With four Filipinos already through to the Paris Olympics, here are other athletes who will be fighting for a chance to represent the Philippines in 2024.
The countdown 2024 Olympics is ticking, but even with just a few months left until the official opening ceremony, there are still Filipinos who are fighting for a ticket to Paris.
As of writing, four Filipinos have already booked their tickets to France. But, here are the other athletes you need to watch out for in the upcoming Olympic qualifiers.
Hidilyn Diaz
As the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal, the expectations for Hidilyn Diaz to succeed in the upcoming Olympics are naturally high, and Filipinos are rallying behind her as Paris 2024 draws closer and closer.
Given that Hidilyn’s original weight category, the 55kg category, has been excluded from the upcoming Summer Games, the Filipina has had to move up to the 59kg category. The transition, however, has proven to be a hurdle, as she finished fourth at both the Asian Games and Asian Championships last year, and seventh in the World Championships.
With these results, she now turns to the World Cup taking place from March 31 to April 11, which may be her last chance to qualify for Paris. Despite her run in 2023, Hidilyn still remains optimistic about a return to the Summer Games, which would mark her fifth Olympic bid, and potentially, her last.
Margielyn Didal
Margielyn Didal’s seventh-place finish at the finals of the skateboarding event of the Tokyo Olympics felt like more than that because of how her character — fighting through a sprain throughout her stint — shined through. Now, fans are hoping for an even more successful run in 2024.
With the World Skateboarding Tour (WST) Street World Championship taking place in Dubai in March this year, Margielyn has a shot at being one of the 44 athletes from each discipline and division that will advance to Phase 2 of the qualification process. From there, only the top 22 female skateboarders will nab tickets to Paris.
Filipino Boxers
Out of the Philippines’ four Olympic medals from Tokyo, three of them were won by boxers — two silvers from Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam and one bronze from Eumir Marcial. But with Marcial already through to Paris 2024 thanks to his success at last year’s Asian Games, the remaining two are still keeping their eyes on the qualifying tournaments.
The two Olympic silver medalists now turn to the qualifying tournaments this year for their hopes of improving their results from Tokyo. However, they are not the only Filipino boxers vying for Paris — eight more fighters from the Philippines will be competing in the qualifying tournaments around Europe later this year.
Emma Malabuyo
Emma Malabuyo first donned the Philippine flag in 2023 and hit the ground running, finishing the Asian Championships with a silver medal in the women’s floor exercise event. Now, she’s aiming for something even bigger — the Olympics.
In 2024, the Filipina will be competing in the balance beam and floor exercise events of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in February for a chance to represent the Philippines in Paris.
Kristina Knott
SEA Games gold medalist Kristina Knott is one of the Philippines’ best-known track and field athletes, given her experience competing in international tournaments to represent the country. In fact, she is among the few Filipino athletes who have qualified for the Olympics when she did so in the 2020 Tokyo edition. Now, she is aiming for another shot at Paris.
Track and field athletes have up until June this year to meet the Olympics’ entry standards, and from there, a total of 1,180 athletes from all over the world will get to compete at the highest level.
Banner images from Kristina Knott, Carlo Paalam, Margielyn Didal, and Emma Malabuyo on Instagram.
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