THE Philippines could qualify at least 15 more athletes to the Olympics, according to Team Philippines chef de mission to Tokyo Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz officially qualified on Sunday in Tashkent as the seventh member so far of Team Philippines after gymnast Carlos Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, Irish Magno and Eumir Felix Marcial.
Araneta’s list of potential Olympians includes golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan, skateboarder Margielyn Didal, triathlete Kim Mangrobang, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, runners Eric Cray and Kristina Knott and weightlifters Kristel Macrohon and Elreen Ann Ando.
Jamie Lim, Junna Tsukii, Joane Orbon, Sharief Afif, Jason Macaalay and Alwyn Batican are currently in a training camp in Istanbul and will fly to Paris in June for the qualifiers for karate, which is making its Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Filipino-American Patrick Coo is also hoping to catch the last bus in cycling’s BMX racing in a qualifier in Colombia next month, while rowing will send five hopefuls to the sport’s qualifier in Tokyo in May.
The country also gets to field two compulsory representatives—male and female—in swimming.
Saso (No. 22) and Pagdanganan (No. 42) remained inside the top 60 cut off for golf in the Olympics, according to Mariano.
“Yuka Saso has a great showing. The good news is only two athletes per country are allowed to qualify,” Araneta told BusinessMirror on Monday. “So even though the Koreans have many players in the rankings, only two from them will qualify.”
“I think we can expect a total of more than 15 to 17 Olympic-bound athletes by June,” he said.
Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said he believes the country’s Olympic gold medal drought will end in Tokyo.
“It’s a tough one, but I think we can win a minimum of one,” said Tolentino, who congratulated Diaz for officially qualifying to the Olympics on Sunday night.
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