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The Philippines finishes the 2024 Olympic Games with two gold medals from gymnast Carlos Yulo and a bronze medal each from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas
Claim: Filipino athletes Elreen Ando, Carlo Paalam, John Cabang Tolentino and EJ Obiena won gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Rating: FALSE
Why we checked this: A graphic claiming the four Filipinos won gold at the 2024 Olympics was posted on Facebook from August 2 to 7 by a page with nearly 200,000 followers and 18,000 likes.
As of writing, posts about the gold medals allegedly won by Ando, Paalam, Tolentino and Obiena have received a total of 27,632 reactions, 5,933 comments and 648 shares.
The facts: Contrary to claims, the four athletes did not win gold medals in their respective sporting events at the Paris Olympic Games.
Filipino weightlifter Ando finished sixth in the women’s 59kg class, while boxer Paalam, who won silver at the Tokyo Games three years ago, lost his chance of another Olympic medal after losing to Australia’s Charlie Senior by split decision in the quarterfinals of the men’s 57kg class.
Filipino track and field stars Tolentino and Obiena also failed to win gold at the Paris Games. Tolentino withdrew from the repechage round of the men’s 110m hurdles due to an injury shortly before his race, while Obiena finished fourth in the men’s pole vault final, narrowly missing out on a podium finish.
Philippines at the 2024 Olympic Games: With two gold medals from gymnast Carlos Yulo and a bronze medal each from Filipino boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, the Philippines finished the 2024 Paris Games tied with Hong Kong in 37th place in the medal table. This is the country’s best medal haul ever and its highest Olympic placing in six decades.
In addition, the country was the best Southeast Asian nation at the Olympic Games for the second year in a row, followed by Indonesia and Thailand.
Yulo and Villegas led the Philippines’ 22-member Centennial Team as flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the Paris Games at the Stade de France on Sunday, August 11 (Monday, August 12, Manila time).
ALSO ON RAPPLER
After a historic run in the world’s biggest sporting event, Team Philippines will return home on Tuesday, August 13, to be greeted by their families and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Upon arrival at the Palace, the Olympians will be greeted by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and the First Family. This will be followed by a special program where the President will personally honor the athletes and present them with well-deserved rewards to recognize their extraordinary contributions to Philippine sports and their outstanding performance during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” the Presidential Communications Office wrote in a post. — Larry Chavez/Rappler.com
Larry Chavez is a graduate of Rappler’s Fact-Checking Mentoring Program. This fact-check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s Fact-Checking Mentoring Program Here.
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