Tokyo 2020: Philippines Set For Country's Best Finish Since Olympic Debut In 1924

In one of the best feel-good moments in the Olympics, the Philippines had secured its first gold medal after nearly a century of trying to achieve the feat.

The International Business Times recounted the island nation’s multiple heartbreaks in the past that could have netted them their first gold medal.

The country first made an appearance in the Olympics in 1924 but secured their first medal, a bronze, in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

This was then followed by a three-medal performance in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, the most the country has had in a single tournament until just recently.

The Philippines secured its first medal of the tournament with Hidilyn Diaz’s gold medal and has since secured three more podium finishes for the sports-obsessed nation.

In past iterations of the Olympics, the country has been highly focused on getting their national basketball team to the event but have failed in every recent bid, with their last appearance coming almost five decades ago in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The rise of the country’s individual sporting talent came on display, however.

Due to their physical limitations, the best sport for the Filipinos is in individual sports that are separated by weight classes or skill level.

Take the case of boxing.

They have been at the top of their game when it comes to boxing as the Filipinos have six medals (three silver, three bronze), and they’ve added two more to the list as Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial have all secured at least a bronze medal finish.

Not to mention their success at the professional level with legends like Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde.

Nesthy Petecio had just recently lost her bid for a gold medal to Japan’s Sena Irie in the women’s featherweight finals.

Paalam and Marcial are both set to compete in their semi-final bouts on Thursday, August 5 at 2:30 PM and 3:03 PM (Tokyo time) respectively.

They still have opportunities to add more medals in the golf event as 23-year-old Bianca Pagdanganan and 2021 U.S. Women’s Open winner Yuka Saso are set to take the course on Wednesday, August 4 for the first round.