Certified Olympian si Paalam—Tolentino
MANILA, Philippines — Noon pa man ay naniniwala na si Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino na ipinanganak si national boxer Carlo Paalam para sumabak sa Olympic Games.
Noong 2021 Olympics sa Tokyo, Japan ay sumuntok si Paalam ng silver medal kagaya ng nakuha ni Nesthy Petecio, habang nag-ambag ng bronze si Eumir Felix Marcial.
Muling sasalang ang tubong Talakag, Bukidnon sa kanyang ikalawang sunod na Olympics stint matapos talunin si Sachin Siwach ng India, 5-0, sa semifinals ng men’s flyweight division sa 2nd World Olympic Qualification Tournament (OQT) sa Bangkok, Thailand.
“I always believed that Carlo is a certified Olympian,” sabi ni Tolentino sa 25-anyos na national boxer. “The setback in Italy was just temporary as he proved that he could qualify for the Olympics by winning all five bouts here in Bangkok.”
Sa unang Olympic qualifying tournament sa Busto Arsizio, Italy noong Marso ay bigo si Paalam na matapos ang torneo dahil sa kanyang shoulder injury.
Bago talunin ang 5-foot-9 na si Siwach sa semifinals sa Bangkok ay dinaig muna ni Paalam sina Alexei Lagkazasvili ng Greece (5-0), Shukur Ovezov ng Turkmenistan (5-0), Artur Bazeyan ng Armenia (4-1) at Jose Feliz de los Santos ng Dominican Republic (5-0) sa quarterfinals.
“I know and feel Carlo could bring his winning act to Paris,” wika ni Tolentino kay Paalam na kanyang pinanood sa Bangkok kasama si POC secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan.
- Latest
