To move forward in the future, one has to look back and draw inspiration from the past.

And for the 22 brave ladies and gentlemen flying the country’s colors in the 2024 Paris Olympics later this month, there’s certainly a lot of good memories to get courage from in the not too distant past.

A short browse on Google and they should find the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – the Covid-delayed Games but nonetheless the very same colorful sporting spectacle in the globe, which, for the Philippines, its greatest performance, bar none, in the world stage.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane on the events of the Tokyo Olympics that paved the way to PH delegation's hopes and dreams in this year’s edition in Paris

Lean and mean contingent

A lean and mean 19-man delegation composed the PH contingent in the Tokyo Games and while the country had not been really successful in the quadrennial meet in the past years, there was some sense that the group could achieve something special.

Bannered by Filipino athletes who, by then, were making their names in their respective fields in the international scene – Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena and Hidilyn Diaz – to name a few, Team Philippines was optimistic that they could make history in Tokyo.

And they did, in a golden fashion at that.

Golden girl Hidilyn Diaz makes ‘her-story’

Team Philippines not only delivered its finest performance in the world’ biggest sporting showcase but also plucked the long coveted first gold medal after Diaz outdueled China's Liao Qiuyun in the women’s 55kg weightlifting.

Diaz lifted a total of 127 kg barely surpassing Qiuyun’s 126 kg lift. As she let go of the bar, tears immediately flowed from her eyes.

It was not just tears of joy but it was all of the failures, frustrations and struggles that she had to go through all pouring on at that exact moment when all of it finally turned into the long dreamed moment of glory.

It was Team PH’s first gold in Tokyo. The team already achieved greatness right and then there. It was already rousing access. But the Filipinos were nowhere satisfied and instead, it even lit more fire to the fight.
 

PH boxers deliver

Riding the ecstasy from Diaz’s first gold medal for the Philippines, the country’s finest boxers were eager to add more to the country’s Olympic glory. Boxing events have long been known as a well of medal for Filipinos in any international multi-sporting event.

And the Tokyo Olympics was no different. PH boxers delivered two silvers and one bronze.

Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam came tantalizingly close at replicating Diaz’s success but they fell in their respective final bouts in women’s featherweight and men’s flyweight. 

Eumir Marcial also looked like had a legitimate chance to go all the way before suffering a narrow defeat against a Ukrainian foe in the semis.
 

The ‘what could have beens’

Team PH could have brought three golds if not for Paalam and Petecio’s losses. But the country could have won more medals – easily – if some of our best stars were at their peak. 

Obiena, then world No. 3 in pole vault fell flat at the 11th spot and Yulo, already a multi-medalist in gymnastic world championships, failed on his pet event, floor exercise. 

And there were the likes of Irish Magno in boxing, Yuka Saso in golf and Margielyn Didal in skateboarding, who if only got little breaks here and there, could have been Olympic medalists as well.

Looking forward to Paris

The Tokyo Olympics was no doubt a tough act to follow. Diaz, for one, set the bar high with her golden feat.But Team Philippines is certainly not lacking world class talent to not be able to at least come close to what the past had achieved. 

The triumvirates of Marcial, Petecio, and Paalam are back in the fold for their unfinished business along with hungry Aira Villegas and Hergie Bacyadan

Obiena and Yulo are returning and surely raring to come back with a vengeance. There will be no Diaz this time, but an heir apparent could finally emerge from Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno to take the mantle. Perhaps, it could even be John Ceniza.

PH lost Saso to Japan, but Dottie Ardina and Bianca Pagdanganan are up to the task. New hope might even dawn on PH swimmers with Kayla Sanchez – a Tokyo medalist for Canada – now donning the country’s colors along with Jarod Hatch.

And then there are John Cabang, Lauren Hoffman in athletics, Sam Catantan in fencing,Alleah Finnegan, Elma Malabuyo and Levi Ruvivar for gymnastics, Joanie Delgaco in rowing and Kiyomi Watanabe in judo, – all looking to etch their name in the PH sporting history.

The Paris Olympics is an entirely different fight and challenge from the Tokyo edition but the PH team is not lacking inspiration. In fact, the fire is set to burn brighter than ever in the City of Lights this time around.