“Huwag kayo mag-sorry.”
This was what Filipinos told Olympians Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and John Ceniza who recently ended their Summer Games 2024 campaign in Paris without a gold medal.
Nesthy, Aira, and John were among those who made buzz in the local online community before their competitions.
Filipinos were expecting Nesthy, who became the first Filipina to win an Olympic medal in boxing at Tokyo 2020, to surpass her previous record and take home the elusive gold.
Meanwhile, Aira, a neophyte Olympian, impressed Pinoys with her early wins at Paris 2024 when she defeated the home bet and the bets of Morocco and Algeria.
John, another neophyte Olympian, also caught Filipinos’ attention with his physique and looks. His name was also easily recalled due to its perceived closeness with famous wrestler John Cena.
However, the three were not successful in their bid to bag the ultimate gold.
Nesthy lost to Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the women’s 57 kilogram boxing semifinal on Thursday (Philippine time) after previously defeating the home bet, as well as the bets of India and China.
Aira bowed to Turkiye’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu by unanimous decision in the women’s 50 kg boxing semifinal on Wednesday (Philippines time).
John, who was literally the last man standing for the Philippine delegation, had an early exit on Thursday (Philippine time) when he could not finish his lifts in the men’s 61 kg weightlifting category, failing to lift 125 kilograms in three attempts.
Nesthy Petecio
The Pinoy Olympians quickly apologized to their fellow Filipinos in their respective interviews following their performances.
“Maraming, maraming salamat sa suporta niyo po. Grabe ‘yung suporta niyo, solid na solid po,” Nesthy said in an interview.
“Pasensya na at hindi natin nakuha ‘yung panalo ngayong gabi pero, sa suporta niyo po, parang panalo na din po ako. Salamat po. Mabuhay po kayo, ingat po kayo lagi,” she added.
Some Filipinos consoled the boxer in the comments and told her to not “downplay” her Paris 2024 campaign.
“Huwag kayo mag-sorry. Ang galing galing [niyo] kaya lahat. Congratulations, Nesthy,” an online user wrote.
“Our athletes always saying sorry (loudly crying emoji). There’s no need to apologize for after all your sacrifices!!” another user commented.
“It truly breaks my heart when our athletes downplay their wins like, wdym [what do you mean] ‘parang panalo,’ YOU WON!!! AND WE ARE [PROUD] OF YOU!!!!” exclaimed a different Pinoy.
Nesthy, despite losing to Julia, took home a bronze medal, bringing the Philippine delegation’s total medal tally to four in the Paris Olympics 2024.
It is also the country’s eighth Olympic medal in boxing overall ever since joining the prestigious Games in 1924.
Aira Villegas
Aira, despite being pleased with her debut Olympic performance, was also apologetic for her loss to Buse.
“Sa lahat po ng Pilipino, na again, napuyat, I’m sorry. Nakapag-uwi po ako ng medalya, sana po proud pa rin po kayo sa akin,” she said in an interview.
The Tacloban-born southpaw also acknowledged that Buse was a good boxer and that the latter had studied her moves.
Filipinos had the same response to the neophyte Olympian, who consoled her and said that she still won in their eyes.
“Lungkot talaga na instead of celebrating their victory, their first response is to apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s the gov’t for failing to provide the support you needed. A win is a win, and all wins should be celebrated! You did great, Aira. Congrats!” an online user wrote.
“Saddens me that our Filipino athletes’ first response is to apologize (sad emoticon). Ang dapat manghingi ng tawad ay ang gobyerno, for letting you down. Thank you for representing us so well!” another Pinoy commented.
“‘Sana proud pa rin kayo sa akin.’ I was already more than proud the moment you defeated France despite getting boo-ed by the crowd, what more na mag-uuwi ka ng bronze Olympic medal sa Pinas? CHIN UP, OLYMPIC MEDALIST AIRA VILLEGAS!” wrote a different online user.
Aira took home a bronze medal in her bout against Buse. It is also the Philippines’ second-ever Olympic medal in women’s boxing.
John Ceniza
Meanwhile, John, who had been struggling with a shoulder injury that had not fully healed yet, also apologized to Filipinos for his early exit on his Olympic debut.
The Cebuano broke into tears backstage after getting eliminated.
“Thank you po sa lahat ng nagsusuporta sa akin ngayong laro na ‘to. Pasensya po sa lahat ng Pilipino na nabigo ako ngayon sa Olympics, pero pagsikapan ko po para mag-qualify ulit sa next Olympics,” he said in an interview.
John added that it was “hard” for him to compete since his mind was still thinking about his injury at that time.
“Mahirap. Sa injury ko eh. Tatak kasi sa utak na may injury ka. Mahirap i-compete na ‘di ka pa naka-recover,” he said.
The weightlifter did not specify his injury but his trainer, Christopher Bureros, said that John was suffering a right shoulder injury even during the warm-up.
“We had already reduced the weight during warm-up because he could feel the pain,” he said.
“He has been dealing with this injury since his training in Manila and even after returning to Cebu, he hasn’t fully recovered, Jessica Honoridez, athletic director of the University of Cebu Webmasters, said.
“We are still very proud of him for continuing to compete under such conditions,” she added.
John also said that he continued to compete in the Olympics “because of the Philippines.”
“Lumalaban pa rin ako kahit may injury ako. Lumalaban pa rin ako para sa Pilipinas,” he said.
Some Filipinos also consoled John following his performance, reminding him that it was just his first Olympic appearance.
“It’s actually rarer than most people think for someone to do well on their Olympic debut. Now, he’s got the experience. Good job for getting to the Olympics, John Ceniza, and for representing the country! See you in LA 2028!” an X user wrote, referring to the Los Angeles 2028 or the Summer Olympics 2028.
“Lagi silang nag-so-sorry sa atin pero ‘di naman nila need mag-apologize, huhuhu (loudly crying emoji) You did well, and the fact na may injury ka pa, you showed and fought for PH. Huge respect talaga sa mga athletes natin,” another online user said.
“Thank you for your sacrifice and for representing our country on the world stage of sports, Mr. John Ceniza! Salute,” wrote a different Pinoy.
John finished fifth at the Olympic Qualification Ranking of the International Weightlifting Federation.
He is also a two-time silver medalist in the Southeast Asian Games 2019.
The weightlifter likewise made a personal record of 134 kgs in snatch at the 19th Asian Games, which is also the Philippine record.
