Paris Olympics 2024: Meet the Philippine boxing team

The Philippine boxing team in the Paris Olympics 2024: Aira Villegas, Hergie Bacyadan, Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

It’s simple, really. The more chances you take, the likelier you will hit your goal.

The Philippine team sent four boxers to Tokyo for the delayed Summer Olympics and came home with two silvers and a bronze.

Who knows what the squad will bring home now that it has five bets in the Paris Olympics 2024.

WHO ARE COMPETING FOR THE PHILIPPINES

• Hergie Bacyadan, women’s 75 kilograms
• Eumir Marcial, men’s 80 kg,
• Carlo Paalam, men’s 57 kg
• Nesthy Petecio, women’s 57 kg
• Aira Villegas, women’s 50 kg.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

FILE–Philippines Eumir Felix Marcial r during the Boxing Men’s 71-80Kg Semifinal bout for the 19th Asian Games that ensured his passage to the Paris Olympics 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Eumir Marcial was the first Filipino boxer to punch his tickets to Paris. The 2020 Tokyo Olympian earned an outright berth to the Olympics after defeating Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon in the semifinals of last year’s 19th Asian Games.

Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, meanwhile, qualified at the same time in the World Qualification Tournament last March.

READ: Eumir Marcial not losing sight on golden goal in Paris Olympics

Petecio defeated Turkiye’s Esra Yildiz in the tournament’s semifinal, booking her ticket to Paris in the sport’s women’s 57-kg category.

Villegas, meanwhile, defeated Bulgaria’s Zlatislava Chukanova in their 50-kg clash to also make the Olympic roster.

Carlo Paalam, on the other hand, had quite the harder route compared to his Philippine boxing compatriots.

READ: Carlo Paalam makes it to Paris Olympics after ‘difficult’ route

Other than having to compete in a division foreign to him—he competed in the 52-kg class in Tokyo—Paalam’s ticket arrived just two months away from the Olympics in the World Boxing Olympic Qualification in Bangkok, Thailand.

In the semifinal of the 57-kg category, Paalam decimated India’s Sachin Sachin via unanimous decision to return to the grandest stage.

Hergie Bacyadan completed the ensemble of Filipino boxers in the same event in Thailand.

In the 75 kg’s quarterfinals, Bacyadan outlasted Venezuela’s Maryelis Yriza via unanimous decision to qualify for the summer games.

WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE FIGHTS

While there’s still no finality in the duels in Paris, time slots have already been released for each division.

Eumir Marcial will be the first to compete in the preliminary round of the 80-kg division on July 27 at North Paris Arena.

Carlo Paalam and Aira Villegas take center stage on July 28 for their own Round of 32 bouts.

There will be a one-day break for the team as Nesthy Petecio will compete on July 30 for the women’s 57-kg preliminaries.

A day after Petecio’s fight, Bacyadan will take the spotlight in the preliminaries of the 75-kg category’s Round of 16 on July 31.

All games from the preliminaries to the semifinal will take place at North Paris Arena.

Should any of the five Filipino boxers make it to the semifinals, they will be competing in the world-famous Roland-Garros stadium in their quest for podium finishes.

The first medal event is on August 3.

HOW TO WATCH

This photograph shows the Olympic Rings displayed at the construction site of the Eiffel Tower Stadium for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 and Paralympic Games. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

Cignal TV will bring the Paris Olympics coverage through free TV channels One Sports, RPTV and TV5, pay-TV channel One Sports+ and three 24/7 channels dedicated to the Olympics broadcast exclusive to Cignal subscribers.

Paris Olympics 2024: How to watch, when it starts, key dates

Livestreaming will be available via the Pilipinas Live app and Smart LiveStream, which will be now open to all mobile subscribers regardless of provider.