Unsung heroes of historic Philippine campaign at Tokyo Olympics

On National Heroes' Day, we pay tribute to the people who worked quietly behind the scenes to help our Olympic athletes achieve success in Tokyo, Mabuhay kayo!
Aug 30, 2021
PHOTO: Jarryd Belo

NATIONAL Heroes’ Day of 2021 becomes relevant more than ever in the Philippine sports context as it comes just a few weeks after the triumphant campaign of the country at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Hidilyn Diaz provided the highlight of that campaign as she ended a 97-year long wait for the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal by ruling the women’s -55kg division in weightlifting.

The medal rush continued later in the competitions as Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam notched silver medals, and Eumir Marcial a bronze medal in boxing.

Other Filipino athletes also excelled in what for most of them were their first Olympic Games, becoming part of a new benchmark for Philippines.

These Olympic standouts also got a lot of help to get to where they are now. On National Heroes' Day, we pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the Philippine campaign in a memorable fortnight in Tokyo.

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EMERSON OBIENA

A former pole vaulter and decathlete himself, Emerson Obiena instilled in his son the love for sports at a young age. He also provided both technical and fatherly advice as his son EJ trained in Italy with legendary Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov. The young Obiena placed 11th in his maiden Olympics, but, more importantly, proved that Filipinos can be competitive in the world of athletics.

DANI BAUTISTA

Bautista has been on Margielyn Didal’s side since she was discovered in Cebu. Serving as head coach, Bautista, who is also a filmmaker, was with Didal during her build-up until in Tokyo where the Cebuana skateboarder finished seventh in the women’s street.

UNIVERSITY OF CEBU

It was in this academic institution that Elreen Ando honed her skills as a member of the varsity team, a rarity in Philippine weightlifting. That led to her inclusion in the Olympics, where she finished seventh in the women’s -64kg division. She now stands as one of the building blocks for weightlifting in the country.

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RANDY MOLO

The medical doctor assigned by the Philippine Sports Commission to take care to the athletes proved crucial to the campaign with the strict health protocols implemented during the Tokyo Olympics. Fortunately, there was no case of COVID-19 for Team Philippines during the competition proper.

MARC VELASCO

The senior executive assistant of Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez and the national training director of the Philippine Sports Institute, Velasco, as representative from the government side in Tokyo, assured that the athletes’ needs were well taken care off on the ground before, during, and after the Olympics.

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POC SECRETARIAT

Supporting Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino and chef de mission Mariano Araneta was the lean but mean secretariat doing administrative work and serving as support staff for the 19 Filipino athletes in Tokyo. Members of the team were POC secretary-general Atty Edwin Gastanes, POC general manager Dinah Remolacio, team doctor Randy Molo, Covid-19 liaison officers Atty. Billy Sumagui and Martin Gregorio, protocol officer Jarryd Bello, and admin and logistics head Magnum Membrere of the rowing association.

REYNALDO GALIDO

The former Asian Games gold medalist provided the much-needed assistance to the Philippine boxing team as assistant coach not just in Tokyo but also in the training camps at Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba and in Thailand.

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NOLITO VELASCO

As head coach of the women’s team, Velasco, the older brother of Olympic medalists Onyok and Roel, helped Nesthy Petecio in her run to an Olympic silver medal in Tokyo. After her final bout, Petecio turned emotional as she paid tribute to her coaches, Velasco most especially, for their guidance.

RONALD CHAVEZ

One of the members of the coaching staff of the national boxing team, Chavez oversaw the preparations of the men’s squad bound for Tokyo. The former nationl boxer also accompanied Eumir Marcial during his training at the US Olympic Training Center in the lead-up to Tokyo, providing crucial guidance to Marcial following a roller-coaster build-up for the Olympics.

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ELMER PAMISA

The former national boxer has been in Carlo Paalam’s corner since Pamisa convinced the then-scavenger to try boxing. It bore fruit as Paalam quickly rose from the ranks to become a silver medalist in the Olympics. Proof of Pamisa’s impact on Paalam's life was the tearful tribute the boxer gave to his mentor after the Olympics.

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MARCUS JARWIN MANALO

Manalo was the de facto team leader of the boxing team in Tokyo. More importantly, Manalo has been serving as the national squad’s psychologist for a long time and went over and above his job description to help the boxers from their buildup all the way to the actual competition at the Summer Games.

Team HD

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KAREN TRINIDAD

Trinidad served as the chief sports psychologist of Hidilyn Diaz on her way to an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. Diaz acknowledged that without the help of Trinidad especially in her mental state during the pandemic, the gold medal would not have been possible. As chief of the sports psychology unit of the Philippine Sports Commission, Trinidad also lent her expertise to the entire national team.

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JEANETH ARO

Perhaps the biggest contributor among the unsung heroes in Tokyo 2020, Aro served as the nutritionist not only for Team HD but also for the Philippine boxing team and rower Chris Nievarez. With her ward’s demands, Aro provided expert advice on their food intake prior and during the Olympics without compromising their physique and strength.

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PHOTO: Jarryd Belo
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