The Philippine Tokyo 2020 Olympics boxing team composed of silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, bronze medalist Eumir Marcial, and Irish Magno arrived in Manila on Monday, August 9.

The team, together with officials led by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, landed on board flight PR 427, which arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 2.

Boxing accounted for three of the country’s four medals, with the historic gold delivered by weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz. The total medal tally also made the Philippines the best performing Southeast Asian nation in the Tokyo Games.

Petecio, Magno, and Paalam arrived in the country for the first time since March 2021, when they left for their Thailand training camp.

Meanwhile, Marcial visited the Philippines in May after a stint in the US, before heading to the 2021 Asian Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships in Dubai.

He then ramped up his Tokyo Olympics bid in Colorado Springs with national coach Ronald Chavez.

The team was welcomed by MVP Sports Foundation president Al Panlilio, Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Ricky Vargas and secretary-general Ed Picson.

Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief Lieutenant General Allen Paredes welcomed Airman First Class Marcial and the rest of the boxers, together with Senator Bong Go and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

Petecio made history as the first Filipina boxer to win an Olympic medal and also became the first Olympic silver medalist in the women’s featherweight event that made its debut in Tokyo. She fell to Japan’s Sena Irie in the final.

Paalam, who inspired Filipinos with his scavenger-turned-Olympian story, bagged silver in the men’s flyweight event after a loss to Great Britain’s Galal Yafai.

Marcial, who is a professional boxer, settled for bronze in the men’s middleweight event after yielding to Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak in a tight slugfest.

Magno was the first Filipina boxer to qualify for the Olympics, but she fell to Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong in the women’s flyweight round of 16. – Rappler.com