Medalya ng Pinas madadagdagan pa

PARIS — Sa nakopong dalawang golds at dalawang bronzes ay nasa labas lamang ang Team Philippines ng Top 20 sa medal table sa huling apat na araw ng mga labanan sa 2024 Olympics.

Matapos kunin ni gymnast Carlos Yulo ang dalawang gintong medalya ay pumuwesto ang Pinas sa No. 19.

“We’ve surpassed our Tokyo performance with two golds and two bronzes here. Puwede pa rin madagdagan ‘yan at ma-break natin ang number of medals won in one Olympics,” ani Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

Kumolekta ang bansa ng 1-2-1 gold-silver-bronze breakthrough sa Tokyo Olympics mula kina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz at bo­xers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam at Eumir Marcial.

Pinaganda ito ng dalawang ginto ni Yulo at tig-isang tanso nina Petecio at Aira Villegas.

Umaasa pa si Tolentino na madaragdagan pa ang mga medalya ng bansa mula kina Bianca Pagda­nganan at Dottie Ardina sa women’s golf at Va­nessa Sarno na sasabak sa weightlifting ngayon matapos si Elreen Ando kagabi.

“Counting the silver in Rio of Hidilyn Diaz, the four medals in Tokyo and the four now here, it’s nine medals after going without a medal in the Olympics for 20 years. Four medals in Paris from a 22-strong team with meager funding, that’s excellence,” wika naman ni Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines chairman Ricky Vargas na dating pangulo ng POC.

Pinasalamatan at bumilib si Vargas sa pamamahala ni Tolentino.

“Cong Bambol, thank you,” ani Vargas. “Ang ga­ling nito, super hands-on.”