JUDOKA Kiyomi Watanabe and swimmers Jarrod Hatch and Kayla Sanchez are the latest additions to the Paris Olympic-bound national team, the Philippine Olympic Committee announced yesterday.
The inclusion of the three raised the number of Pinoy Olympic standard-bearers to 18, just one short of the 19 bets in 10 sports who represented the country in the Tokyo Summer Games.
At least two more are coming in golf — Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina.
The latest development delighted POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who is supervising the training camp of the national team in Metz, France together with team chief of mission Gov. Jonvic Remulla.
“Great news, and we can’t even ask for more,” said Tolentino. “Each day, as the countdown to the Olympics continues, team morale goes higher and higher.
“Of course, we are expecting more,” added the POC chief, who is awaiting the confirmation of Pagdanganan and Ardina, who were at Nos. 35 and 55, respectively, in the International Golf Federation Women’s Olympic qualifying ratings as of last week.
Track and field athletes such as John Cabang Tolentino, Lauren Hoffman, Robyn Brown and Rio Olympian Eric Craw are still in the running for Olympic tickets.
Watanabe, who made her Olympic debut in 2021 while serving as the country’s flag-bearer in the Tokyo Games, will appear in her second straight Olympics after being awarded a continental quota for Asia by the International Judo Federation.
Last Monday, IJF Secretary Lisa Allan formally notified Tolentino of Watanabe’s inclusion in the women’s minus 63kg division to the Paris Summer Games.
“Dear President Tolentino, it is our pleasure to inform you that the following athlete (Watanabe) has qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games judo competition,” Allan wrote in the correspondence co-signed by IJF Head Sports Director Vladimir Barta.
Filipino-Canadian Sanchez, who represented Canada in Tokyo but switched nationalities in 2022, and Fil-Am Hatch earned universality places and will compete in the women’s 100-meter freestyle and men’s 100-meter butterfly events, respectively, according to swimming secretary general Rep. Eric Buhain.
The three join pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, John Febuar Ceniza and Elreen Ando; boxers Aira Villegas, Hergie Bacyadan, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Felix Marcial; rower Joanie Delgaco; fencer Samantha Catantan; and gymnasts Carlos Yulo, Emma Malabuyo, Levi Ruivivar, and Aleah Finnegan.
The Philippine campaign in the French capital famous for the Eiffel Tower will mark the centennial jubilee of the country’s participation in the Summer Games since runner David Nepomuceno saw action in the men’s 100 and 200-meter sprints of the 1924 Paris edition.
Tolentino is hoping for another milestone for the national delegation after weightlifter Hidylin Diaz-Naranjo achieved a golden breakthrough in the women’s 55kg category in Tokyo three years ago.
“We’re expecting more,” said Tolentino as he awaits an official announcement from World Athletics on who will join world No. 2 men’s pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena in Paris.
David Nepomuceno ran the men’s 100 and 200 meters in the Philippines’ Olympic debut in Paris 1924 and participated in every Olympics after that–interrupted only by the boycott of Moscow 1980.
“We’re chasing more history, we’re setting the ante higher,” said Tolentino.
The icing on the cake in Tokyo were the silver medals of boxers Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio and a bronze from teammate Eumir Felix Marcia.
