TEAM Philippines’ campaign in the Paris Olympics is akin to the French capital’s weather these days–hot and cold.
Pinoy bets, although dealing with devastating losses, are still seeking a medal of any color five days since action went full blast.
Olympic newcomer Hergie Bacyadan fell to Chinese top seed Li Qian in the round-of-16 of the women’s 75kg class late Wednesday night at the North Paris Arena.
Bacyadan’s loss trimmed the country’s pugilists tasked to deliver the goods to three–Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Aira Villegas after the exit of Eumir Marcial.
Marcial and Bacyadan joined fencer Samantha Catantan, Fil-Am gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Jung-Ruivivar, rower Joanie Delgaco, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, and swimmer Kayla Sanchez who have been reduced to spectators and cheerleaders for their compatriots.
Paalam provided some sort of relief after he pulled off a unanimous 5-0 win over Irish boxer Jude Gallagher in the men’s featherweight division last Wednesday night.
Former two-time world champion Carlos Yulo wound up 12th among 24 entries in the men’s artistic gymnastics all-around finals early yesterday at the Bercy Arena.
Yulo will try to capture a medal of any color in the finals of his bread-and-butter events–the floor exercise and the vault this weekend.
Delgaco will be back in the women’s single sculls classification for a shot at a 19th to 24th place finish.
While that breakthrough podium finish remains elusive, a win in the wee hours today by boxer Aira Villegas can at least guarantee a medal.
Villegas tangles with Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam in the round-of-16 of the women’s 51kg category for a slot in the quarterfinals.
A native of Tacloban City, Leyte, Villegas posted a convincing 5-0 victory over Morocco’s Yasmine Moutakki last Monday.
Tanker Jarod Hatch, who came out of retirement last year, plunges into heat 2 of the men’s 100-meter butterfly at 5 p.m. today.
Villegas remains unfazed despite the tall odds.
Boualam, 29, is a veteran of two Olympic games with a gold medal haul that includes triumphs at the African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament last year, multiple African championships, the 2019 African Games, and the 2023 Arab Games. She is also a trailblazer, being the first female boxer to represent Algeria in the Olympics.
