Team Philippines in Paris Olympics 2024: Meet the athletes

By: Celest Flores-Colina - 2 months ago

Some of the athletes competing for Team Philippines in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Meet the Team Philippines for the Paris Olympics 2024 Summer Games.

SCHEDULE: Team Philippines at Paris Olympics 2024 (PH TIME)

The 22-strong Team Philippines delegation competes in the Paris Olympics 2024 from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France.

The Philippines is represented by 22 athletes in nine sports–athletics, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, golf, judo, rowing, swimming, and weightlifting–on the world’s grandest sporting stage.

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The Paris Olympics’ Team Philippines delegation is the biggest the country has sent to the Summer Games since Barcelona 1992. The best-performing Tokyo 2020 contingent–led by first-ever gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz–had 19 athletes.

Here is the list of the Filipino athletes to watch out for in Paris 2024.

EJ Obiena (athletics, pole vault)
Lauren Hoffman (athletics, 400m hurdles)
John Cabang Tolentino (athletics, 110m hurdles)
Carlo Paalam (boxing)
Nesthy Petecio (boxing)
Eumir Marcial (boxing)
Hergie Bacyadan (boxing)
Aira Villegas (boxing)
Carlos Yulo (gymnastics)
Emma Malabuyo (gymnastics)
Aleah Finnegan (gymnastics)
Levi Ruivivar (gymnastics)
Bianca Pagdanganan (golf)
Dottie Ardina (golf)
Samanthan Catantan (fencing)
Kiyomi Watanabe (judo)
Jarod Hatch (swimming)
Kayla Noelle Sanchez (swimming)
Joanie Delgaco (rowing)
Elreen Ando (weightlifting)
John Ceniza (weightlifting)
Vanessa Sarno (weightlifting)

EJ Obiena, athletics (pole vault)

Returning for his second straight Olympics stint, EJ Obiena has solidified himself as one of the top contenders for the medal for this year’s Paris Games.

Obiena, who rose to world No. 2 in 2023 behind pole vault’s top athlete Mondo Duplantis, failed to make it to the podium in Tokyo but has since broken records on his way to a historic 6-meter clearance to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Obiena is one of the Philippines’ biggest medal hopes this year.

Lauren Hoffman, athletics (400m hurdles)

Filipino-American Lauren Hoffman is carrying the Philippines’ colors in her first trip to the Olympics.

Hoffman, who became eligible to represent the Philippines in 2023 after switching from the United States, now holds several Philippine track records she achieved within just a span of five months.

She’s looking to give the same energy when she competes in the 400m hurdles in the Paris Olympics 2024.

John Cabang Tolentino, athletics (110m hurdles)

From a virtual unknown, John Cabang Tolentino has impressed since joining the Philippine Athletics radar two years ago after the weekly trials.

Now, Cabang, born in Spain to Filipino parents, aims to continue his fine showing in the Paris Olympics 2024 competing in the 110-meter hurdles for the Philippines.

Cabang holds the national record in the event with a clocking of 13.37 seconds.

Hergie Bacyadan, boxing (women’s 75kg)

Not too long ago, Hergie Bacyadan was making a name for herself in a different sport, but now she has an opportunity to make history for the Philippines in boxing.

Bacyadan, the first Filipino world champion in Vovinam, returned to her roots and is one of five boxers vying for a medal in the Paris Olympics 2024.

The pride of Tabuk, Kalinga shoots for history in the women’s 75-kilogram division.

Carlo Paalam, boxing (men’s 57kg)

Carlo Paalam brought honor to the country with a silver medal that shone like gold in the Tokyo Olympics. He has the opportunity to pull off another historic feat in Paris.

Paalam is even more motivated to get better results this time around, after his arduous journey to the Paris Olympics 2024 where he only secured his ticket to the French capital in the final edition of world boxing qualifiers in June.

The Bukidnon native is competing in a different weight class in France, moving up from flyweight to the 57-kilogram division.

Nesthy Petecio, boxing (women’s 57kg)

Nesthy Petecio takes another shot at bringing home a historic Olympic gold medal in boxing, something which eluded her in Tokyo.

Petecio is looking to improve her silver medal into the biggest prize of all against an equally tough field in the Paris Olympics 2024 the women’s 57kg division without the reigning titlist Sena Irie, who has since retired.

The Davao del Sur boxer, though, is keeping things “chill” in her second straight Olympics stint despite the overwhelming pressure that comes along with it.

Eumir Marcial, boxing (men’s 80kg)

Eumir Marcial has had quite a start to his professional boxing career at 5-0 with knockouts since his bronze medal finish in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

While there’s a chance Marcial could be turning professional full-time after the Paris Olympics 2024, he will first try to complete his redemption looking for better results in the men’s 80-kilogram division.

Marcial was the first boxer to book his spot in the Paris Games with a silver in the pandemic-delayed Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Aira Villegas, boxing (women’s 50kg)

Aira Villegas has reached her dream of competing in the Olympics as she fortifies the five-man strong Philippine boxing team in the Paris Olympics 2024.

The longtime national team member, who credits her brother and fellow boxer Romnick for getting her into the sport, secured her spot in the Summer Games in March.

RELATED STORY: Meet the Philippine boxing team

Carlos Yulo, gymnastic

Carrying overwhelming expectations, Carlos Yulo failed to bring home a medal in Tokyo despite being one of the favorites.

The golden boy of Philippine gymnastics looks to change all that in the Paris Olympics 2024. But he won’t be just going after any color of medal, Yulo has made it clear that he wants the gold.

Yulo, a two-time world champion, is heading into the Paris Games on a roll after winning four gold medals in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last May.

Emma Malabuyo, gymnastics

Emma Malabuyo is bringing the wealth of experience she got from being a national team member of the United States to her first Olympics appearance, this time carrying the Philippine colors in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Malabuyo is finally making her Summer Games debut, after being part of Team USA’s alternate team in Tokyo. She made an instant impact for the Philippine national team in the 2023 Asian Championships, her first competition since switching eligibilities.

The young gymnast is looking to make her Filipino grandparents proud by representing the country.

Aleah Finnegan

Aleah Finnegan became the first Filipino woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics since 1964 after punching her ticket for the Paris Games through the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.

Finnegan previously represented the United States in international competition, even winning the team gold at the 2019 Pan American Games.

When she decided to switch nationalities and start competing for the Philippines, she immediately showed her world-class talent with two gold medals in the 2021 Hanoi Southeast Asian Games.

Levi Ruivivar

Levi Ruivivar is the youngest athlete in the Philippine delegation for the Paris Olympics 2024 at 18 years old.

Ruivivar, also a former member of the United States national team, started representing the Philippines in 2023 and got a shot to compete in the Summer Games through the FIG World Cup series.

Bianca Pagdanganan, golf

As one of the country’s top golf bets, Bianca Pagdanganan is participating in her second straight Olympics.

In Tokyo, the then 23-year-old Pagdanganan slid down the table at the end of the four rounds finishing at 43rd, falling to 1-over-par after hitting 285 overall.

Armed with more experience to her name, Pagdanganan looks for a better performance in the golf competition of the Paris Olympics 2024.

Dottie Ardina, golf

Dottie Ardina is a seasoned pro golf campaigner who will make her long-overdue stint in the Olympics for the Philippines.

Ardina previously qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games in 2016, but had to put off her appearance due to the Zika virus threat.

Now, the 30-year-old Ardina gets a chance to carry the banner of the Philippines as one of the two golfers in the Paris Olympics 2024 for the country.

Samantha Catantan, fencing (women’s foil)

Samantha Catantan ended a long drought for the Philippine fencing with her entry to the Paris Olympics 2024.

Catantan punctuated her return from an ACL injury with an emotional win in the Asian and Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament that sealed her pathway to Paris.

She is the first fencer to compete in the Olympics since Walter Torres in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the first ever Filipino woman fencer to make it to the Summer Games.

Kiyomi Watanabe, judo (women’s 63kg)

Kiyomi Watanabe is getting another shot to make a deeper run in the Olympic judo competition after qualifying for the Paris Games.

In Tokyo, Watanabe was among those who carried the fight for the Philippines, but she ended her campaign quickly–in just 38 seconds–after losing to Spain’s Cristina Cabana in the Round of 32.

The Cebu-born Watanabe is the Philippines’ lone judoka in the Paris Olympics after securing one of the two Asian continental quotas.

Jarod Hatch, swimming

Jarod Hatch came out of retirement to represent the Philippines again in the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, and will now carry the country on a much bigger stage.

Hatch, who owns the national record in the 100m butterfly, secured his trip to the French capital through the universality rule.

Kayla Noelle Sanchez, swimming

Kayla Noelle Sanchez is bringing her Olympics experience as part of the medal-winning Canada national team to the Philippines’ campaign in swimming in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Sanchez got the clearance to represent the country in 2023, and with the IOC waiving her residency requirements, she was able to chase Paris 2024 spots.

Born to Filipino parents, Sanchez caught the attention of Philippine swim officials when she helped Team Canada claim a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay and a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay in Tokyo.

Joanie Delgaco, rowing

Joanie Delgaco is the lone rower from the Philippines who secured a spot for the Paris Olympics, making her stint a historic one.

Delgaco, who is competing in the women’s single sculls, is the first Filipino woman–and just the fourth in all from the country–to ever compete in the rowing competition of the Summer Games.

Rowing is a staple sport in the Olympics, having been part of the program since the 1900s.

Elreen Ando, weightlifting

Elreen Ando faced the tough task of being in the same weight class as the Philippines’ first and only Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz en route to Paris.

Ando bucked the odds and edged Diaz-Naranjo for the Paris berth in the women’s 59-kilogram division, making Paris her second Summer Games stint.

With the long-time face of the sport not competing, Ando is leading the Team Philippines’ weightlifting delegation in Paris.

John Ceniza, weightlifting

John Ceniza is making his Olympic debut in the Paris Olympics, leading the new breed of weightlifters from the Philippines.

Ceniza is heading to Paris buoyed by his solid showing in the IWF World Cup, where he finished fourth in the men’s 61-kg division with an impressive total lift of 300kg and impressive performances in 2023.

After his silver finish in the Cambodia SEA Games, Ceniza narrowly missed the podium in the Hangzhou Asian Games by just a kilogram.

Vanessa Sarno, weightlifting

Vanessa Sarno has long been tagged as the future of weightlifting in the Philippines–and the heir apparent of Hidilyn Diaz–and her upcoming stint at the Paris Olympics just proves that she fits the bill.

Sarno has been racking up achievements for Team Philippines even before she hit 20 years old, and she is looking to turn heads and make the most out of her first Olympics appearance.

The pride of Bohol, who is also a former Asian Champion, is ranked No. 5 in the world in the women’s 71-kg division.