Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday morning to a warm reception from Philippine sports officials and family. While the controversial 3–2 split decision loss to Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi in the 55kg final still stings, Paalam expressed deep gratitude for representing the flag.
Paalam secured the lone boxing medal for the Philippines at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, defeating reigning Kazakh world champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan along the way. Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino commended Paalam’s heart, stating that the federation will continue to back him with elite international training. Paalam confirmed he will take a well-deserved two-week break in Cagayan de Oro before resuming strength and conditioning for upcoming world Olympic qualification circuits. The 28-year-old warrior reiterated that his ultimate dream remains capturing an Olympic gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
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