POC kuntento sa performance ng mga Pinoy athletes sa taong 2023

MANILA, Philippines — Wala nang mahihiling pa si Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino sa performances ng mga national athletes sa international stage sa nakalipas na taon.

At ngayong 2024 ay kumpiyansa si Tolentino na muling aagaw ng eksena ang mga Pinoy sa world sports scene.

“From a scale of 1 to 10, I give Filipino athletes a high mark of 8.5 to 9 for 2023,” ani Tolentino sa panayam ng RP2 Sports Radio Headline Sports.

“Yes, I’m very much contented—after breaking those records and bringing back the glory—all of those accomplishments were hard-earned, both by the athlete and their coaches and the stakeholders,” dagdag nito.

Si pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, ang unang Pinoy na nag-qualify para sa 2024 Paris Olympics, ang nagpakitang-gilas sa taong 2023 mula sa kanyang mga record-breaking performances sa Hangzhou Asian Games at sa Cambodia Southeast Asian Games.

Gumawa din siya ng kasaysayan matapos lundagin ang silver medal sa world championships.

Muli namang naghari ang national men’s basketball team o ang Gilas Pilipinas sa Hangzhou Asiad matapos noong 1962 Asian Games sa Jakarta.

“But all these gold me­dals, these achievements belong to all of us, all Filipinos, all of those who prayed hard,” sabi ni Tolentino. “It was all about the athletes’ and Team Philippines’ dedication, motivation and inspiration.”

Ngayong taon ay ma­tinding hamon sa kakayahan ng mga Pinoy athletes ang nakikita ng POC chief.

“This will be a tough year for us, Paris is just around the corner,” sabi ni Tolentino. “And before we get there, there are tough competitions for our athletes to qualify.”

Bukod kay Obiena, ang iba pang mayroon nang t­iket sa Paris Games ay sina Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Eumir Felix Marcial at gymnasts Carlos Yulo at Aleah Finnegan.

May ibibigay pang athletics at aquatics universa­lity slots sa bansa.

Umaasa ang POc head na malalampasan ng Pinas ang weightlifting gold ni Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, ang silver nina Nesty Petecio at Carlo Paalam at bronze ni Marcial sa Tokyo Games.

“We’re not only the country preparing for Paris, everybody else is preparing hard for the Olympics,” ani Tolentino. “We need all the support—moral, financial, among others.”