Nievarez, pugs due in Tokyo today

MANILA, Philippines — The bulk of the 19-strong Philippine team to the Tokyo O l y m p i c s i s scheduled to arrive in the Japanese capital this weekend, usher i n g in t h e country’s ambitious quest to capture its first gold medal in the quadrennial event.

Rower Cris Nievarez and boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Irish Magno and Carlo Paalam will be the first Filipino athletes to enter Tokyo, which will host the Summer Games on July 23 to Aug. 8. They are expected to plane in today on separate flights.

Nievarez will fly in from Manila, Petecio, Magno and Paalam from Thailand where they have trained since early this year, and Marcial, who recently replaced pole-vaulter EJ Obiena as the country’s male flag-bearer, will take connecting flights f r o m C o l o r a d o Springs, Denver and Los Angeles to get to Tokyo.

PhilippineOlympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino wished them luck and safe journeys.

And more are coming in tomorrow, including lifters Hidilyn Diaz and Elreen Ando, jin Kurt Barbosa, shooter Jayson Valdez and swimmers Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule.

Diaz, who is eyeing to replicate if not surpass her silver medal effort in the 2016 Rio Games, will come in from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where she has been preparing since March of last year, Ando, Barbosa and Valdez from Manila, Gebbie from Melbourne, Australia and Rule from Texas.

“All the best to them and stay safe always, see you all,” Tolentino yesterday told The STAR.

Obiena, for his part, will fly in on the morning of opening day from Formia, Italy while golfer Juvic Pagunsan will arrive the next day.

Skat eboarde r Marg i e Didal is scheduled to plane in before the street event on July 26 from LA along with golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan, who will plunge into action from Aug. 4-7.

Gymnast Caloy Yulo and judoka Kiyomi Watanabe are already in Japan where they have trained for years.