I cried tears of joy and pride when I watched Carlos Yulo perform with the courage, grace, and power of a true champion to clinch the gold medal in the floor exercise.
My heart almost melted when I saw pole vaulter EJ Obiena miss taking the bronze medal by a jump.
I was saddened by the early exit of Tokyo Games bronze medalist Eumir Marcial in boxing’s 80kg division.
I was furious with the loss of Carlo Paalam in the quarters of the men’s 57kg class.
I felt the joy of Nesthy Petecio and rookie Aira Villegas who were still proud and happy as they went home with a shining bronze medal dangling around their necks.
The Paris Olympics 2024, held from July 26 to Aug. 11, was the world stage where athletes from 204 countries displayed their grace and grit, the result of years of training, to win a gold, silver, or bronze medal and be part of sports history.
I was lucky to be there, one of only four sports journalists from the Philippines.
Although tiring and challenging, my second trip to Paris is no doubt the most memorable one in my entire sports journalism career that started a year after the People Power Revolution in 1986. That’s because it was in the lovely French capital where the Summer Olympics, officially the XXXIII Olympiad as Paris 2024, was held.
Nothing beats covering the Olympics because it is the greatest show on earth. This is where an athlete can become a global icon – or a millionaire –after an incredible performance, where the crowds chant an athlete’s name like he was a big star.
True to its image as a city full of captivating stories, Paris 2024 allowed me to witness many historic moments for 17 days of battle among supreme athletes.
The 17 days in Paris will forever be etched in my memory, despite the nights when I only had three to four hours of good sleep after covering the performance of Filipino athletes at equally charming venues outside of Paris.
It stands out among my myriad of international coverages, starting off my volleyball coverage in Kuching, Malaysia in 1989.
Who could forget the glorious night of Aug. 4, when Yulo put on a performance that was almost beyond imagination?
Before a large crowd of happy spectators, Yulo cried unabashedly, but soon we – four Filipino sports journalists covering the Games – also found ourselves shedding tears with pride and joy.
Even the atmosphere inside the spanking Bercy Arena was so electric that some of the legendary athletes of this generation also rejoiced.
My admiration for the pride of Leveriza, who stands only at 4-foot-11, grew even more when he took the gold in vault event in less than 24 hours, becoming the first Filipino athlete to achieve such rare feat since the country joined the quadrennial sports conclave 100 years ago.
This guy is from a different planet, I told myself as we again headed to the mixed zone to interview the little dynamo.
Yulo’s singular feat made him one of the greatest Olympians, and he did despite a quarrel with his mother which was circulating in social media.
Like a Zen master, Yulo put aside the domestic problem to immortalize his greatness and join the exclusive club founded by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who nailed the country’s first Olympic gold in the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.
A small disappointment was not being able to see the sweet-shooting Stephen Curry make his iconic “Night, Night” gesture especially during Team USA’s gold medal clash with host France. I tried very hard to watch my idol but was unsuccessful – not once, but twice – no thanks to limited slots for media given the importance of the match.
But I could not ask for more. My Paris Olympics stint is the “blue diamond” in my list of sports coverages.