BEHIND the silver medal shining proudly on the hands of boxer Carlo Paalam is an inspiring story occurred even before the threshold of his thriving success begins to open.
From collecting scraps to bagging the Olympic silver medal in boxing, Paalam was punched hard by a fist of emotions as he recalled his childhood memories where he was turning trash into treasure in Cagayan de Oro landfills.
In a statement after his fight on August 7, Paalam shared his sentiments upon receiving the silver medal for the men’s flyweight division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“Itong medal na ito ay simbolo ng buhay ko. Isa akong mangangalakal at itong medalya ay gawa sa mga sirang gadget po,” Paalam explained.
(This medal signifies my life. I was once a scavenger and this medal was apparently made from broken gadgets.)
“Sa basura siya galing, kaya nai-connect ko po siya sa buhay ko. ‘Yan po ang pinanghugutan ko para makuha ko ito,” the Olympian added.
(It came from trash that is why I can connect it to my life. That is where I drew my determination from in winning.)
Ensuring an environmental friendly competition, 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizers collected tons of electronic gadgets which were later recycled to craft around 5,000 medals in bronze, silver, and gold.
Paalam perceives boxing more than as a sport where he can showcase his athletic skills. The Olympian more likely takes it as a stepping stone to help his family escape from poverty.
“The moment I started boxing, I never stopped. And I thank boxing because I am now able to help myself, my family, and my relatives. Boxing is really important for me and I will never forget where I came from,” Paalam said in an interview with Inquirer.
The 23-year-old boxer, albeit new to the Olympics, had a fair share of struggle in securing wins and lifting himself to greater battles.
Along his way to the last battle, Paalam first advanced to the semi-finals after winning against 2016 Rio de Janeiro champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan and eventually reached the finals after snatching a fair win from Ryomei Tanaka of Japan.
The Filipino pride, however, fell short of bringing home the country’s second gold medal as he took a split decision loss against Galal Yafai of Great Britain during the final match.
Coming from a life with almost nothing, the result did not wither the boxer’s appreciation towards his silver medal; if any, it made him more grateful.
“Salamat sa mga sumuporta (sa akin), (sa mga) nagdasal, lalo na sa pamilya ko,” Paalam expressed.
(Thank you to those who support and prayed for me, especially my family.)
To commend his achievement for the country, Paalam is set to receive P5 million as mandated in Republic Act 10699 also known as the “National Athletes, Coaches and Trainers Benefits Incentives Act”.
Paalam, moreover, awaits a total of P10 million cash incentives from business tycoons Manny Pangilinan and Ramon Ang and P2 million from Congressman Mikee Romero.