Bianca Pagdanganan relishes ‘great Olympic experience’ in Paris

The Philippines’ Bianca Isabel Pagdanganan competes during round 4 of the women’s golf individual stroke play of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, south-west of Paris, on August 10, 2024. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — Bianca Pagdanganan may have fallen short of reaching the Paris Olympics 2024 women’s golf competition podium but she’s proud to have given everything she had for Team Philippines.

Pagdanganan shed tears after narrowly missing a chance to force a playoff for the bronze, carving out four-under-par 68s as she and Dottie Ardina capped the Philippines’ campaign in the 2024 Olympic Games.

“I gave my all out there. It was still a tough day, I made a lot of errors which stings but knowing that I was able to give my 100 percent, give my everything,” said an emotional Pagdanganan in an interview with One Sports.

READ: Bianca Pagdanganan, Dottie Ardina lead PH to impressive finish

“Whatever happens at the end of the day, it happens. It’s such a great Olympic experience. I wasn’t able to have this in Tokyo but being able to share this moment with my family means so much. I feel very blessed and grateful that I have them as my support system. It means a lot I’m able to represent the Philippines on such a big stage, competing with the best players in the world.”

The Filipino golfer still made a huge leap from 43rd in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago to fourth place which was a product of her hard work and sacrifices amid the tough challenges.

“I really wanted our names up there. I want them to know that we’re great athletes. This is just not for golf, we’ve excelled with other sports and I think it’s a great wake-up call back home that we can excel in sports. So if we can find someone to support that would be great,” she said. 

READ: Bianca Pagdanganan with solid shot at medal after brilliant 2nd round

Despite not making it to the podium, Pagdanganan remained proud of her campaign in Paris. 

“You always try to go number one, it’s been the mindset, especially as a golfer you want number one. But the fact that there are three of them on the podium. I wanted to be up there and try to give it a run,” the Olympic golfer said. “I want a huge improvement and I wanna make my country proud and I did everything so I really feel proud of how I performed under such extreme pressure knowing that I can handle myself in those situations. It should be a great motivation.”