PARIS Olympian gymnast Aleah Finnegan, former skateboard star Margielyn Didal and even Eumir Felix Marcial won’t be in Nagoya but Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino believes Team Philippines will have enough potential gold medalists in the 20th Asian Games.
‘There are names who won’t be competing in next month’s Asian Games because of many reasons, but it opens the door for many athletes to show what they got,’ said Tolentino on Tuesday after sealing a partnership with Bilyonaryo News Channel (BNC) the ‘POC Phil Olympic Hour’ program on the platform that opens on October 10.
‘We will miss some athletes, but we can get medals from the new ones,’ Tolentino said. ‘I’m optimistic that we can match and surpass our four gold medals [plus two silvers and five bronzes] in Hangzhou four years ago.’
Jakarta 2018 Asian Games gold medalist Didal is injured and so is Finnegan, gold medalist in last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok.
Marcial, bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver medalist at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, announced that his eighth professional fight against American Omar Ulises Huerta is scheduled on the same day of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on September 19.
Paris 2024 double gold medalist gymnast Carlos Yulo and brother Karl Eldrew, Asian Games and Asian record holder pole vaulter EJ Obiena, tennis star Alex Eala and Olympic medalist boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Aira Villegas tops the list of gold medal potentials.
Team Philippines is also pinning hopes on rising skateboarding ace Mazel Paris Alegado, as well as the esports bets who will be among the 443 athletes the country is fielding in 38 sports in Aichi and Nagoya.
Tolentino and BNC SVP for Marketing and Sales Maria Fatima Baylon and BNC SVP for News and Current Affairs Chair Favila, meanwhile, signed the contracts for the POC program that will air from 11 a.m. to 12 noon every Saturday starting October 10.