No coup de gráce for Pinoys in Paris

PARIS – Bianca Pagdanganan is suddenly in a tough position to crack the top three and more so Dottie Ardina despite a good charge in the third round of women’s golf at Le Golf National Friday.

Over at the South Paris Arena 6 in a sprawling complex in Paris 15th District, the weightlifting team came up empty with a no lift from Vanessa Sarno, replicating the DNF (Did Not Finish) card of John Ceniza Wednesday.

An absence of a coup de gráce.

Team Philippines’ last forces were fighting a lonely fight in the closing hours of the 2024 Paris Games.

Worse, there’s seemingly an issue over a playing uniform – or the absence of it – from the golf team and an infighting in the weightlifting unit, a sad note to end what’s easily the most outstanding performance by Team Philippines in the quadrennial Games.

Ardina posted a video that had become viral on social media, showing her using a double-sided tape to place a Philippine flag patch on her jersey. She was whispering they’re the only team in the golf competition without a uniform.

Meanwhile, Sarno ended up in tears after three failed lifts on her start weight (100kg), and shortly after said it’s tough to train “in a toxic environment.”

But the lady warriors put up a fight.

Pagdanganan birdied the par-5 18th hole for the third straight day and salvaged a one-over 73 to be at joint 13th with a two-under 54-hole total, seven shots off the pace.

After her video shoot, Ardina worked on her best round of three-under 69 and climbed notches up to 23rd with a one-over 217 total.

Lastly, Sarno took the stage and repeatedly flashed a smile before and after her attempts, holding the emotions she’d been hiding all these days since her qualification to the Games.

“Ang pangit po pag ganoon ‘yung environment while preparing for the Olympics kasi aminado po ako na naging mahina po ‘yung mentality ko po pagdating sa mga tao na nasa paligid ko po na sobrang toxic,” said Sarno.

Needless to say, she’s not okay with her coaches.

And it didn’t help as she landed in the bottom of the chart in women’s 71kg topped by Olivia Reeves with a new Olympic mark of 117 in snatch and a 145 clean and jerk for a winning 262 total.

The silver went to Colombia’s Mari Leivis Sanchez with 112-145 for 257 and the bronze to Ecuador’s Angie Paola Palacio Dajomes with 116-140 for 256.

Before the competition, Sarno was considered among the medal bets after a joint fifth ranking with Dajomes with their similar lifts of 245 in the Olympic qualifier in Phuket, Thailand.

Sarno said everything flew away in training.

“Sobrang hirap po para sa akin kasi sobrang naging mahina po ‘yung mentality ko po na gustong gusto ko na pong sumuko dahil sa sobrang toxic ng environment,” said Sarno.

“Hindi ko na po kinakaya ‘yung mga tao na parang, parang hindi, parang ramdam ko na ayaw nila na andun ako, ramdam ko na gusto nilang ma-down ako,” added Sarno, referring to the changes of the coaching composition going to the Olympics.

Was she up to lifting 100kg?

“Yes po, kayang-kaya ko po ‘yun. Ano po talaga, kahit nung nasa Manila pa, kayang-kaya ko po ‘yun sa training,” Sarno said.

In Phuket, she registered 110 in snatch and 135 in clean and jerk on the way to qualification to the Paris Games.

But then came her downfall.

And with the fall came a fat zero for Team Philippines in weightlifting after the golden performance by Hidilyn Diaz in Tokyo in 2021.

It’s now in the hands of Pagdanganan if she could still improve Team Philippines’ 2-0-2 gold-silver-bronze tally in the Paris Games. It’s a tall order.