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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Boxing devider Buoyed by past setbacks, Paalam gets another shot at Olympic gold

Buoyed by past setbacks, Paalam gets another shot at Olympic gold

Published Jun 2, 2024 05:10 am

At A Glance

  • A few years and a couple of kilograms later, Paalam found himself earning a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics after outclassing India's Sachin Siwach in the 2nd world qualifications in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday night, June 1.

Three years ago, Carlo Paalam vowed to do his best to return to the Olympics and clinch that gold medal he narrowly missed at the Tokyo Games.

“I will not stop until I get that gold medal,” the Bukidnon-born boxer was quoted saying in Filipino after losing the gold-medal bout to a British rival via split decision in the men’s 52kg division.

Carlo Paalam
Carlo Paalam, right, is not stopping until he clinches that Olympic gold medal. (File Photo)

A few years and a couple of kilograms later, Paalam found himself earning a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics after outclassing India’s Sachin Siwach in the 2nd world qualifications in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday night, June 1.

He booked a slot in a heavier weight class -- the men’s 57kgs -- but it didn’t matter. His dream of winning that Olympic gold medal is still very much alive.

But the road to qualifying to the Games for the second time did not come easy for the former garbage scavenger.

He endured countless setbacks, starting at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last year where he lost in the quarterfinals to world champion Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan. The Asiad offered two Olympic quotas per weight division, where Khalokov eventually gained the gold medal and the Paris ticket along with silver medalist Shudai Harada of Japan.

Paalam tried his luck again at the 1st world qualification in Busto Arsizio, Italy last March. Showing determination and promise, he edged Mexico’s Andrey Bonilla in his first fight.

But the two-time Southeast Asian Games champion suffered a shoulder injury in that highly-physical bout that he had to abandon his second match against Turkmenistan’s Shukur Ovezov.

It didn’t stop Paalam from getting what he wanted. Looking at his last chance at qualifying for Paris, he gave everything he could in this final qualification tournament by hurdling fierce rivals Alexei Lagkazasvili of Greece (5-0), Ovezov (5-0), Artur Bazeyan of Armenia (4-1), Jose Luis Delos Santos Feliz of Dominican Republic (5-0), and lastly, Sachin.

Paalam became the 14th Filipino to qualify for this year’s Olympics, and fourth Filipino boxer after Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.

He was not resting on his laurels yet. Not until he takes that top podium in Paris.

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