Philippines exits Paris Olympics as top Southeast Asian country

THE PHILIPPINES topped the list of the best performing countries in Southeast Asia for the second time in a row after a remarkable performance at the recently concluded 2024 Paris Olympics. 

According to Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the Philippines won the most medals in the competition among Southeast Asian countries.

Photo Courtesy: Philippine Olympic Committee | Facebook

It was all thanks to Carlos Yulo, the nation’s “Golden Boy” gymnast, who won two gold medals, and Filipina boxers Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio who each won hard-fought bronze medals.

“We’re the best performer in Southeast Asia, No. 7 in Asia. We wanted more, but with two golds and two bronze medals, should we ask for more from Paris?” said Tolentino ahead of the closing ceremony.

The Philippine Centennial Team has been the most successful group of athletes at the Summer Games thus far. The group outperformed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 with one gold, two silvers, and a bronze medal.

Historic run

Yulo became the first Filipino athlete to win multiple medals in a single Olympic stint after dominating the floor exercise and vault in men’s artistic gymnastics, his pet apparatus in the competition. 

Meanwhile, Petecio became the fourth Filipino athlete to win more than one Olympic medal, adding bronze to her silver in Tokyo. Villegas made a great debut in Paris, finishing with a well-deserved bronze medal. 

The official Olympics medal tally as of 11:30 p.m. yesterday shows that the Philippines finished the Summer Games ranked 37th in the globe, surpassing the 50th-ranked Tokyo stint headed by Hidilyn Diaz.

After being tied with 40 gold medals before the closing ceremony at the Stade de France, the No. 1 United States of America (40-44-42), defeated No. 2 China (40-27-24), to be hailed as the overall champion.

The Philippines finished 37th in the Summer Games, making it the 7th best Asian country, trailing only China (2nd), Japan (4th), South Korea (7th), Uzbekistan (13th), Iran (22nd), and Chinese Taipei (33rd).

Outperforming neighbors

According to Tolentino, the Philippines outperformed its closest Southeast Asian neighbors. Other Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, underperformed despite being Asian Games powerhouses.

Photo Courtesy: Philippine Olympic Committee | Facebook

“We’ve gone quality in Paris, in gymnastics, a blue-chip sport. And looking at the SEA Games countries, we outperformed our closest neighbors,” noted Tolentino, proudly showing how the Philippines improved its performance.

Despite winning two gold medals, Indonesia trailed the Philippines by one bronze medal. Thailand is third, despite holding the most medals (1 gold, 3 silvers, and 2 bronzes). 

Nonetheless, these comparisons are intended to encourage friendly competition among adjacent countries. This would also serve as encouragement for Filipino athletes to boost the country’s sporting profile.