by Dylan Bothamley The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics is a landmark year for the Philippines.
Filipino athletes brought home numerous medals at the games.
For the first time, the Philippines saw a double Olympic gold medalist when Carlos Yulo won the Men’s gymnastics vault and floor exercises.
Perhaps the most stunning moment of Yulo’s Olympic performance was a perfect landing executed during a bold tumble at the end of his floor exercise.
Yulo sprinted into a handspring and launched himself into a twisting backflip completing three and a half rotations before finally sticking a landing with complete body control.
This was the height of athletic achievement and daring. And the judges rewarded him.
Athletes often know when they’ve achieved something special, and Yulo’s reaction after sticking to a perfect landing is triumphant.
Even if you’re not a regular follower of gymnastics you can see how incredibly difficult sticking a landing after such an athletic leap would be.
Sometimes you don’t have to be a subject matter expert to understand that you’ve witnessed the best version of something. Such was the case in Yulo’s world-beating efforts in Paris.
The Philippines also celebrated medals from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas who both took home bronze in their events.
The Philippines has a rich history in the sport of boxing including producing one of the greatest boxers ever, Manny Pacquiao. The Filipinos’ love for boxing is poised to live on.
All eyes were on pole vaulter EJ Obiena as he competed in the men’s pole vault finals. Although he didn’t earn a podium finish, Obiena ranked fourth out of the 12 finalists. Beyond the Olympics, Obiena is set to host a pole vault event in the Philippines which will bring his fellow pole vault Olympians to the country.
In addition to the Philippines national team, Filipino-American Lee Kiefer took home gold medals in fencing once again.
Kiefer became the first American fencer to win three Olympic gold medals when she defended her title in foil fencing, and helped the U.S. win its first-ever team fencing gold in women’s foil at the Paris Olympics.
The highlights are impressive, almost too quick to comprehend with the naked eye. Thankfully, a breakdown with slow motion can be viewed to witness the athletic genius of Kiefer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzgpFOED-0s
After Hidilyn Diaz won the first-ever gold medal for the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the Paris Olympics were an impressive display for the Philippines that built upon that foundation.
It’s exciting to imagine the possibilities going forward, and you can be sure the 2024 Olympics were only the beginning of the Philippines’ global athletic ambitions.
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