Ladon and Suarez, gave their BEST shot in Rio

Photo credits to CNN Philippines

Team Philippines medal hopes in Men's Boxing event of the 31st Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has finally ended.

Monday night, Lightflyweight Rogen Ladon who is seeded no.3 in the competition and who earned a bye in the official drawing of lots, bowed to world no.42 Yurberjen Martinez of Colombia via unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 in the Round of 16 of Men’s Lightflyweight.

If Ladon won last night, he needed only one more fight to secure semis and bronze medal for the Philippines.

Ever since the Philippines joined the Olympic Games in 1924, boxing has always been the anticipated medal hope for the country.

Ladon, a 22-year old pugilist from Bago City in Baguio was a first timer in Olympiad but took the whole process in order to qualify himself in the quadrennial games. He was a silver medalist in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in China last March and a silver medalist on both Asian Championship and 28th Southeast Asian Games last year.

In my interview with Rogen, he admitted that he was lack of training to prepare in the tournament, “Kulang pa talaga ako sa sarili ko, sa training kulang pa sa endurance. Napakalaking tulong poi tong experience ko sa Rio, nakikita ko yung mga pagkakamali ko at kailangang dagdagan ko pa yung training ko.” said Rogen.

Prior to the occasion, Ladon and Lightweight Charly Suarez, the other Filipino boxing campaigner in Rio, had undergone one-month training in the US with Philippine Boxing Team Head Coach Nolito Velasco and Team Consultant Nonito Donaire Sr.

On the other side of this, Ladon added that he was also motivated to do better next time he compete again, specificically, when Tokyo Olympics opens, four years from now.

”Sa ngayon, yung 2020 Tokyo Olympics, hindi ko pa po masabi… basta kung ano po ang ipagkaloob ng Panginoon sa akin. Basta ngayon charge to experience po muna hanggang sa makamit ko ang medalya.”

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Aside from Ladon, fellow Pinoy pugilist Charly Suarez did an early exit in the contention after suffering a split decision loss to Joseph Cordina of Great Britain in the Men’s Lightweight division.

However, on Monday morning, Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz bagged a silver medal in Women's 53-kilogram Weightlifting event, the 1^st Olympic medal for the Philippines in Rio, 1st Non-Boxer to medal in the Olympics, 1st woman from the Philippines who snatched a medal in Olympiad and 1^st Olympic medalist from Mindanao Island.