Olympics Schedule Today, July 26, 2021: Team Philippines’ boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, and skateboarder Margielyn Didal see action in their events.
MARGIELYN DIDAL (Skateboarding)
Margielyn “Margie” Didal makes history as the first Filipino skateboarder to compete in the quadrennial Games as the sport makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Didal is scheduled to compete in the qualifying heats in the morning and needs to be in the Top 8 to advance to the finals.
The 22-year-old athlete from Cebu, Philippines placed 13th in the women’s street skateboarding world rankings released in June to earn her spot in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Asia’s Skater of the Year awardee won gold medals in the 2018 Asiad in Jakarta and the 2019 South East Asian Games and has built her own skate park in Cebu.
The Filipino skate wunderkind was named among the best talents in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Class of 2020 with world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Philippines’ skater Margielyn Didal is 10th member of Olympics team
CARLO PAALAM (Boxing)
Carlo Paalam, one of the Philippines’ four boxers eyeing to end the country’s search for its first Olympic gold medal, has come a long way from his humble beginnings.
The Filipino Tokyo Olympics qualifier used to pick garbage in a city landfill before being eventually discovered by talent scouts for boxing.
He won 3 golds for the Philippines with Eumir Felix Marcial and Nesthy Petecio in the Korotkov Memorial Boxing Championships in Khabarovsk, Russia in 2018.
Paalam will compete in the men’s flyweight 52kg division in the Round of 32 against Brendan Irvine of Ireland at 11:03 AM.
NESTHY PETECIO (Boxing)
Nesthy Petecio is the second Filipina boxer to become a world champion, after Josie Gabuco in 2012.
Petecio has represented the Philippines in four editions of the SEA Games, winning a total of one gold and three silver medals. She won the featherweight division of the 2019 Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships.
Nesthy Petecio advanced to the Round of 16 matches after winning her Round of 32 bout on Saturday.
Petecio is scheduled to compete in the women’s featherweight 54-57kg division against No. 1 seed boxer Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei at 12:39 PM.
HIDILYN DIAZ (Weightlifting)
Hidilyn Diaz makes her fourth straight appearance in the Summer Games, the first of which was in Beijing (2008), London (2012), and her silver-winning performance at the Rio Olympics in 2016 which ended the country’s 20-year Olympic medal drought.
Diaz is scheduled to compete in the -55kg division in the evening today.
The Filipina champion weightlifter continues to seek glory for the nation, qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics after her strong finish at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan.
Diaz also earned gold medals in the 2018 Asian Games, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, and the 2020 Roma Weightlifting World Cup on her way to booking a trip to the quadrennial meet.
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