Tokyo Olympics: silver for Carlo Paalam means disappointment as Philippines ends campaign without boxing gold
- Paalam loses on split decision against GB’s Galal Yafai
- Two silver medals and a bronze is Philippines’ best boxing medal yield
Carlo Paalam was beaten on a split decision as he fell narrowly short in his bid to become Philippines’ first boxing gold medal winner at Kokugikan Arena on Saturday.
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Paalam got off to the worst possible start after being sent to the canvas with just 80 seconds gone under an expertly deliver left jab – right hook combination from the 28-year-old Yafai. Paalam needed the full eight seconds to clear his head, but from that point, the Filipino man was searching to land big shots – food and drink for the defensively excellent Yafai.
Paalam’s desperation to land a big shot and bring some measure of parity to the opener consistently left him open to Yafai’s rapier-like left hand, which scored time and again.
Yafai swept the first round on all judges’ cards.
Paalam needed a change of tack in the second round with his attempted big shots getting him nowhere, but it was more of the same from the Cagayan de Oro man as he persisted with his big-swinging approach, which consistently left him open to the accurate Yafai’s counters.
By now, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist’s superior ringcraft was beginning to shine through as his footwork and head movement kept him well clear of the Filipino. The judges noticed, handing Yafai round two 4-1 and leaving Paalam in need of an unlikely stoppage in the final round.
Yafai, also searching for his country’s first boxing gold of the Games, was more measured in the final round, though Paalam was determined to go down swinging. He saw some success but not enough, and despite winning round three, Yafai was handed the win and with it the gold medal.
So it was silver for Paalam to go with his Southeast Asian Games gold and his Asian Games bronze. It caps an incredible journey for the youngster, who once scavenged on land-fill sites and in the streets for a living. The medal marks the conclusion of an inspiring personal journey for him and is one of the stories of these Games. And the future looks brighter still.
He and his medal-winning cohort are set to be handsomely rewarded by Filipino sport authorities for their endeavour in Japan.
