In the Philippines' 100th year of participation in the Olympic Games, the country made history by securing two gold medals--the first Filipino double Olympic champion in Carlos Yulo.
But as impressive as the Centennial Team was in Paris, there's more lessons to be learned in Team Philippines' campaign in preparation for Los Angeles 2028.
Winning Olympic gold takes time
There were many derisive comments online regarding the performance of Filipino athletes who bombed out right in their first round of competition.
But if there's anything that history showed us, these things take time.
It's not just a year or two of preparation, not even four, some take a dozen.
Recall that Carlos Yulo crashed out early in the qualification for his pet event, the floor exercise, in Tokyo 2020. Instead, he reached the vault final--only to fall heartbreakingly short of a podium.
Fast forward to Paris 2024 and he has won the gold in both events.
In Tokyo 2020, pole vaulter EJ Obiena finished 11th with a clearance of 5.70 meters. Fast forward to two World Championship medals, leaping a personal best of 6.00 meters, and vaulting to world no. 2, he's fourth in Paris 2024 with a clearance height of 5.90 meters.
And most memorably, the Philippines' first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz took 12 years before ending the country's drought. She finished 11th in Beijing 2008 and did not finish at all in London 2012, before winning silver in Rio 2016. One COVID-19 pandemic, attacks from online trolls, and a very silly matrix some five years later, she wins gold.
These things take time.
It takes a village to win Olympic gold and absorbing outside knowledge should be welcomed
Hidilyn Diaz and Carlos Yulo have set the blueprint. It takes a whole team to win the gold medal.
Diaz formed Team HD with a nutritionist, a psychologist, and even a foreign coach in Gao Kaiwen to help her in Tokyo 2020.
Yulo grew into a world champion with the help of longtime Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya before he returned to Allen Castañeda. It also helped that he had a steady support system in girlfriend Chloe San Jose and in Gymnastics Association President Cynthia Carrion.
Obiena, notably, stuck by the side of Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov--the legendary mentor of Sergey Bubka, Yelena Isinbayeva, Giuseppe Gibilisco, and Thiago Braz.
Getting knowledge from foreign coaches should be a welcome practice to lift standards across the board. Having a solid support group would also help an athlete focus on training--instead of having to worry and fret about everything else.
These athletes should not have to apologize
EJ Obiena moved the hearts of a lot of Filipinos when he apologized for failing to reach the men's pole vault podium. Fourth place seems to be the most cruel to finish in the Olympic Games.
[ALSO READ: EJ Obiena apologizes after "painful" finish results in barely missing Olympic medal for Paris 2024]
Weightlifters John Ceniza and Vanessa Sarno too had to apologize after failing to finish their competitions. So did John Cabang Tolentino and Carlo Paalam.
They apologized for their performance, for crashing out.
There were netizens, typing from the comforts of their seats, who mocked these athletes for their finish. Sayang daw 'yung gastos.
They don't know how Obiena struggled with a spine issue. They didn't know that Tolentino suffered groin and hip pain before his competition. They didn't know how Carlo Paalam endured pain in his legs, feet, and shoulders only to fall in a heartbreaker of a split decision. They didn't know how Samantha Catantan, reaching the Olympics after a traumatic injury, withstood a tweaked knee to face a world number two fencer She later revealed she once again tore her ACL. They didn't know that John Ceniza was still feeling the effects of a shoulder injury during the competition. They didn't know Vanessa Sarno was fighting a battle that wasn't as easy as lifting a barbell. They didn't know Dottie Ardina and Bianca Pagdanganan also had to think about fixing their uniforms instead of focusing on the course.
They still don't have to apologize for representing the country.
[ALSO READ: Whether it's "Thank You" or "Salamat" or "Merci," the Philippine Centennial Team deserve all gratitude and love]
Support comes in all forms, needed the most before anything turns to gold
As the number of prizes, pledges, and promises poured for gold medalist Carlos Yulo showed, there's plenty of places where funding can come from.
The question is, can these come when an athlete is just starting out? One beverage company showed it can.
And it's not just about providing financial support, it's about providing emotional ones at the grassroots level.
Hidilyn Diaz sparked an interest in weightlifting. And surely, Carlos Yulo did the same for gymnastics long before he became an Olympic double gold medalist. These will spark more competitions and more interest to build a long-burning fire for the future.
So watch those games too.
There's more medal chances in Los Angeles 2028
There's a huge question heading to Los Angeles 2028--will boxing be included?
Currently it isn't, as the International Olympic Committee has called on national boxing federations to unite under a new international group to oversee the next quadriennial event.
Right now, that is World Boxing--and it needs every support it can get.
But there could be another bright spot for the Philippines--not just in boxing, pole vault, gymnastics, and weightlifting.
It was confirmed that baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacross, and squash will be included in LA 2028.
And yes, the Philippines has a fighting chance in the diamond.
Baseball and softball teams have provided consistent performances at the Asian level, just outside the podium. The Blu Girls in particular, even finished second in the 2017 Asian Women's Softball Championship against Japan to compete in the Asian Games and the Softball World Championship.
Who knows what they can do should they qualify in LA?
So there's plenty of things to do after Paris 2024. And unless Marites 101 will be an Olympic sport, the focus has to be on the things that matter.
[NEXT: Paris Olympics postscript: We still have a long way to go as a nation]