The Philippines' Paris 2024 boxing team is the largest in the Olympics since the Atlanta 1996 squad headlined by silver medalist Onyok Velasco.
The boxing contingent of the Philippines for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be its biggest since Atlanta 1996, when Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco inspired the entire nation with his silver medal winning effort.
Five boxers then. Five boxers now.
Joining Velasco in Atlanta were 1994 Asian Games gold medalist Elias Recaid, Virgilio Vicera, Romeo Brin, and Reynaldo Galido. 28 years after, this 1996 crew still has direct lines to the current batch Olympians.
Galido, who competed in the light welterweight division, is one of the coaches under the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP). With the team now split into two groups, he is working with Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas in Metz, France.
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"Nakakatuwa na kagaya namin nung 1996, may lima uli tayong boksingero sa Olympics,” said Galido.
"Masaya rin ako na hanggang ngayon, part pa rin ako.”
Galido was confident he’d be able to win a medal in 1996 as one of the world’s best boxers in his division. Unfortunately, he had a very early meeting with world no. 1 and eventual silver medalist Oktay Urkal of Germany, which caused him to drop out of the tournament.
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Galido would not get the chance to compete in the Olympics again as he suffered a shoulder injury in the qualifiers to Sydney 2000. His last amateur run happened in the 2005 SEA Games where he won a silver medal in the much heavier middleweight division.
The next stage of his career saw Galido in the Navy, but he would find his way back into the Olympics as one of the national team’s coaches.
"Masaya ako na hanggang ngayon, isa pa rin yung boxing sa mga inaasahan ng mga Pilipino na manalo ng medal sa Olympics,” the coach said.
"Marami na rin tayong magagaling na boksingero kaya sana maka-gold na rin tayo sa boxing.”
[Related: T'was Tacloban toughness: A look back on Aira Villegas’ Paris 2024 journey]
While Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, and Hergie Bacyadan moved to Saarbrucken, Germany for sparring sessions with other Paris-bound athletes, ABAP decided to fly in three sparring partners for Petecio and Villegas in Metz.
Part of Galido’s job is to scout the opponents and help the three sparring partners in Norlan Petecio, John Wayne Vicera, and Junmilardo Ogayre mimic their style.
Two of those surnames have appeared for the second time in this article because Norlan is Nesthy’s younger brother, and John Wayne is the nephew of 1996 Atlanta Olympics featherweight Virgilio Vicera.
"Sobrang excited na napasama kami dito sa training para sa Olympics,” said John Wayne.
"Kasi nakikita namin kung paano yung training ng Olympians at syempre yun rin yung gusto naming marating. Sana sa susunod kami rin makasama nila sa Olympics.”
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If that happens, John Wayne will not only be the second Vicera Olympian. He’ll actually be the third as another uncle, Isidro Vicera, competed as a flyweight in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
This has been a consistent story in Philippine boxing. Parents pass it over to their kids and boxers turn into coaches. The wealth of talent has always been there and ABAP has done a great job in looking for them from all over the country and honing them to the elite level, turning some into Olympians.
Sometimes, it’s easier because the surnames are a dead giveaway. But sometimes it’s a bit tough to locate these hidden gems as well.
One thing is for sure though, as long as the best boxers in the country find success in the Olympics, then boxing talent will continue to sprout from the grassroots.
Another 28 years from now, we should still be talking about big contingents joining the Olympics and winning more medals from the sport. There will always be room for Filipinos in Olympic boxing so let’s hope the sport stays in the Olympic program in 2028.
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Story Summary:
- The Philippines' boxing team for Paris 2024 marks its largest since Atlanta 1996, the year Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco inspired the nation with his silver medal.
- Reynaldo Galido, part of the 1996 Olympic team and now a coach, guides current stars Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas in Metz, France.
- The team prepares rigorously across Germany and France, bolstered by familial ties like John Wayne Vicera, nephew of 1996 Olympian Virgilio Vicera, and Nesthy’s brother Norlan.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]