The boxer; Olympic watching

I have mixed feelings about boxing being one of the few Olympic sports that will get us on the medal tally board. Before Hidilyn Diaz, EJ Obiena and Caloy Yulo, our medal hopes were all pinned on our boxers. In Tokyo in 2020, three of them came through – Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam with silvers and Eumir Marcial with a bronze. In our Olympic history, eight of our 14 medals came via boxing (athletics, swimming and weightlifting contributed two each).

We’ve forgotten most of the past medalists, so I did a search and here they are: bronze medalists – Teofilo Yldefonso (swimming) in 1928 and 1932; Simeon Toribio (athletics) in 1932; Miguel White (athletics) in 1936. In weightlifting, Hidilyn Diaz got a silver in 2016 and a gold in 2020. In boxing, Jose Villanueva, bronze in 1932; Anthony Villanueva, silver in 1964; Leopoldo Serantes, bronze in 1988; Roel Velasco, bronze in 1992; Onyok Velasco, silver in 1996. It’s now time to add gold to our boxing medals.

Athletes, to reach Olympic caliber, put in so much training, with discipline and dedication way beyond what mere mortals like me are capable of. Boxers literally take physical punishment each time they step into the ring – in training and in competition. They give so much – and endure even more.

The 1970 Paul Simon song “The Boxer” says it all:

In the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter by his trade

And he carries the reminder

Of every glove that laid him down

Or cut him till he cried out

In his anger and his shame

“I am leaving, I am leaving”

But the fighter still remains

*      *      *

Watching the post-bout interview of Eumir Marcial was heartbreaking. There was no anger, only utter disappointment – and shame. He said he didn’t know how to explain his loss to the Filipino people; he had no excuses (not even that he had to move up a weight class, or that his opponent was so much taller and had a much longer reach). “Naghihingi po ako ng pasensya sa lahat ng Pilipino na naniwala at sumoporta sa akin,” he said, on the verge of tears.

The 28-year-old Zamboanga City native had set aside his promising professional career in the US (five wins so far) and sacrificed so much to get to Paris to better his bronze and get that gold medal. He said at this time he does not really know where to begin to pick up the pieces of a shattered dream, and where he goes from here.

His teammates Petecio, Paalam and first timer Aira Villegas are still in the ring, more determined than ever to get through the quarterfinals, and from there it’s two matches (the semis and the finals) to the top step of the podium. They carry the hopes of the nation and the countless young aspiring boxers who are working the punching bags, throwing punches with sparring partners (or whoever is willing to go a few rounds with them) and practising footwork in dingy gyms and makeshift rings in all corners of the country.

The Paul Simon song begins: “I am just a poor boy, though my story’s seldom told…” Our boxers – from Manny Pacquiao to Eumir Marcial and so many others over the years – are indeed mostly poor boys, who see their boxing gloves as the ticket out of a life of namelessness and poverty.

Let us tell their story – of sacrifice, pain, grit, disappointment but yes, also glory. The fighter still remains, and so does the dream.

*      *      *

Even for a very un-sports person like me, following our athletes – 22 of them this year – at the Olympics is a very exciting thing to do. I was very impressed with fencer Sam Catantan, who gave the top seed and world no. 2 from Italy a good run, even managing to take the lead early on before bowing out with a respectable 12-15. She’s raring to compete in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, and should be in even better shape after getting a scholarship following her impressive showing in Paris.

Likewise rower Joanie Delgaco, who was fastest in the repechage (I looked up the term but still don’t quite get it) and reached the quarterfinals in women’s single scull.

It’s great to see that our athletes can excel in and focus on sports other than basketball and volleyball. I’ve always believed that, with our physique and our natural grace, we would do well in gymnastics, which does not disadvantage us in terms of height. So I’m thrilled that Caloy Yulo is in the medal running in the floor exercises (unfortunately, deadline does not allow me to wait for his performance last night, which I pray will be a golden one) and the vault, two of his best events.

We watched EJ Obiena in the pole vault qualifiers yesterday afternoon, and nearly got a heart attack when he failed in his first two attempts at 5.60 meters. Going to 5.70 and then 5.75 meters, he did not disappoint, so he’s through to the finals tomorrow.

Three cheers – and more – for our athletes… Laban para sa bayan!