THE national wrestling team is discussing plans with sports benefactor Go for Gold to set a program with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
It’s been a while since a Filipino wrestler grappled at the Olympics and a thorough five-year plan to reach Los Angeles comes as a welcome proposition.
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“Pinag-usapan namin na gumawa ng program para sa 2028 (Olympics). We have been asked kung sino sa mga athletes namin ang may kakayahan na mag-qualify at willing tumulong si sir Jeremy hanggang makarating sila sa Los Angeles,” said national wrestling coach Efrelyn Calitis-Crosby.
Freestyle wrestler Jiah Pingot is a prime candidate to join that elite core, having consistently claimed a silver medal for the past three editions of the SEA Games as well as Uzziah Asher Gulay, a 16-year-old prized find from Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Olympic bid
Go For Gold Philippines founder Jeremy Go recently handed out fighting shoes to the national wrestlers who saw action during the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games and a stronger partnership is expected to be forged in the coming months.
“We believe that like weightlifting and boxing, wrestling can bring honor for our country. We aim for no less than a gold medal in the 2028 Olympics. We will have a five-year road map to bring a pinoy wrestler to the highest of highs,” said Go.
Gulay has already begun to stack up his room with medals from both international and local meets after recently dominating the secondary boys’ 67kg freestyle event of the Palarong Pambansa last month.
His Palaro victory, however, paled in comparison to the two gold medals Gulay won last year in the 14-17 cadet -70kg and +70kg freestyle categories at the Singapore Beach Wrestling Fiesta in Sentosa, Singapore.
“Pag-uusapan ulit namin ni sir Jeremy kung sino ang mga athletes na susuportahan kapag nailatag na namin ang programa,” said Calitis-Crosby.
Go For Gold has been a consistent backer of the national wrestlers since the 2019 Philippine SEA Games when they were provided with singlets and living quarters before the Olympic village opened up for the athletes at New Clark City in Tarlac.
A sports sponsorship program of the Powerball Marketing and Logistics Corporation, Go For Gold is committed to identifying, nurturing and supporting talented athletes across various sports. Apart from wrestling, the Go For Gold program has supported athletes in cycling, triathlon, sepak takraw, dragonboat, skateboarding, chess, basketball and volleyball, among others.
Florentino Tirante (men’s -52kg freestyle/Greco Roman) and Dean-Carlos Manibog (men’s -60kg freestyle) were the last Filipino wrestlers who figured in the Olympics, back in 1988 held in Seoul.
The Philippine wrestling team is hoping to break the long wait for another Pinoy grappler to reach the biggest sports spectacle in the world.
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