Team Philippines’ Hergie Bacyadan takes a swing at China’s Li Qian in their women’s 75 kg preliminary boxing match at Paris Olympics 2024, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
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In between introspection forced on it by victory and defeat, the Philippine boxing team continues to march forward, looking to punch its way to the podium in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hergie Bacyadan and Carlo Paalam were the latest to pick up their gloves for Team Philippines, battling separate foes in their debuts on Wednesday, even as Aira Villegas prepares for Step 2 against Yasmine Moutakki of Morocco.
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“We need to study her and train hard,” Villegas said of her bout, which kicks off a few minutes past midnight (Manila time) on Friday.
So far, the Philippine boxing team has had mixed results in the French capital on Wednesday: At around midnight, Nesthy Petecio coasted her way to the round-of-16 of the women’s 57-kilogram class while a befuddled Eumir Marcial, the hard-hitting professional touted as a medal hopeful in Paris, looked befuddled in the early rounds against the taller Turabek Khabibullaev of Uzbekistan three hours later and crashed in his opening bout.
Switching stances
Bacyadan, meanwhile, fell prey to Li Qian’s laser-like jabs and was likewise bounced out of medal contention.
Petecio hardly found herself in any form of trouble against Jaismine Lamboria a little after midnight Wednesday. Switching stances, the former featherweight world champion skipped her way into striking distance against the taller Indian, often landing solid straights set up by well-timed jabs.
READ: Paris Olympics: Nesthy Petecio banks on masterful game plan vs taller foe
“We knew distance was going to be the key,” Petecio said. “We studied her and trained for her so that I could come in and hit her.”
Petecio will need to pick apart the game of her next foe even more clinically. She will go up against a hometown bet in No. 3 seed Amina Zidani, a former European gold medalist and a no-nonsense bet also looking to move to the round-of-16.
While Petecio found validation of her process in the victory, Marcial was left to ponder on the future after his defeat in the 80-kg class. Petecio and Marcial were medalists in the Tokyo Olympics—Petecio falling to another hometown bet in the final while Marcial settling for bronze—and were raring to polish their hardware to a brighter glow.
READ: Eumir Marcial ‘devastated’ after early exit in Paris Olympics
For one of them, that is no longer happening.
“This is not the end of my journey,” Marcial said.
Pinpoint jabbing
Philippines’ Eumir Marcial, right, fights Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in their preliminary men’s 80kg boxing match at the Paris Olympics 2024, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Bacyadan could not get anything in her attempts to take the fight to Li. The Filipino warrior, a former world champion in vovinam, did step inside the pocket several times, but lost out in the exchanges, with the two-time Olympic medalist landing the scoring punches.
Outside of those exchanges, Li kept Bacyadan at bay with pinpoint jabbing.
In swimming, Kayla Sanchez missed a spot in the finals after finishing seventh in the second semifinal heat after finishing in 54.21 in the women’s 100-meter freestyle at La Defense Arena.
“It’s been a long season,” Sanchez told Olympics broadcaster One Sports. “Asian Games in September and the World Championships in February. Now, it’s my summer break so I can kind of take my time to reflect and to refresh the mind and body before the next season.”
The 23-year-old Sanchez reset the Philippine record during the preliminaries the day before, finishing in 53.67 to enter the semifinals. She was looking to make it back-to-back Olympics with a medal—swimming for two different federations—after winning a silver and bronze in Tokyo for Canada.
“The fight continues,” Sanchez said.
That’s going to be the battle cry of Team Philippines as the hunt for a medal spills into another day.
Carlos Yulo is still in medal contention in men’s gymnastics while EJ Obiena hopes to shock world record holder Mondo Duplantis when the pole vault competitions get going later in the Olympiad.