Two Filipinas Gave Us Our First Multi-Medal Olympic Win in Nearly a Century

(SPOT.ph) Nesthy Petecio is now in contention for a gold medal! The boxer first secured an Olympic bronze medal for the Philippines at the Tokyo Olympics on July 28 then punched her way to a silver on July 31. What makes the featherweight boxer's win extra special is that she secured the bronze just a few days after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's historic first-ever gold on July 26—giving the first Philippines our first multi-medal Olympic win since the 1932 Summer Games.

The last time we won more than one medal during the Summer Games was at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. And yup, this streak was finally broken for us by two amazing Filipinas in weightlifting and boxing. Let that sink in for a moment. 

We can't forget Eumir Marcial's push for gold either! The middleweight boxer made it to the semi-finals with an epic KO, securing not just a bronze but also a fighting chance at the semi-finals, and possibly, the finals. 

The 1932 Los Angeles Olympics saw three Pinoys climb the podium, snagging three bronze medals: Teofilo Yldefonso, Simeon Toribio, and Jose Villanueva. Yldefonso, the "Ilocano Shark" for swimming, Toribio for high jump, and Villanueva for boxing. 

Also read: Eumir Marcial Just Brought Us Closer to Breaking Our 1932 Olympics Record

Now nearly a century later, Diaz has given us our first gold while Petecio and Marcial are still in the running for another! As of writing, our tally stands at one gold medal plus secured silver and bronze ones. Meanwhile, more of our athletes are set to vie for even more medals. Who says we can't aim for three gold medals this time, or heck, even more?

UPDATED (August 1): This article was updated following the wins of Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial.

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