By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

 

WITHOUT a doubt, our Filipino boxers are our perennial hopes to win medals since we started to join the world’s most prestigious multiple sporting events called Olympic Games in 1924. Eight Filipino amateur boxers had already given us four silver and four bronze medals, and the first Filipino boxer to win a bronze medal was bantamweight, the Binondo, Manila-born Jose “Cely” Villanueva in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games. His son, my friend and my age contemporary, the late Anthony “Boy” Villanueva, then 19 years of age, surpassed his father’s achievement by winning the silver medal in the featherweight division in 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. The silver medal feats were duplicated by Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, a third by female pugilist Nesthy Petecio then a fourth by Carlo Paalam both in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games. Aside from Jose Villanueva, the other Summer Olympics bronze medalists were Leopoldo Serrantes, Roel Velasco and Eumir Marcial. I know them because being a boxing lover myself, I followed all three in their international stints as members of our Philippine national squad. (Boxing is my second favorite game in life after cycling). In fact, I also used to be a layperson boxer, under the tutelage of former Asian bantamweight champion the late Mariano “Kid Arca” Aquino of Mangaldan. I guess it also runs in my veins being a half-Mexican hombre. Remember, the Mexicans’ second favorite sport is boxing after football.

Besides boxing, and aside from our lone historic Olympic gold medal winner was the weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz who is expected to win another gold in her category in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games slated on July 26 to August 11, three new Filipino Olympic medal hopefuls unexpectedly surfaced in the international sports limelight. The first is Asian and World Artistic Gymnast multiple champion is Carlos Yulo who dominated the floor exercise, vault events and parallel bars. Yulo just swept three gold medals in the Asian championships last week in Singapore.  Hopefully the 23-years old diminutive 4’11” Malate, Manila-born Yulo will deliver to us the elusive Olympic gold medal.

Next in my list, based on his latest international performances is Asian pole vault specialist from Tondo, Manila, Ernest James “EJ” Obiena. He recently hurdled the 6-meter barrier last week, a new national and, Southeast Asia and Asian record. The 27-years-old 6’2” multi-titled Obiena maintained his third world ranking after Armand Duplantis of Sweden and Christopher Nilsen of United States. Obiena is the first Filipino to receive a scholarship from the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF).

Next in my list, the last but not the least, is the female world class tennis star Alexandra Eala or better known in the sports world as Alex Eala. The 18-year-old Quezon City-born Eala is the highest-ranked Filipina singles player in the World Tennis Association (WTA) Tour record. At the age of 17, Eala won her very first junior singles tiara in the world prestigious U.S. Open, making her the first Filipino competitor to win a junior Grand Slam singles crown.

Yes, my dear readers, the Filipino athletes I mentioned here are our best bets in next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. I’m sure they will bring home medals for our country. Forget about our favorite sport basketball despite the proposed presence of Fil-Am NBA player Jordan Clarkson and Philippine naturalized player Justin Brownlee in the Philippines national squad. Remember, “height is might” as the aphorism says in basketball and we’re far from this stance.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” HEBREWS 11: 6

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