All news tagged CarloPaalam

Eight years ago, Carlo Paalam stood on the Asian Games podium with bronze around his neck.

This time, he climbed one step higher.

Paalam secured silver in the men’s 55kg division after a hard-fought championship bout against Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi, marking his best finish yet in the Asian Games.

The result may not have delivered the gold he was chasing, but the silver represents another milestone in the Filipino boxer’s long climb through the continental ranks.

Back in 2018, Paalam broke through with a bronze medal. Eight years later, he returned to the podium and upgraded the color of his medal — a simple progression that reflects the persistence required to remain among Asia’s best.

Bronze in 2018. Silver in 2026.

That journey tells its own story.

Paalam has never been a stranger to difficult fights, and his latest Asian Games campaign once again put his resilience on display. Against Yamaguchi, he battled for the top prize but ultimately settled for silver as Japan claimed the division’s gold.

For Paalam, however, the journey does not end with the runner-up finish.

The silver adds another major medal to a career already marked by international success, while also giving the Filipino boxing star another milestone to build on.

From bronze to silver, Paalam has shown that the climb is still underway.

One step higher. One more medal. And another chapter in the Carlo Paalam story.

𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗦. 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦. 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗨𝗦𝗛. 

With only three days remaining in the 2026 Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, the country remains short of its eight-gold target.

The road has not been perfect. Some medal hopes have fallen short, opportunities have slipped away, and the shocking quarterfinal exit of Sibol Mobile Legends: Bang Bang against Indonesia left another painful “what if” hanging over Team Philippines.

But with the finish line approaching, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is choosing to look forward.

“Napipitasan tayo, pero may umaangat. May awa ang Diyos.”

And there is still plenty to fight for.

At the center of the final push is Alex Eala, already assured of at least a bronze medal but chasing something much bigger — an Asian Games gold that would make her the first Filipino tennis player to reach the top of the podium since the legendary Johnny Jose in 1962.

Then there is Carlo Paalam.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist is the Philippines’ lone boxer still standing and is set for a gold-medal showdown with Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi in the men’s 55kg division. Despite the bruises accumulated along the way, Paalam remains determined to give everything in what he calls a “mother of all battles.”

For Philippine boxing, the stakes are even bigger: a victory would finally end a 16-year wait for an Asian Games gold medal in the sport.

The country’s jiu-jitsu hopes are equally formidable.

Annie Ramirez, the defending champion and two-time world champion, is chasing another Asian Games crown, while Kimberly Custodio, a four-time world champion whose latest title came just last August, is also in the hunt.

And the list does not stop there.

Chino Sy carries the country’s hopes in judo, while taekwondo veterans Tachiana Mangin and Kurt Barbosa begin their campaigns with gold on their minds.

There have been disappointments.

There have been medals that slipped away.

But the Asian Games are not decided by what has already happened.

They are decided by what comes next.

Three days remain.

Five golds remain on the target.

And for Team Philippines, the final push begins now.

NO LOOKING BACK. NO COUNTING OUT. JUST ONE MORE FIGHT AFTER ANOTHER. 🇵🇭🔥