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Olympic medal stories

Adding to the hall of fame of Filipino athletes, Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and Boxers Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial are assured of medals in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. After 97 years, the Philippines finally bagged the first gold medal after Diaz has beaten with a one-point margin Liao Qiuyun of China who took the silver with 223 kilograms. With the prestige and honor attached to Olympic medals, what do they really mean for the common Filipinos?  

Following the story of Hidilyn Diaz, she won her first silver Olympic medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics. At that time, she became the first woman in the Philippines to win an Olympic medal. However, apart from winning the country’s first gold, she was also vocal and insistent about asking for support to be given to Filipino athletes. In June 2019, she went public and pleaded for financial support. With her adamant efforts to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics despite the criticisms, she has also become a champion of athlete’s rights and welfare.  Her victory opened opportunities to young and thriving athletes who may have lost hope or have become tired of trying. The medal, based on her story, is a symbol of perseverance.

Another Filipino athlete assured of an Olympic medal is Nesthy Petecio, a boxer from Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, who is the first woman to win a boxing medal. Despite the fact that Filipino Olympic boxers had already brought home several medals, female boxers are yet to break that drought. Now that Petecio will be competing in the final round (as of writing), women boxers are put in the spotlight, who are now seen as capable and remarkable as their male counterparts. The medal, based on her story, is a symbol of equality amidst a male-dominated sport.

The third Filipino athlete who will receive an Olympic medal is Manny Pacquiao’s “natural successor”, Eumir Marcial. The Olympic semifinalist (as of writing) who hails from Zamboanga City admitted that apart from strenuous and difficult training sessions, Pacquiao’s motivational advice pushed him to pursue his Olympic dreams. “The higher you get, the humbler you should be.” These are the exact words Pacquiao had instilled in him. Apart of going for the gold, Marcial said in an interview that his journey is also for the entire country. The medal, based on his story, is a symbol of humility.

Above all, the Olympic medal is a symbol of our collective dreams. Despite financial constraints, lack of sports facilities and training centers, and limited sponsorship grants and opportunities that many Filipino athletes face, they have continued to strive and fight for their what they truly deserve.

Apart from Olympic medals, may our future athletes win more rights and spaces in the country.

 Let us hope that no more Filipino athlete will have to beg for support and assistance. Let us envision for changes and developments in our institutions to favor sports apart from the more prominent basketball and boxing. And let us start writing victorious stories by championing the rights and welfare of our athletes in the country.