star in her own right.
The Fil-American already achieved a milestone when she bagged the uneven bars silver medal in the World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar last April.
With her youthful exuberance, Jung-Ruivivar is ready to face the challenges that will come her way in her ambition to become a big star someday.
JUDO
Kiyomi Watanabe
Filipina-Japanese Kiyomi Watanabe is the first and only female judoka to ever play in the Olympics – the rest were all male in John Baylon, Jerry Dino, Benjie McMurray, Kodo Nagano and Tomohiko Hoshina.
She made it two in a row after taking one of the two continental quotas reserved for Asia in the women’s -63kg category.
Learning her lessons well from a a first-round exit in the Tokyo Games, Watanabe, 27, intends to play real tough and smart this time around.
ROWING
Joanie Delgaco was a former volleyball standout for Camarines Sur in the Palarong Pambansa before she fell in love with rowing.
At 5-foot-5, Delgaco received offers after her stellar showing in the Palaro but she was realistic, knowing she had little chance to shine in volleyball. So she embraced rowing like no other.
It was a good decision as she blossomed to become one of the country’s top paddlers as proven by her gutsy fourth place in the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta – Women’s Single Sculls. She is the first Filipina rower to make it to the Olympics.
SWIMMING
Kayla Sanchez
This marks Kayla Sanchez’s second stint in the Olympics after a memorable showing in the Tokyo Games while still competing for Canada.
After a citizenship switch, Sanchez, 23, gained berth to the Paris Games via universality early this month.
She helped Canada win a silver and bronze in relays in the Tokyo Games, feats that made her one of well-loved Fil-Canadian athletes.
Now representing the Philippines, Sanchez will be in women’s 100m freestyle – her pet event.
Jarod Hatch
After a sudden change of heart – he almost quit from competitive swimming – Jarod Hatch finally made it to the Olympics – thanks also to the universality rule.
A veteran of the Southeast Asian Games, Hatch will compete in the men’s 100m butterfly where he will be up against world beaters including seven-time Olympic champion Caeleb Dressel of the United States. Dressel is also the world record holder in the event clocking an astonishing 49.45 seconds in winning the gold in Tokyo.
Hatch consider that as a good pressure.
WEIGHTLIFTING
John Febuar Ceniza
Like many others, John Ceniza celebrated as if he won a lotto jackpot after finishing fourth at the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
That’s because it was his ticket to the Paris Games – a dream come true for the 27-year-old Cebuano.
He’s now locked and loaded for the biggest challenge of his life as he vies in the 61-kg. division.
Elreen Ann Ando
The pressure is now more intense for Elreen Ann Ando to deliver – more than double from her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
She secured her Olympic slot in the 59-kg after beating Diaz in the 2024 IWF World Cup that saw her lift 228kg – 100kg in snatch and 128 in clean and jerk. Diaz was forced to compete in the heavier category after the 55kg was scrapped.
For beating Diaz, the spotlight is expected to fall on Ando.
Ando is unfazed.
Vanessa Palomar Sarno
She is touted as the second coming of Diaz, and she’s cute.
Only 20, Vanessa Sarno qualified to compete in her “dream come true” Paris Olympics in style after shattering her national record in the women’s 71kg class during International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on April 7.
She eventually made it to the Olympics for gallantly staying within the top 10 of the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking.
Watch out for this two-time SEA Games champion from Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
