Six-man team looks to end PH’s gold-medal drought in Asiad

Sports

A LEAN but mean team will try to end the country’s 16-year gold-medal drought in the Asian Games.

One thing going against the Philippine team is the absence of Eumir Marcial–the lone medalist from the previous edition.

Leading the country;s campaign in Nagoya, Japan are Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Aira Villegas. The three will try will try to become the first Filipino boxer to win a gold in the Asian Games since

Rey Saludar won it at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, China.

Joining the Philippine team are Junmilardo Ogayre (men’s 60kg), Petecio’s brother Norlan (men’s 70kg), and Riza Pasuit (women’s 54kg).

A silver medalist in the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China, Marcial is skepping the this year’s Asian Games due to time constraint as he is scheduled to fight American Omar Ulises Huerta on Sept. 19, 2026, at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California

The 34-year-old Nesthy will compete in the women’s 60 kg while Paalam, a 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver winner, will see action in the men’s 55kg event.

Villegas, a 2024 Paris Olympics bronze winner, will vie in the women’s 51kg.(CCM)