The Philippine boxing team has set its sights on ending its 16-year gold medal drought at the Asian Games, which will take place in Aichi, Japan from September 21 to October 2.
The team has established two training camps in the lead-up to the quadrennial meet, with the goal of achieving a coveted gold medal.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) President Marcus Manalo emphasized that ending the drought is a top priority for the team.
The country's last gold medal was won 16 years ago by Rey Saludar in the flyweight division at the Asian Games in Foshan, China.
Since then, the Philippines has been unable to replicate that success, with its best result being a silver medal.
Manalo is hopeful that the team will finally break the streak of underwhelming performances and bring home a gold medal in Aichi.
The team is participating in a pre-Asian Games training camp arranged by Asian Boxing, which consists of two phases: one in Bangkok, Thailand and the other in Nishio City, Japan from next month to September.
The team will be led by Olympic medalists Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Aira Villegas, who will focus on achieving the goal set by the team.
Marcial, in particular, has committed to participating in the Asian Games and will now focus fully on the event after a previous opportunity was postponed.
