Carlo Paalam assured of silver, urges fans to support PH athletes

October 1 ------ Carlo Paalam secured at least a silver medal for the Philippines at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games then urged Filipinos to support rather than criticize national athletes fighting for medals.

The Olympic silver medalist advanced to the men’s 55-kilogram final after surviving a bruising semifinal against Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan, escaping with a 3-2 split decision at Nishio Gymnasium. Paalam will fight Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi for the gold medal after the hometown boxer defeated Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharhuu, 5-0, in the other semifinal.

The fighter from Talakag, Bukidnon, said the difficulty of reaching the medal rounds was one reason he hoped Filipino athletes would receive encouragement from home instead of online criticism. “Support me. Don’t bash the Filipinos competing in the Asian Games because it is really difficult for everyone to win a medal. Pray for us,” Paalam said in Filipino.

His appeal came after a semifinal that tested him tactically and physically. Paalam controlled the opening round, earning 10-9 scores from four of the five judges before Sabyrkhan turned the fight into a close battle of counters over the next two rounds. Paalam said the Kazakh showed a different style from what he had expected, forcing him to adjust while following coach Elmer Pamisa’s instructions to strike first and land the final counter. “He was going to come out, so I had to play my game. It was about who could counter first,” Paalam said.

The pressure increased in the third round when Paalam was assessed a point deduction. He continued pressing through the final exchanges, relying on his conditioning and aggression to stay in the fight and persuade enough judges to give him the decision. “I was showing the referee that we are Filipinos, this is in our blood. Even if it came down to giving everything we had, I was going to give it all in the last round,” Paalam said.

The split decision assured Paalam of no worse than silver and gave the Philippines another opportunity to win gold in boxing. For Paalam, however, reaching the final also provided a chance to remind supporters of the demands faced by Filipino athletes carrying the national colors. His next task is the gold-medal bout against Yamaguchi, with the Olympic silver medalist now one victory away from an Asian Games title.

Source: inquirer.net