The ones that got away
It could have been eight.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino stood by his gold forecast for Team Philippines at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, saying a series of close calls showed the ambitious target was within reach even after the country finished with four gold medals.
Tolentino defended his projection as Filipino medalists gathered late Monday evening at Century Park Hotel for a welcome dinner that doubled as an assessment of the Philippines’ campaign in Japan.
Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena and Jeus Yape, who combined to win all four Philippine golds, were among the athletes honored after the delegation also brought home nine silvers and 16 bronzes.
“I can say that I am not ashamed [when I said] eight [gold medals] were doable. I can explain it,” Tolentino said.
Yulo accounted for half of the gold-medal haul, Obiena retained his dominance in pole vault, and Yape emerged as an unexpected champion in the obscure virtual taekwondo.
The four golds matched the Philippines’ output from the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the pandemic-delayed 2022 Hangzhou edition.
But Tolentino, who predicted eight golds before the delegation left for Japan, said several results could easily have pushed the total closer—or even past—his target.
“To those asking, ‘Where’s eight?’ Yes, it was eight,” Tolentino said. “Maybe we’ll just pick from those who got a silver and one from bronze so it would be eight.”
He pointed to the disputed finals loss of boxer Carlo Paalam, the defeat of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jean Claude Saclag and the bronze-medal finish of middle-distance runner Victoria Bossong among the opportunities that got away.
“You all saw what happened to Carlo Paalam, and it’s all up for you to judge what happened,” Tolentino said. “Both jiujitsu and taekwondo silvers got zero in the scoring. It was the referees who decided the outcome.”
“I’ve long been saying that we have someone who could win in MMA, and it was Saclag who got the silver. He knocked out his opponent in the first round [but he became] too eager. And with all due respect to Victoria, her heat time was better than the winning time in the final, so it should have been gold.”
“So we are not denying that it can be achieved, because I and [Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Pato Gregorio] had every reason to believe that we could get eight. It’s actually more than eight,” he added.
While the gold total fell short of Tolentino’s projection, the Philippines finished with 29 medals overall, its biggest haul since collecting 42—two golds, 15 silvers and 25 bronzes—at the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games.
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