Carlo Paalam says taking 1st round was crucial in Olympic QF win

Carlo Paalam was able to do what his coaches asked him to as he punched his way to the semifinals of the men's flyweight at the Tokyo Olympics.

Paalam shared that the plan of his coaches was to put some early pressure on reigning Olympic and world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan but his opponent gladly obliged, countering with a lot of aggressiveness himself.

"Pilit po niya akong kinukuha sa first round, pero sabi po ni Coach Ronald (Chavez), dapat makuha mo ‘yung first round para sila ang ma-pressure sa’yo," Paalam said.

The 23-year-old Filipino pug, though, landed bigger shots to secure the crucial round, getting the nod of all five judges, 10-9.

"‘Yun nga po, nakuha ko ang first round, tapos pine-pressure niya talaga ako. Sabi ng mga coaches ko, ilabas ko lang daw ‘yung laro ko."

He carried that momentum going into the second round, but both fighters sustained cuts and Ukrainian referee Pablo Vasylynchuk was forced to stop the match early at the 1:16 mark of the second round.

It all boiled down to the judges decision, which went Paalam's way after four judges scored it 20-18 while one judge saw it 19-19.

With the win, Paalam is now assured of at least a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, and he was grateful for everyone who supported him on the journey.

"Unang una po sa lahat, nagpapasalamat po ako sa Panginoon sa pagbibigay ng lakas sa akin para maipanalo ko ang laban na ito," Paalam said.

"Maraming salamat din sa tiwala ng mga coaches ko, sa ABAP at sa PSC. Salamat din po sa mga sumusuporta po sa akin at sa aming lahat na mga atletang Pilipino. Sabi nga po ng Panginoon, ‘Makakaya mo, basta kasama mo ako."

In the semifinals, he will take on home bet  Ryomei Tanaka for a shot at advancing to the gold medal match.

—Bea Micaller/JMB