Get to know the Filipino athletes who qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics
Only a few months left before we could witness another history in the Olympics.
The Philippines made a remarkable feat at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz brought home the country’s first-ever gold medal. Adding to the historic feat were boxers Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio who bagged silver and bronze medals.
This year, several Filipino athletes were able to qualify for their respective sports and are vying for medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is set from July 26 to Aug. 11 in France.
As of writing, 27 Pinoy athletes qualified for this year’s Olympics. Get to know them below.
EJ Obiena (Athletics)
The 28-year-old Pole Vaulting star EJ Obiena is ranked second in the world in the men's pole vault, per the World Athletics Organization.
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, he earned gold in the Los Angeles Grand Prix in the United States on Sunday, May 19 (Philippine time).
In June 2023, Obiena made a historic feat by clearing the six-meter barrier in Norway's Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge, becoming the first Filipino and the only one in Asia to join the elite six-meter club.
He was recognized as the Athlete of the Year by the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association in January 2024.
John Cabang Tolentino (Athletics)
Joining Obiena in the Athletics category is John Cabang Tolentino who recently qualified for the Olympics after the 110m hurdles event, currently holding the national record for the said event at 13.37 seconds.
Prior to the Olympics debut, the 22-year-old hurdler, who is currently in Spain, topped the National Championships in May in the 110-meter hurdles. In February, he placed third in the 60-meter hurdles at the Asian Indoor Championships.
He also finished fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.
Lauren Hoffman (Athletics)
Also making her Olympic debut this year is another hurdler Lauren Hoffman, who currently holds the national record of 55.72 seconds at the recent 400m hurdles event, according to the PSC.
The 25-year-old was also a two-time champion at the National Championships held last May in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles, respectively.
She also placed fifth twice in the 4x400 Metres Relay and 400-meter hurdles in the 2023 Asian Games.
Carlos Yulo (Gymnastics)
Raising the Philippine flag in gymnastics, Carlos Yulo is revving up for his journey in the 2024 Olympics after recently bagging four gold medals in the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday, May 19.
He secured a spot for the Paris Olympics in October 2023 after his podium finish in the men's floor exercise during the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Belgium.
Yulo placed fourth in the vault competition at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Aleah Finnegan (Gymnastics)
Making her mark in the industry, Filipino-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan became the first Filipina female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.
After planning to retire following the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Aleah Finnegan was invited to compete for the Philippines in the 2022 Southeast Asian Games. She impressed with a haul of two gold medals and two silver medals.
Levi Jung-Ruivivar (Gymnastics)
Another representative for gymnastics, Levi Jung-Ruivivar is also eyeing for the country’s win at this year’s Olympics.
The 18-year-old secured her spot after her silver win in the women’s uneven bars at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar last April, making her the 10th Filipino athlete for the Paris Olympics.
Emma Malabuyo (Gymnastics)
Joining the roster of Filipino gymnasts in the Summer Games is Emma Malabuyo. She qualified after finishing in third place with a 50.398 total at the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Uzbekistan in May. Making her the fourth gymnast to represent the country in this year’s Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old athlete was a member of the U.S. national team from 2016 to 2019 and in 2021—where she served as an alternate in the Tokyo Olympics.
In 2023, she bagged a silver medal at the Asian Championships floor exercise.
Eumir Marcial (Boxing)
Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial secured his ticket to the Paris Olympics 2024 after he won the second round of the men's 80kg semi-finals at the 19th Asian Games finals in October 2023.
This marks his major win after clinching the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Marcial has also represented and bagged medals for the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022.
Nesthy Petecio (Boxing)
Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio is set to aim for greater heights once again as she will compete in the Paris Olympics.
The 32-year-old athlete made a remarkable feat in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after earning her silver medal, making her the first Filipina to win an Olympic medal in boxing.
Aira Villegas (Boxing)
Joining Nesthy in the boxing category is Filipina boxer Aira Villegas, who will make her Olympics debut after winning in the women’s 50 kg class with a unanimous decision of 5-0 last March.
Hailing from Tacloban, the 28-year-old athlete has also represented the country in international competitions, such as the World Championships, Asian Games, SEA Games, and most recently the Boxam Elite Tournament in Spain where she won a gold medal.
Hergie Bacyadan (Boxing)
The fifth Filipino boxer bound for the Olympics is Hergie Bacyadan, who clinched his win during the 75kg division at the 2nd World Boxing Olympic Qualification in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 29-year-old athlete, who hails from Kalinga, is also known for his skills in martial arts, clinching the country’s first world vovinam gold in 2023.
He also brought home a silver medal in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
Vanessa Sarno (Weightlifting)
Rising weightlifter Vanessa Sarno secured her spot in the Paris Olympics following her win at the women’s 71kg event of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand in April.
She set a record of lifting 110kg from her previous 108kg, as well as lifting 135kg in clean and jerk for a total of 245kg. This also helped her to maintain her spot in the top 10 of the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR).
The 20-year-old athlete is also a two-time SEA Games gold medalist.
John Ceniza (Weightlifting)
Cebuano weightlifter John Ceniza is also among the athletes who are eyeing the country’s gold in boxing. He qualified for the Paris Olympics after placing fourth at the International Weightlifting Federation World Cup in Thailand last April.
He hoisted 300kg after 132kg from snatch and 168kg in clean and jerk.
The Filipino boxer also holds the 6th spot in the Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR).
Elreen Ando (Weightlifting)
Another Philippine representative in weightlifting, Elreen Ando is set for her Olympics return this year.
The 25-year-old weightlifter secured her spot after lifting 100kg in the snatch and 128kg in the clean-and-jerk having a total of 228kg lift, besting Hidilyn Diaz who hoisted a total of 224kg.
Ando also set records at the 2023 SEA Games, where she bagged a gold medal.
Joanie Delgaco (Rowing)
Making history ahead of the medals, Joanie Delgaco became the first Filipina rower to qualify for the Olympics following placing fourth at the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in South Korea last April.
Sam Catantan (Fencing)
Filipina fencer Sam Catantan secured her ticket to the Paris Olympics after her win at the Asia Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in Dubai last April.
Aside from the upcoming major competition, the 22-year-old athlete also ended the country’s drought as she became the first Filipino fencer to qualify in the prestigious games, 32 years since Walter Torres who competed in 1992.
She also brought home the country’s eighth gold medal in the 2022 SEA Games.
Kiyomi Watanabe (Judo)
The lone Olympian to represent the Philippines in Judo is Kiyomi Watanabe, who secured her Olympics return this year after making it to the women’s -63 kg division quota.
The 27-year-old Filipino-Japanese athlete previously competed in the women's 63kg division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Before this, she is also a three-time gold medalist for the women’s -63kg division in the 2013, 2017, and 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Bianca Pagdanganan (Golf)
Bianca Pagdanganan secured her Olympic berth after placing 35th at the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), where only the top 60 players in each gender will qualify for the quadrennial event.
The 26-year-old golfer previously competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 where she finished at 43rd. She fought alongside Filipino-Japanese ace Yuka Saso who now represents Japan.
Dottie Ardina (Golf)
Joining Pagdanganan in the golf category is Dottie Ardina who ranked 55th at the OWGR.
The 30-year-old previously qualified at the Rio Olympics in 2016, but had to pull out due to the threat of the Zika virus outbreak.
Kayla Sanchez (Swimming)
Making her debut under the Philippine banner is swimmer Kayla Sanchez. She switched federations in 2023 and first represented the country in the 19th Asian Games where she finished fifth at the quadrennial continental event, alongside Xandi Chua, Teia Salvino, and Jasmine Alkhaldi. In the same tournament, she set a new national record in the women’s 100m freestyle with a time of 54.71 seconds.
Before this, the 23-year-old athlete has bagged two silver medals for Canada in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Jarod Hatch (Swimming)
Another PH’s swimmer delegate is Jarod Hatch who will compete in the men’s 100m butterfly competition for his Olympics debut.
According to the Philippine Sports Commission, Hatch holds the national record for the class with 52.87 seconds during the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Japan.
The 25-year-old athlete also represented the country in prestigious international games such as the World Aquatics Championships and SEA Games—where he earned a silver medal at the mixed 4x100 medley relay and bronze medals at 50m and 100m butterfly in 2023.
Ernie Gawilan (Para Swimming)
Paralympian Ernie Gawilan is also among the roster of Philippine delegates for this year’s Summer Games after placing sixth in the 400m freestyle and eighth in the 200m individual medley at the worlds.
The 30-year-old veteran para swimmer also clinched the country’s gold in the Asian Para Games in 2023.
This also marks his third time competing in the Paralympics after qualifying in 2016 in Rio and in 2020 in Tokyo.
He has also brought home several gold medals from the Asian Para Games in 2018 and 2022 and the ASEAN Para Games in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2022.
Angel Otom (Para Swimming)
Joining Gawilan is the 20-year-old Angel Otom, who secured her Olympic berth after placing third in the 50m backstroke and sixth in the 50m butterfly at the worlds.
She previously won four gold medals in the 2023 ASEAN Games in Cambodia.
Allain Keanu Ganapin (Para Taekwondo)
Following Ernie Gawilan and Angel Otom, Allain Ganapin became the third Filipino to qualify for the Para Games. The 26-year-old taekwondo ace of Marikina is the only Filipino para-athlete for Taekwondo at the 2024 Paris Paralympics after winning the Asian Qualification Tournament in Tai’an, China.
He also qualified for the 2022 Tokyo Paralympics after winning the bronze medal in the men’s K44-75-kg division of the Asian Qualification Tournament held in Amman, Jordan, in 2021.
Agustina Bantiloc (Para Archery)
Following Allain Ganapin, Augustina Bantiloc is the fourth Filipino to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. According to the PSC, Bantiloc earned her slot after she qualified through the Bipartite Commission Invitation and achieved the minimum qualification standard.
The 55-year-old athlete was half the duo that claimed the bronze medal in Thailand's Compound Open Mixed Category of the Para Archer Olympic Qualifiers last year, claiming the country’s first podium finish in the said category.
Jerrold Pete Mangliwan (Wheelchair Racing)
The 44-year-old, wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games last June 29 marking his third straight appearance in the Paralympic Games. He won his first career gold at the continental level in Hangzhou, China in the 2022 Asian Para Games.
He holds six gold medals from the three editions of the ASEAN Para Games. He also represented the country and brought home gold and silver medals in the 2022 Asian Para Games.
Cendy Asusano (Para Javelin Throw)
Cendy Asusano secured her spot in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games after her 4th place finish in the Women’s Javelin Throw F54 of the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan last May, making her debut in the Paralympics.
She won gold medals in the 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia in the women’s Shot Put and Javelin Throw categories. She also won a bronze medal in the Discus Throw category in the same event.