Nagbigay ng paalala si Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino sa mga Filipino athletes na nag-aagawan ng slots sa Paris Olympics — Brace yourselves.
Inihayag ni Tolentino na hindi magiging madali ang taong 2024 dahil ang mga atleta ay nakikipagkumpitensya sa iba’t ibang internasyonal na kaganapan na nag-aalok ng mga slot at qualifying points para sa Summer Games na gaganapin mula Hulyo 26 hanggang Agosto 11.
Sa ngayon, apat na lang na atleta – sina EJ Obiena ng athletics, sina Carlos Yulo at Aleah Finnegan ng gymnastics, at Eumir Marcial ng boxing — ang nakapunch ticket sa pinakamalaki at pinakaprestihiyosong athletic event sa mundo.
Dalawa pang atleta mula sa swimming at isa mula sa athletics ang inaasahang sasali sa Team Philippines sa pamamagitan ng universality slots habang ang ilan mula sa cycling, golf, boxing, gymnastics, taekwondo, weightlifting, lawn tennis, swimming at athletics ay inihahanda para maging kwalipikado.
“This will be a tough year for us. Paris is just around the corner,” sabi ni Tolentino. “Before we get there, there are tough competitions for our athletes to qualify. If we do not have a lot of qualifiers, we will focus on the podium. The qualifiers are tight. Everybody is performing well following the end of the pandemic. Everybody is preparing for this to show their talents and redeem themselves.”
Binanggit ni Tolentino ang kaso ng North Koreans, na nagpamalas ng kanilang lakas na may 11 ginto, 18 pilak at 10 tansong medalya para sa 10th place finish sa 19th Asian Games sa Hangzhou noong nakaraang taon.
“North Koreans performed well in the Asian Games. I think all they did was train during the pandemic,” saad ni Tolentino. “Then, you still have the Europeans and the Americans. The Africans are also preparing. It’s going to be tough. It’s like threading the eye of a needle.”
