Year of the Filipino athlete: 2021 Olympics victory brings pride to the nation

THERE IS perhaps no sport more ubiquitous in the Philippines than basketball, a sport where height is an advantage. 

In 2021, the Tokyo Summer Olympics called the country’s attention to less popular sports where Filipino athletes had begun to shine — weightlifting, skateboarding, gymnastics, boxing, and pole vaulting. 

Hidilyn Diaz, the weightlifting Zamboanga native, became the first gold medalist of the Philippines. Stranded abroad by the pandemic, Diaz temporarily resided with her Malaysian coach, and through September 2020 to July 2021, she kept to a strict routine to improve her strength and skill. On July 26, she set a new Olympic record by lifting 224 kilograms, beating the champion from China, Liao Quiyun. 

The historic victory was made even more memorable by the news coverage that placed her win on front pages, with banner headlines and which led as top story of TV newscasts. The weightlifter was also trending on social media, as clips of her winning moment were shared by netizens. 

THERE IS perhaps no sport more ubiquitous in the Philippines than basketball, a sport where height is an advantage. 

In 2021, the Tokyo Summer Olympics called the country’s attention to less popular sports where Filipino athletes had begun to shine — weightlifting, skateboarding, gymnastics, boxing, and pole vaulting. 

Hidilyn Diaz, the weightlifting Zamboanga native, became the first gold medalist of the Philippines. Stranded abroad by the pandemic, Diaz temporarily resided with her Malaysian coach, and through September 2020 to July 2021, she kept to a strict routine to improve her strength and skill. On July 26, she set a new Olympic record by lifting 224 kilograms, beating the champion from China, Liao Quiyun. 

The historic victory was made even more memorable by the news coverage that placed her win on front pages, with banner headlines and which led as top story of TV newscasts. The weightlifter was also trending on social media, as clips of her winning moment were shared by netizens. 

Diaz easily overshadowed President Duterte’s lackluster State of the Nation Address, also held on July 26. Based on CMFR’s content analysis, both print and TV gave more prominence, more primetime and space to Diaz than Duterte. The total number of print stories on the SONA exceeded the number of Diaz stories but these did not enjoy the more important space on the front pages and above the fold. With more banner stories, Diaz hugged the upper fold of broadsheets.

The new champion had actually been subjected to Palace intrigue. In 2019, Diaz was included in an unverified “ouster matrix” presented by the Palace, which accused her and other personalities of destabilizing the government. In her immediate interview in Tokyo with former athlete and now sports reporter Gretchen Ho, herself included in the matrix, Diaz recalled that episode as one of the challenges she faced as she moved forward to fulfill her dream in the Tokyo Olympics. 

That she brought home the country’s first Olympic gold against all odds speaks volumes about the administration’s lack of respect for the country’s struggling best and brightest athletes. 

Media went on to follow other Filipinos with potential to rank in their sports in the Olympic events, sustaining public enthusiasm for the prospects of each one. Citizens found more reason to celebrate with the podium finishes of three boxers: Nesthy Petecio, the first woman boxer to bag an Olympic silver (featherweight division); Carlo Paalam, a former scavenger who found his strength in amateur boxing and took home the silver medal (flyweight division); and Eumir Marcial, who was raised in a family of boxers and won the bronze (middleweight division). Diaz, Petecio, Paalam, and Marcial all hail from Mindanao, gaining national recognition and pride. 

Other athletes may not have stepped up to the podium but heightened the spirit of celebration. Pole vaulter EJ Obiena finished 11th, skateboarder Margielyn Didal 7th, and gymnast Carlos Yulo narrowly missed his spot on the podium at 4th place. Coaches and analysts interviewed by the media expressed hope in Yulo’s chances in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The people were ready for the good news of Olympic glory. The COVID-19 crisis and the rainy month of July had dampened the national mood, but the athletes gave Filipinos something to celebrate. 

Understandably, the media sidelined discussion of the usual problems confronting athletes in training, the lack of funds, and the lack of consistent support with no politics attached.