No medals for 11 Pinoy athletes but Olympic fever not yet over

The last Filipino in the running for a medal in the 2012 London Summer Olympics bowed this week but that doesn’t mean Olympic fever is over. The 11 Filipino athletes still be in London on Sunday to witness the Olympic’s closing ceremonies, which will feature the reunion of British pop group the Spice Girls. “A Symphony of British Music,” will feature over 4,000 performers. Musical director David Arnold told the Daily Telegraph that “it’s going to be beautiful, cheeky, cheesy, camp, silly and thrilling.” The ceremony will end with the extinguishing of the Olympic Flame, and London passing on the Olympic torch to Rio de Janeiro, hosts of the 2016 Olympic Games. The Philippines first sent athletes to compete at the quadrennial Games in 1924. Since then, the country has amassed nine medals, two silver and seven bronze. However, no Philippine athlete has made the trip to the podium since 1996. For the 2012 Games in London, the Philippines sent 11 athletes: the country’s smallest delegation yet. The small contingent prompted Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar push for the creation of a new Department of Sports.   Sambar added that the country’s fielding less than a dozen athletes to the biggest international sporting event “underlines the lowly stage of our sports development.” [http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/267960/sports/othersports/to-train-more-pinoys-for-olympics-solon-wants-new-sports-dept]   The 11 athletes the Philippines sent to the 2012 Olympic Games were: Jhessie Khing Lacuna – Swimming SWIMMING (200 M FREESTYLE) 18 years old Pulilan Bulacan 6 Gold Medals in the 2nd Philippine National Games Ranked 5th in Heat 2 of 200-meter freestyle (July 29)   Jasmine Alkhaldi – Swimming SWIMMING (100 M FREESTYLE) 19 years old Paranaque 3 Gold Medals in the Southeast Asian Age Group Championships 2 Bronze Medals in the 2012 Singapore National Age Group Championships Ranked 5th in Heat 3 of 100-meter freestyle of 2012 Olympics (August 1) Marestella Torres – Athletics ATHLETICS (WOMEN’S LONG JUMP) 32 years old San Jose, Negros Oriental 4 time Southeast Asian Games Long Jump Defending Champion 2009 Asian Athletics Long Jump Champion 2008 Beijing Olympics Delegate 2005 Asian Athletics Long Jump Silver Medalist Ranked 22nd in qualifiers of 2012 Olympics (August 7)   Rene Herrera – Athletics ATHLETICS (5,000 METER RUN) 33 years old Guimaras Island, Iloilo 5 time SOutheast Asian Games Defending Champion 8th in the Asian 5,000 Meter Run and 3,000 Meter Steeplechase Ranked 42nd in 5000 meter run (August 8)   Paul Brian Rosario – Shooting SHOOTING (SKEET) 29 years old Manila Currently Best Filipino Skeet Shooter Qualifying Olympic Score since 2008 Beijing Olympics 2011 Sydney World Cup series, hitting minimum qualifying score Italian World Cup of Shotgun Minimum Scorer 2 Golds, 2005 Sutheast Asian Games Ranked 31st in qualifiers of 2012 Olympics (July 30-31)   Tomohiko Hoshina – Judo JUDO (+100 KGS. SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT) 25 years old Hails from Bulacan 27 ranking points in 2011 World Judo Champinships Among 20 Asians to qualify to the London Olympics 2007 Southeast Asian Games Silver Medalist Eliminated in round of 32 of 100 kgs super heavyweight category of 2012 Olympics (August 3) Hidilyn Diaz – Weight lifting WEIGHTLIFTING (58 KGS) 21 years Old Zamboanga City Ranked 9th in the World First Filipino Female to compete in the Olympic Games 2008 Beijing Olympics Wild Card Entry 2007 Southeast Asian Games Bronze Medalist 2 Golds, Asian Youth Championships 1 Silver, Asian Youth Championships Ranked 17th in weightlifting (58 kgs) category of 2012 Olympics   Daniel Caluag – Cycling CYCLING (BMX) 25 years old Hails from Bulacan Among top 60 riders in the world Participated in the UCI BMX World Championships Ranked 8th in Heat 3 of BMX cycling category of 2012 Olympics (August 9)   Rachel Ann Cabral – Archery 27 years old Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley 2012 Olympic Qualifier. World Championships, Utah Eliminated in Round of 32 of Archery in 2012 Olympics   Mark Javier – Archery 30 years old Dumaguete City 2008 Beijing Olympics Delegate 9th Place, 2006 Asian Games Eliminated in round of 32 of archery category of 2012 Olympics   Mark Anthony Barriga – Boxing BOXING (49 KGS. LIGHTFLYWEIGHT) 19 years old Panabo, Davao First FIlipino Qualifier to the 2012 London Olympics Gold Medalist, 2012 Sydney Jackson Memorial, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2011 Olympic Qualifier, World Championships, Azerbaijan Eliminated in round of 16 of boxing 49 kgs lightflyweight category of 2012 Olympics - VVP, GMA News