Most of the pressure for Filipino
athletes competing as Olympians in Tokyo since late in July was gone within the
first few days, thanks to Hidilyn Diaz taking her three previous Olympic
performances to their logical conclusion by winning the country’s first gold
medal. The next challenge was to win more than one, and it was answered by boxer
Nesthy Petecio, who reached the women’s featherweight finals and settled for
silver. Then the next milestone was to equal, or surpass, the three-bronze
finish of Los Angeles 1932, achieved in turn by male sluggers Eumir Marcial and
Carlo Paalam. The latter is now guaranteed a silver placing after advancing to
finals.
CNN Philippines has it that Carlo Paalam is now in position to win
as much glory as Nesthy Petecio or even Hidilyn Diaz, following his victory in
the men’s flyweight semifinals against a host country boxer to boot. This
Thursday, August 5 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, the 23-year-old fighter
from Bukidnon took on Ryomei Tanaka of Japan for the silver medal placement and
the right to compete for Gold. Having beaten the defending Olympic flyweight
gold medalist from Rio in the quarterfinals, this would be Paalam’s next big
obstacle.
While (spiritual) hometown
support might have factored into the victory of Japanese women’s featherweight
contender Sena Irie against Petecio, such would not be enough to make Tanaka
truly formidable against Paalam. With nothing but clean and strong punches to
get his point across, Carlo humbled the hometown bet to sweep the favor of the
judges. He won by a 5-0 unanimous decision, guaranteeing himself an Olympic
silver medal and putting him in the flyweight finals, where his last opponent
to go for Gold lies in the British boxer Galal Yafai.
Carlo Paalam’s decisive victory
is a soothing balm for Filipino boxing fans after the latest result of his men’s
middle weight compatriot Eumir Marcial. Marcial got a further in on his Olympic
weight division by starting his campaign in the Round of 16. Then in the quarterfinals
he beat Armenian Arman Darchinyan by first-round knockout. So Eumir’s 2-3 split
decision loss to his Ukranian foe Oleksandr Khyzhniak was a shock. At least it
still leaves Marcial with a podium finish, bringing the Philippines its first boxing
bronze ever since Roel Velasco did in Barcelona 1992. All told, with a gold,
two silvers and a bronze, Team PH in Tokyo has done one better than the LA
delegation back in 1932.
Image courtesy of Olympics website
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