Tolentino kumpiyansang madadagdagan pa ang medalya
PARIS — Kumpiyansa si Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino na hahakot pa ng medalya ang mga natitirang Pinoy athletes sa huling apat na araw ng 2024 Olympic Games.
Ang mga aasahan ni Tolentino ay sina Bianca Pagdanganan at Dottie Ardina sa women’s golf at Vanessa Sarno na sasabak sa weightlifting ngayon matapos si Elreen Ando kagabi.
“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,” sabi ni Tolentino.
Humakot ang Pinas ng 1-2-1 gold-silver-bronze medals sa 2021 Tokyo Olympics mula kina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz at boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam at Eumir Marcial.
Pinaganda ito ngayon sa Paris Games ng dalawang ginto ni gymnast Carlos Yulo at tig-isang tanso nina Petecio at Aira Villegas.
“Kahit one bronze lang, lalagpasan natin ang four medals sa Tokyo,” wika ni Tolentino.
“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,” dagdag ni Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines chairman Ricky Vargas na dating pangulo ng POC.
Pinasalamatan ni Vargas si Tolentino.
“Cong Bambol, thank you,” ani Vargas. “Ang galing nito, super hands-on.”
Bago magsimula ang mga events kahapon ay nasa No. 24 ang Team Philippines sa medal table sa ilalim ng USA (27-35-32), China (25-23-17), Australia (18-12-11), France (13-17-21) at Great Britain (12-17-20) na nasa Top 5.
Ang China ang nangungunang Asian team kasunod ang South Korea (12-8-7), Japan (12-6-13), Pilipinas (2-0-2) at Hong Kong (2-0-2).
Ang highest finish ng bansa ay No. 25 sa nahakot na tatlong bronze medals mula sa walong atleta noong 1932 Olympics sa Los Angeles.
Galing ito kina Simeon Toribio (high jump), Teofilo Yldefonso (swimming) at Jose Villanueva (boxing).
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