The five Olympic-bound Filipino boxers had to fight through adversity in order to make their way to Paris.
As the Olympic Games Paris 2024 countdown intensifies, the Philippines celebrates the remarkable achievements of its five Olympic-bound boxers.
But qualifying for the Olympic Games wasn’t as easy as everyone presumed—even if several boxers had already won a medal from the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Marcus Jarwin Manalo, the Secretary-General of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP), recently took to social media to share the formidable challenges our local fighters had to overcome to secure their respective tickets to Paris.
Reflecting on the journey from Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024, Manalo highlighted the increased difficulty our boxers faced, and noted the often-overlooked challenge of maintaining success after achieving it.
“After all the incentives and recognition, it would be easier to lose focus and drive. There are many examples of those who enjoyed the bright lights and could not go back to the “darkness” (the unseen hours of hard work and persistence) which made them great to begin with,” Manalo wrote in his post.
The qualification all began with Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Eumir Marcial, who qualified for Paris after punching his way to the gold medal round of the men’s 80kg class in the 19th Asian Games.
But Manalo bared that Marcial’s path to qualification was fraught with scheduling conflicts, almost missing the Asian Games due to professional commitments.
[ALSO READ: Uppercut got him the KO, but Eumir Marcial insists jabs are crucial as he shifts focus to Paris 2024]
Nesthy Petecio, meanwhile, faced a roller-coaster ride for two years, marked by fluctuating performance.
Despite this, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist showed her resilience as she secured her Olympic slot by winning five bouts in nine days in Italy.
“Eumir almost missed the Asian Games, where he qualified, due to professional obligations. Nesthy was up and down the past 2 years and had to win 5 bouts in 9 days to get 1 of the 2 slots in Italy,” wrote Manalo.
[ALSO READ: Nesthy Petecio bares struggles before securing Paris 2024 slot: "Grabe kapit ko kay Lord"]
Most recently, Carlo Paalam had to overcome a shoulder injury to secure one of the last few slots for the Olympic Games in Paris.
“Carlo had to pull out in Italy due to [a] shoulder injury and missed a camp and tournament to spend [the] majority of the time just in rehab. Then he had to win 5 bouts in 9 days (last 4 were in 5 days) to get 1 of the 3 slots here in Bangkok,” said Manalo.
[ALSO READ: Carlo Paalam eyes different result in Paris 2024 after securing hard-fought Olympic qualification]
This was also the case for the Philippine boxing team’s newcomers, Aira Villegas and Hergie Bacyadan.
According to Manalo, Villegas' journey was impeded by a series of injuries, causing her to miss key tournaments and training camps. Despite losing her first bout at the Asian Games, her persistence paid off with her Olympic qualification.
Bacyadan, on the other hand, transitioned back to boxing from Vovinam, facing a challenging adjustment period. Her initial losses in Italy and the US Invitational Tournament only fueled her determination to qualify.
[ALSO READ: From Wushu to Boxing, Hergie Bacyadan vows to work even harder after Paris 2024 qualification]
With seven weeks to go before the Olympics, the focus is now on providing the best possible support to help them achieve podium finishes.
“The job is not done. Seven weeks before the Olympics. Greater pressure and higher expectations. We know it will be really hard to go back to the podium and to finish at the top of the podium at the biggest stage. But, it seems like they have what it takes,” said Manalo.
“They’ve shown it. And we will be here to provide the best possible support for them. Can’t wait. Let’s run it back. With additional firepower,” he added.