By Aliya Janeo

100 taong laban, para sa bayan!

As the competitive fire continues to burn at the 2024 Paris Olympics, we recognize our country’s athletes— who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into qualifying and training for this three-week-long event. These athletes come from different backgrounds and upbringings, and as we cheer them on, it’s worth putting ourselves in their shoes and acknowledging their individuality combined with their talents. 

Our Country’s Pride and Joy

Aira Villegas (Boxing)

Aira Villegas is a Tacloban-native boxer that started her boxing journey when she was just nine years old, under the influence and inspiration of her older brother. Her brother, a scholar at the Leyte Sports Academy, served as the match that lit the younger Villegas’ fire; as he himself was a promising boxer in their area and won his own share of accolades. Aira’s fire only kept burning after seeing how her brother no longer had to ask their parents for an allowance after earning money from competitions. 

Although the older Villegas’ dream of competing nationally never pushed through, Aira represents her family and the country with pride. She has represented the country internationally in multiple competitions; finally qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics after she won the quota bouts round at the 2024 1st World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Italy. 

Aira has always credited her brother, now a coach at the school he once studied at, for her steady success. Now, she’s ready to pack a punch on her Olympics debut. 

Speaking of which, Aira did just that— she has advanced to the semifinals of her Olympic Boxing division after winning against hometown hero, Wassila Lkhadiri in a split decision. She has since claimed  a bronze medal for the country after falling to Turkey’s Buse Naz Çakıroğlu in a unanimous decision — it’s safe to say that the future of Filipino boxing is bright.

Aleah Finnegan (Artistic Gymnastics)

Residing in The United States (US), Aleah Finnegan is a Filipino-American gymnast and a former member of the US national team— a position she opted to drop to focus on her collegiate career at Louisiana State University. With aspirations to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she trained tirelessly at gyms with great coaches; but despite this, she failed to qualify. 

However, not all hope was lost, as the Gymnastic Association of the Philippines’ president, Cynthia Carrion contacted her and offered her another opportunity. Finnegan then switched allegiances, competing in the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and Asian Championships; winning big time and attaining multiple medals. 

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Jung-Ruivivar are the first three female gymnasts to represent the country in the Olympics in 60 years; the latter two will be talked about more, further in the article. 

As of current, Finnegan has placed 33rd all-around, unfortunately not making it through the qualifying round. Despite this, she achieved the highest score in vault amongst the Philippines’ three competitors in the qualification round of the women’s artistic gymnastics, which is still a large feat. 

Bianca Pagdanganan (Golf)

Assumption Antipolo alumnus Bianca Pagdanganan found her love for golf when she was seven years old, as her father would bring her and her family along when he’d play golf himself. Pagdanganan has since then moved to America, where she started her career at Gonzaga University in Washington before switching to The University of Arizona, whomst she assisted in taking home the 2018 NCAA Division championship in women’s golf. 

Pagdanganan also dedicates her career to looking after those around her, as she is vocal about the difference in the pay of male and female athletes; and alongside her teammates, turned down the prize money at the 2018 Asian Games for it to be donated instead. Following her selfless yet successful career  and action in the 2020 Olympics alongside Yuka Saso, where she finished tied 43rd, Pagdanganan hopes to redeem herself this time around. 

Pagdanganan and second Filipina golf bet, Dottie Ardina saw action on August 7 in the Women’s Individual Stroke Play. She didn’t play alongside Saso this time, her former teammate switching citizenship in 2022, but that didn’t impact the now world-ranked 106th from climbing to the 4th position. She may have narrowly missed a chance to bring home the country’s fifth medal, but her performance is still something to keep in mind for the future. 

Carlo Paalam (Boxing)

Hailing from Talakag, Bukidnon, Carlo Paalam grew up as the son of a bakery worker and earned a small amount of money everyday as a garbage scavenger. Another way he earned money was through weekly boxing matches in their area, which caught the attention of the local sports officials— who offered him a place in the local boxing programme when he was just nine years old. 

Paalam joined the national team in 2013, competing in competitions such as the Youth World Championships and the 2019 SEA Games; and most notably, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, Paalam just nearly clinched the gold in Tokyo, winning silver at the end of the competition. 

Now, he’s set to come back stronger than ever, and hopefully take home the first place position he deserves— especially after he pushed himself to qualify for his second Olympics stint at the 2nd Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Thailand.

After edging out Ireland’s Jude Gallagher in a unanimous decision, Paalam moved onto the quarterfinals where he faced off against Australia’s Charlie Senior. Unfortunately, Paalam bowed out of the competition after a narrow split decision. He put up a good fight either way, and there will be more to come from him in the future. 

Carlos Yulo (Artistic Gymnastics)

Taking up gymnastics at the young age of seven, Carlos Yulo is a Manila-born gymnast that was entered into this sport by his lolo. He’s always been an active kid; and he’s only grown since then, obtaining several medals over the years competing in international competitions. 

For a period of time, Yulo resided in Japan to further his career and train with his coach more efficiently. Here, he sought an education while he trained, slowly but surely getting more accustomed to the Japanese lifestyle thanks to the kindness of locals. Moreover, although he qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he faltered in his performance and failed to bring home the gold.

Yulo relocated back to the Philippines, feeling both homesick but even more motivated than before, now surrounded by familiar faces. The missteps Yulo faced had not fully discouraged him, and had only driven him to improve further; with him bettering his mindset and techniques amidst training for the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

Looking at Yulo’s 2024 Olympics journey so far, it’s safe to say that he has completely bounced back from his 2020 experience. Yulo has officially won gold twice at the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise and Vault— being the second ever Filipino Olympian to win gold and the first to earn two in a row, and bagging the first medal of the Philippines’ 2024 Olympics campaign. After his first gold in the floor exercise, several companies have pledged a lifetime of free food and service for Yulo; with the Philippine Sports Commision even pledging millions of pesos to Yulo. Our golden boy has made our country more than proud. 

Dottie Ardina (Golf)

Laguna-born Dottie Ardina started playing golf at the age of five, with her father receiving credit as a big influence in her career. She has made history, as in 2006 she represented the Philippines in the Espirito Santo Trophy at only twelve years old— the youngest player to compete in the World Amateur Team Championships at the time.

She is a seasoned competitor, collecting wins left and right in her junior career; and competing in several competitions in the United States, after starting her professional career in 2013. Ardina may have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, however she had to withdraw due to a Zika virus threat in the area. This makes her 2024 Olympics appearance her official Olympics debut!

As mentioned above, Ardina and Padanganan competed in the Women’s Individual Stroke Play, where Ardina placed 13th and moved up to number 232 from 262 in the world rankings. Additionally, Ardina has also been vocal over the course of her Olympic stint about the lack of uniforms and support for Filipino golfers. This shows that there should be more appreciation for sports in the country, no matter the popularity. 

Emma Malabuyo (Artistic Gymnastics)

Like Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo is a Filipino-American gymnast; who unlike her fellow Filipina gymnast, is committed to UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). In 2016, she competed with The United States junior team and made her international debut, taking home one bronze and two gold medals. She continued to represent the US on the junior team, till her senior debut in 2018, where she continued to bring home wins.

Malabuyo worked hard to reach her Olympics dream, and served as an alternate gymnast for the United States team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; but being an alternate only pushed her more to achieve the opportunity to compete center stage.

In May of 2024, Malabuyo finally secured her spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics after placing third in the all-around at the Asian Gymnastics Championships. Additionally, she holds the acclaim of being the highest placing athlete eligible for the Olympics quota. After getting so close to her dream in 2020 and falling just a bit short, she performed at her best and was set to shoot for the stars.

At the conclusion of the qualifying round for the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Malabuyo placed 29th all-around; just one place under teammate Levi Jung-Ruivivar. Malabuyo even bested both Finnegan and Jung-Ruivivar on the balance beam and the floor exercise. Although falling short of the final round, she and her teammates still displayed an immense amount of skill to qualify for the Olympics alone.

EJ Obiena (Athletics)

Thomasian EJ Obiena was born to a family of athletes— his mother having competed in hurdles at Centro Escolar University, and his father being a two-time pole vault bronze medalist at the SEA Games. He even has a sister who has also represented the country in pole vault at the 2017 SEA Games. Obiena may have started in hurdles like his mother, but he soon gravitated towards pole vault and found more success there. The former world-ranked number 2 credits his father, who was his coach till he was 18, as a major inspiration.

In 2017, while training for the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Obiena suffered an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury, and had to take time to recover whilst juggling school work as well. However in 2019, Obiena bounced back by winning the country’s first gold medal in pole vault in 100 years at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. A few months later, he ended up being the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Obiena experienced disappointment at the 2020 Olympics when he failed to make the top 10 and finished 11th. Yet, this didn’t stop him from making new records and collecting more accolades. In 2022, he reigned over the competition at the Asian Games and set a clearance 20 meters higher than the original record. In 2023, he won gold at the Bergen Jump Challenge, becoming the first Asian competitor to go over the 6-meter barrier; and won silver in Budapest in the World Athletics Championship.

As of August 6, Obiena has bowed out of the Olympics in fourth place after Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis’ performance outshined his. After leaving Paris medal-less, Obiena has slipped into the third spot in the world rankings after holding the second position. Of course, there is still more to come for EJ; who will no doubt take an Olympic podium one day. 

Elreen Ando (Weightlifting)

Cebu-native Elreen Ando started her weightlifting career in junior high school when she was recruited by the University of Cebu’s coach, where she, too, studied. She made her competitive debut in 2018 at the Asian Games where she bagged 4th; she then competed the next year at the 2019 World Championships where she placed 11th overall. Before her first Olympic stint, Ando collected two silvers at the SEA Games and a silver and bronze medal in the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Ando secured her spot on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team after a great performance at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships, where she earned two silver medals and a bronze— when she found herself at the 2020 Olympics, she debuted and placed 7th out of ten competitors. She continued to collect accolades throughout 2023 and 2024, and seized her second Olympics spot at the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) World Cup in Thailand in 2024. Then again, this win came at a bittersweet feeling, as she edged out her idol, Hidlyn Diaz-Naranjo who fell short of qualifying for another consecutive Olympics run.

After overcoming mental turmoil and loss, Ando has proven herself this time around. She sought action on August 8 in the Women’s 59-kg category, where she placed 6th in her weight division. She may have not brought home the gold, but her growing talent is bound to grace the Olympic stage once again.

Eumir Marcial (Boxing)

Eumir Marcial is a Zamboangan boxer that represents the Philippines with their whole heart. With a boxing coach as a father, Marcial has always been under good guidance; with Marcial, the youngest of five siblings, being trained since he was seven years old. Additionally, Marcial also boxes as a tribute to his oldest brother who passed away suddenly.

Carrying with him the support of one of the country’s most acclaimed athletes, Marcial is backed up by the encouragement of Manny Pacquiao, who signed Marcial to a professional contract. The contract allows Marcial to both compete professionally, and allows him to compete internationally at the same time. This contract has served beneficial for Marcial, as he is now a three-time gold medalist at the SEA Games, and was a bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

As of July 31, 2024, Marcial has ended his Olympic stint; bowing out to Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev, who won via unanimous decision. Yet, Marcial has still made the country proud, nonetheless. 

Hergie Bacyadan (Boxing)

Our Kalinga warrior, Hergie Bacyadan has dabbled into different forms of martial arts, namely Wushu and Vovinam; and although they excel in both forms, their calling truly lies in boxing. In 2016, Bacyadan joined the national team for wushu and scored medals in international competitions— then making a move to boxing in 2019 for a better shot at making their Olympics dream a reality.

However, Bacyadan did not qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics; and shifted to Vovinam, a Vietnamese art, a sport where they bagged silver and gold medals when they competed internationally in 2023. Yet, this did not completely cut off their connection with boxing; as they made the cut for the Paris team alongside Paalam in Thailand. 

Additionally, Bacyadan’s place in the women’s division is heavily questioned due to their masculine presentation and identity as a transgender man. They may have been born female, but Bacyadan’s heart and mind resonate more with the male gender. They have cleared up on occasion that they have taken no hormones or steroids, and are simply building the body they were born with— embracing their identity. 

Currently, Bacyadan has just ended their Olympics stint, faltering to China’s Li Qian; a formidable opponent who has claimed bronze in the Rio 2016 Olympics. Although exiting early on their Olympics debut, there’s no doubt that we will be seeing more from Bacyadan in the future. 

Jarod Hatch (Swimming)

Jarod Hatch is a Filipino swimmer raised in The United States, and calls The University of California, Berkeley his alma mater. Furthermore, since 2018, Hatch has been swimming for the Philippines flag— participating in the SEA Games and World Aquatics Championships. Additionally, he has notably won a silver medal for the country at the 2019 SEA Games; and even holds national records.

In 2021, Hatch retired from competitive swimming due to burnout taking a toll on him. He still looked after himself by swimming, and realized that taking a step back from competing gave him the confidence to compete at a higher level— the Paris Olympics. In 2023, he returned at the Cambodia SEA Games to claim three medals.  

Hatch has since competed in the men’s 100-meter butterfly event and has placed 36th overall, after placing last out of eight in the second heat. Eitherways, he has made the country proud and we hope to see him competing for our flag again. 

Joanie Delgaco (Rowing)

Once passionate about volleyball, Joanie Delgaco is an Iriga City native— that by fate, was scouted for the rowing team. Delgaco has also gone through sacrifice, prioritizing their Olympic dream over their six months worth of Philippine Navy training; which she would soon come to find to be worth it. 

After failing to qualify in 2016 and 2020, Delgaco finally earned her Olympics spot by placing 4th overall in the  women’s single sculls 2000-meter event at the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in 2024. Moreover, she was named the fastest  female participant at the 7th Waistrooss Head of River event in Schwebsange, Luxembourg in the 5000-meter race in the same year. 

Currently, Joanie Delgaco has bowed out of the competition as the 20th overall in the women’s single sculls category. Nonetheless, for the country’s first Olympic rower to get as far as the quarterfinals, it’s enough to leave us not only more interested in both rowing and Delgaco herself. 

John Cabang Tolentino (Athletics)

Hailing from the Basque region of San Sebastian, Spain, John Cabang Tolentino was born to Filipino parents, who were forced to give him up for adoption when he was born; which ended up in him being adopted by a Spanish couple. However, Cabang Tolentino kept contact with his biological mother, which then helped him keep in touch with his Filipino heritage; and wave the flag he competes for today. 

He found himself drawn to basketball and football when he was younger, however found that he excelled more at track and field; more specifically, the hurdling aspect. The robotics major was then convinced by his mother to represent the Philippines, after winning gold in 2017 in the 110-meter in Durango, Spain. Since then, he has competed under the Philippines flag and has even bagged a bronze at the SEA Games, and fourth place at the Asian Games.

Achieving the Olympic dream took a ranking within the top 40 of the 110-meter hurdles world ranking; which Cabang attained and made debut last August 4. Placing sixth out of eight hurdlers in his heat, he was to compete in the repechage on August 6 to try to secure a semifinals place; however he had to bow out of the competition due to an injury, and did not compete again. We wish him the best of health, and the best of luck in the future. 

John Ceniza (Weightlifting)

Cebu-born weightlifter, John Ceniza studies at the University of Cebu; and started to take weightlifting more seriously at thirteen years old thanks to his brother. From a porter who carried produce and resources, Ceniza has since debuted internationally when he bagged silver at the 2019 SEA Games. From 2019 to 2020, he put in the work to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo; which unfortunately was not in the cards for him at the time. 

Adding to his accolades, Ceniza won silver at the 2023 SEA Games; and just fell short of a podium at the 2023 Asian Games. To qualify for the Olympics, it was an uphill battle for Ceniza, as he was nursing a hip injury when he competed at the 2024 IWF World Cup in Thailand, and lifted a commendable 300kg. However, after earning his Olympic ticket, Ceniza has reported he had been dealing with a neck injury before he set foot into the Olympic village. Despite this, Ceniza has fought to get back into proper shape, and we hope he will be competing at his best. 

Ceniza made his debut on the Olympics stage on August 7 in the 61-kg division, where he unfortunately made an early exit after failing to lift 125-kg in the snatch within three attempts. Though there were setbacks in Ceniza’s Olympics run, we still have a lot to look forward to in the future.

Kayla Sanchez (Swimming)

Kayla Sanchez is a Filipino swimmer that was born in Singapore, but was raised in Canada. Starting her swimming journey at the age of four, Sanchez turned a former weekly activity for leisure, into an opportunity that would paint her name in the stars.

Representing Canada, Sanchez has competed in several international competitions, and has collected a nice share of medals on the way. Yet, her most notable international appearance— was during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she took a bronze and a silver medal home. This achievement makes Sanchez one of  the few multiple Olympic medalists on the Philippine team out of all 22 athletes. 

Sanchez had always dreamed of representing the Philippines, and in 2022 she was able to do just that, switching nationalities to swim for our flag. She made her debut under the Philippines last year, at the Asian Games in China; and has since then set national records. 

After competing in the semifinals last July 31, 2024, Sanchez has officially bowed out of  the competition. She placed 4th in her quarterfinals heat, and 15th out of 16 semifinalists. However, it should not take away from the fact that she has set a new national record, beating her own score which she set in the past. You have made the Philippines proud, Kayla!

Kiyomi Watanabe (Judo)

Born in Cebu to a Filipino mother and Japanese father, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe started judo when she was just eight years old. Initially, Watanabe’s mother put her through volleyball, however, Watanabe soon found she was more suited for individual sports— more specifically judo. She trains at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan; where she studied as well.

When faced with the decision to represent her mother’s or her father’s country, Watanabe opted to represent her mother’s nation. She has since then become champion at the SEA Games four times, and has gotten silver at the 2018 Asian Games. Watanabe has been competing at the world championships since 2015; and even served as a flag bearer alongside Eumir Marcial during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

As of July 30, 2024, Watanabe exited the competition after falling to China’s Tang Jing, who won via ippon in just 51 seconds of the match. Back in 2020, Watanabe also made an early exit after just 38 seconds in her match against Spaniard Cristina Cabaña Perez. Nonetheless, we hope to see more from Watanabe, and have no doubt she will make it farther in the future. 

Lauren Hoffman (Athletics)

Lauren Hoffman is an American-born hurdler, who’s Pinay roots come from her mother who immigrated to the States. When she was younger, Hoffman would participate in 5-kilometer runs; but decided to shift to hurdling when she was thirteen years old. Furthermore, it’s safe to say that Hoffman was the ideal student-athlete— carrying volleyball skills alongside her hurdling abilities, and at the same time graduating summa cum laude. When faced with a choice of university, between Harvard and Duke University, she opted to where she felt at home most, Duke. While in school, she carried the name of her alma mater well, representing her school in several events and collecting many accolades on the way. 

To be able to compete for her mother’s nation, she had to apply for a dual citizenship; which she soon made worth it by placing fifth at the 2022 Asian Games. Even when she returned to the States to compete, she kept her competitive streak going; and on the path of her journey to her Olympics debut, has broken records on the way.

Hoffman, just like Cabang Tolentino, debuted on August 4; after she qualified for the 2024 Olympics by making it to the top 40 of the women’s 400-meter hurdles world ranking. She placed last in her heat and competed in the repechage on August 6 in an attempt to get a semifinals place; but placed last once again in her repechage heat, ending her Olympic stint. Still, there’s more to come from our country’s hurdlers. 

Levi Jung-Ruivivar (Artistic Gymnastics) 

Levi Jung-Ruvivar rounds up the trio representing The Philippines for the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. Just like her two teammates, she is a Filipino-American gymnast who will be competing in the NCAA gymnastics for Stanford University. She qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics after obtaining dual citizenship in 2022 and competing in the World Cup series in 2024; she’s the youngest member of the Philippines team at 18 years old.

Even at her young age, she is a seasoned athlete, having competed for the US Junior and Senior National Team. Perhaps gymnastics has always been Jung-Ruivivar’s calling, as her passion for the sport has been brewing since she was 18 months old. She has overcome wrist injuries and surgeries and continues to push forward amidst adversity; especially after recovering from a severe allergic reaction in the Olympic Village just a few days before she was set to compete. 

As the qualification round for the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics came to a close, Jung-Ruivivar bowed out before the final round, placing 28th all-around. Additionally, she scored the highest amongst her teammates in the uneven bars; showing great persistence and perseverance. 

Nesthy Petecio (Boxing)

Coming from a family of farmers from Santa Cruz, Davao Del Sur, Nesthy Petecio has always been an athlete fueled by love and perseverance. Even from a young age, Petecio would help her family make money by selling chicken dung as fertilizer; then by boxing in barangay competitions. Her father started coaching her when she was seven years old, originally for a way for her to defend herself; but it then advanced to the aforementioned competitions where she’d earn money. 

With Petecio’s father’s dreams of being a boxer being immortalized in his daughter, an 11-year old Petecio made waves when she won a match against a male boxer bigger and heavier than her. This match paved the way for her boxing career, as she joined the national team and attained several medals at the start of her national career. However, Petecio has weathered major mental storms and issues, after she failed to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics; and fell short of getting a medal at the 2018 Asian Games. For a while she took a break from boxing, before returning to the sport in 2019 and making a strong comeback. 

After missing out on a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and having to settle for silver, Petecio is set on putting up a fight for this year’s gold. As mentioned, Petecio is not only fueled by a strong will, but also by love— not only does she dedicate her medals to her father, but she also takes the opportunity to make a tribute to the LGBTQIA+ Community, waving both the country’s flag and a pride flag. 

As of current, Petecio ended her Olympic run with a bronze medal after falling to Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in a split decision. She has bagged the country’s second Olympic medal in boxing, and fourth overall this year; there is massive potential in our country’s boxers. 

Samantha Catantan (Fencing) 

Samantha Catantan is a Filipina fencer that took up her sport at the age of nine. She has competed in the UAAP under the University of the East Junior Warriors, and has notably taken home the MVP title after the UE girls team took home the champion title in UAAP Season 82. She has since been attending Penn State University in Pennsylvania, and currently holds the position of captain of the university’s fencing team.

Catantan is a decorated fencer, wielding four medals from the SEA Games; but most especially a silver medal she had to settle for in 2023, after suffering a severe ACL injury. The timing of this injury was unfortunate, as it was a crucial period for Olympics qualifications; but Catantan later got her Olympics ticket after winning the 2024 Asia-Oceanic Zonal Olympic Qualifier for the women’s foil in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, her Olympics slot is one for the history books— as she is the first fencer competing in the Olympics under the Philippine flag in 32 years. 

On July 28, Sunday, Catantan bowed out to Italy’s Arianna Erigo; who just so happened to be ranked no.2 in the world, and carried with her the London 2012 Olympics gold medal. However, after besting Brazil’s Mariana Pistoia in the table of 64, Catantan now sits at the 87th spot on the International Fencing Federation ranking; a big jump from a former rank 266th. Catantan is currently nursing a MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury, but she has her eyes set on bouncing back and competing internationally again later in the year— Thank you, Sam! Rest up. 

Additionally, Ateneo alumnus, Maxine Esteban exited the same round against local fencer, Pauline Ranvier. Philippines-born Esteban represented the country, before switching allegiance to the Ivory Coast.

Vanessa Sarno (Weightlifting)

Born and raised in Tagbilaran City, Bohol Vanessa Sarno took up weightlifting at the age of nine; which she found through her cousins who trained, and her father who competed. When she started training at her local club, she would imitate older lifters by carrying driftwood on the beach barefoot; she then moved to a training centre in Manila when she was 12, who no longer trained barefoot after Hidlyn Diaz got Sarno her own pair of shoes. 

Motivated to provide her mother and her siblings with a better life outside of poverty, Sarno aims to emulate the same persistent energy her mother did after her father left the family. 17-year old Sarno made her international debut outside the junior division, in 2020 at the Asian Weightlifting Championships, where she took home two golds and a silver. Then again, Sarno is no stranger to winning— as in her junior career, she achieved five gold medals just before graduating from a junior level.

In 2022, Sarno took home gold at the SEA Games, and continued to dominate in 2023. After suffering an elbow injury in Riyadh, the now 20-year old prodigy came back strong in 2024, qualifying for the Olympics at the IWF World Cup in Thailand. Currently, Sarno is ranked 5th in the world in her weight category, tied with Ecuador’s Angie Palacios.

Sarno was the last of our country’s bets for weightlifting to compete, as she made her Olympics debut on August 10 (Philippine Standard Time) after Ceniza and Ando competed on August 7 and 8 respectively. Unfortunately, she exited the competition early just as Ceniza did, after failing to lift 100-kg in three attempts. Sarno mentions a toxic environment leading up to her early exit, so we hope she’s able to redeem herself in the future, mentally as well. 

The Undying Flame: Pinoy Pride

Whether they win or lose, these athletes’ efforts should not be discredited; and nonetheless, they’ve represented our country with all their heart. No matter which sport you play or watch, it’s worth supporting these athletic gems; after all, we’re all under one flag at the end of the day. Just qualifying for the Olympics alone carves their names into Philippines sports history— and that in itself is an incredible feat.

The Olympic fire burned till August 11, 2024; hopefully you tuned in to witness sports excellence at the highest standard, and watched our country’s athletes wave the Philippines flag with pride. 

Laban, Pilipinas!