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Despite many obstacles, Filipino athletes brought home Olympic medals from Tokyo, giving the country its highest Olympic ranking since the 1988 Seoul Games.

As a global multinational company with roots in the Philippines, you’ll have to forgive us as we show some Filipino pride. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games may have already ended, but we’re still basking in the superb showing of our Filipino Olympians. 

Of the 19 Filipino athletes sent to Tokyo, four won medals. Hidilyn Diaz brought home the country’s first-ever gold with her Olympic record-breaking achievement in the women's 55-kilogram weightlifting. Nesthy Petecio became the first Filipina boxer to win an Olympic medal, clinching the silver in the women's featherweight boxing. 

Making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, Carlo Paalam bagged the silver in the men's flyweight boxing, while Eumir Marcial brought home the bronze in the men’s middleweight class. 

Thanks to Hidilyn, Nesty, Carlo, and Eumir, the Philippines wrapped up the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as the top-performing Southeast Asian nation. For each of these athletes, it’s been a difficult road to the Olympics, fraught with challenges and hardships. Discover how they persevered and won against all odds.

Hidilyn Diaz: a career of firsts 

After nearly a century, the Philippines won its first-ever Olympic gold medal. Lifting a combined weight of 224 kilograms, Hidilyn Diaz set an Olympic record when she clinched the top spot in the women’s 55-kilogram weightlifting class.

The heavy burden of a nation’s expectations sat on the shoulders of Diaz, and she delivered. 

It’s been a career of firsts for the Zamboanga native. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Diaz was not only the first female weightlifter to represent the country, but also the youngest competitor. At the 2016 Rio Olympics eight years later, Diaz won the country’s first Olympic medal in two decades, taking home the silver. This achievement also made her the first Filipina athlete to win a medal at the Olympics. 

Even her record-breaking 127kg lift in the clean and jerk was also a first. 

“Every time I try that weight, I end up not making the lift and I get frustrated. Sometimes I cry,” Diaz said. “My coaches bear the brunt of my frustration because I get really moody during training when I try to lift 127 and fail.”

“I didn’t expect to be able to lift [127],” said Diaz. “That was my first time to lift 127.”

Diaz was eleven years old when she began her weightlifting journey. Her cousins introduced her to the sport, using sticks, pipes, and cement weights as makeshift barbells. 

Nearly a decade later, a similar improvisation helped Diaz continue training when she was stranded in Malaysia because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last November, Diaz posted a video on Instagram lifting water bottles hanging from a wooden stick.

"Yes, I do this. I carry a bottle of water for my weightlifting training,” Diaz wrote in her caption. “Its [sic] hard but we survive, still living the dream in my heart.”

Nesthy Petecio: knocking out gender stereotypes

"A lot of people think that boxing is only for boys,” Petecio said in an interview before the 2020 Olympics. “But as women [boxers], we already earned the respect."

Petecio gained that and more in Tokyo, making history as the first Filipina boxer to ever bring home an Olympic medal--bringing honor to a country where boxing is a national obsession and a sport dominated by men.

The Davao native has been breaking gender stereotypes in sports since she was eleven years old, defeating a male opponent at a boxing match in her hometown. 

“I was 11 at the time...and my opponent was a man because there were no women joining,” said Petecio. “They were telling me to stop the match and asking me if I can still continue and I would say, yes.” 

“There was no doubt on my part. I was firm in my belief. I really want to fight,” she shared.

On the road to the Olympics, Petecio not only overcame negative stereotypes. A loss during the 2018 Asian Games had her battling depression and questioning her boxing career. 

“In the Asian Games, the reward for a gold medal was P8 million. It would have been such a good feeling to be able to provide for all the needs of my family. It would’ve been a big help. But I was defeated in my first bout against China,” Petecio shared with GMA Public Affairs. 

"That moment was when I questioned if boxing was really meant for me,” Petecio revealed. “Because that was the fight where I really gave my all, but then I was still unable to win."

Petecio chose to step away from the boxing ring, prioritizing her mental health and her studies. She came back to the sport with renewed determination, winning gold medals in the 2019 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. 

In true fighting form, Petecio is not resting on her laurels after her historic win in Tokyo. "My journey will continue. Who knows, maybe in Paris, right?" she said, referring to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Carlo Paalam: from scavenger to Olympic medalist

As he stood on the podium in his first Olympic appearance, the silver medal around Carlo Paalam’s neck was not only evidence of his hard-won victory. It was also a touching symbol of his arduous Olympic journey.

“The #silver medal symbolises what I went through because when I was a young boy, I was a scavenger and I collected junk and garbage.

"I know this medal is made out of recycled materials, and I can identify with it." - Carlo Paalam

 pic.twitter.com/gjY5C9NI4U

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) August 7, 2021

All of the medals at the Tokyo Olympics were made from recycled electronic devices. For a man who was once a boy scavenging in landfills to help support his family, the medal represented how his life had come full circle.

"Nangangalakal ako dati. Parang may simbolo siya sa akin, etong medal. Kasi galing siya sa mga gadget na sira," Paalam told Paolo del Rosario of One Sports. “Simbolo (yung medal) ng buhay ko, kung saan ako galing.”

(I was a scavenger before, so this medal is symbolic for me because it’s made from broken gadgets. This medal is a symbol of my life, of where I started from.)

Paalam was first discovered by local sports officials when he was nine years old, competing for a P150 purse in boxing matches at a park in Cagayan de Oro. A desire to fight his way out of poverty kept Paalam in the boxing ring.

“Nae-encourage akong lumaban dahil sa kahirapan namin. Gusto kong makatulong sa pamilya kasi kawawa ang mama at papa ko. Kung di ako magsisikap, hindi kami makakakain ng maayos,” he said. “Ito ang ibinigay na talent sa akin kaya ginagamit ko para makatulog sa pamilya ko.”

(Our financial difficulties motivated me to keep boxing. I wanted to help my parents. If I didn’t work hard, we wouldn’t be able to eat. Boxing is the talent that was given to me, and I’m using it to help my family.)

“He fought opponents with titles and yet, he still prevailed. He [has been] a great fighter. Even if it [was] his first time in the Olympics, he already [won the] silver. That’s more than we can ask for,” Paalam’s sister, Michelyn Mae, told the Inquirer.

Eumir Marcial: all in the family

For Eumir Marcial, boxing is all in the family. His father, Eulalio, was his first coach. His father also trained Marcial’s cousin, Anthony “Rocky” Marcial, who represented the Philippines at the 2006 Asian Games and was WBO Oriental Champion from 2008 to 2010.

As a young boxer, Marcial competed in amateur tournaments organized by local officials during annual fiestas. For every victory, Eumir earned P300, and for every loss, the prize was P200. Each match gave Marcial the opportunity to help his family.

“Lahat ng iyon, binibigay ko sa mga magulang ko. Pambili nila ‘yun ng bigas tapos makikita ko pagbili nila ng bigas, may kasamang gatas. ‘Yun pala, para sa akin iyon para ma-kondisyon habang nage-ensayo,” Eumir shared in a video by ONE Sports. 

(I would give all my winnings to my parents so they could buy rice. Then I’d see them buying not only rice but also milk. Turns out, that milk was for me, so I could stay strong while training.)

At 14, Marcial became a junior member of the national team, training under Olympic bronze medalist Roel Velasco, the older brother of Olympic silver medalist Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco. Last July, Marcial signed a 6-year contract with MP Promotions, which was founded by Manny Pacquiao. 

Marcial may not have fulfilled his childhood dream of winning an Olympic gold medal, but he’s determined to continue fighting. 

“Itong pagkatalo ko, ito lang ang dahilan kung para lalo akong lumakas, lalo akong mag improve,” he said after his match. 

(I’m using this defeat as a reason to become stronger and improve more.)

Winners in our hearts

A true champion finds solutions to difficulties, gets up after a fall, and always plays with a full heart. In sporting arenas, we witness the strength of the human spirit, the power of courage, the beauty of fighting the good fight. For those 16 days in Tokyo, our country’s elite athletes made us proud, made us cry, and made us believe.

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