Carlo Paalam (; born July 16, 1998) is a Filipino

amateur boxer An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

. He made his Olympic debut and won silver medal in the flyweight division at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

in Tokyo, Japan.

Early life

Paalam was born on July 16, 1998, in Talakag,

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

. He spent some time of his childhood in Balingoan,

Misamis Oriental Misamis Oriental (; ; ), officially the Province of Misamis Oriental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province located in the Regions of the Philippines, region of Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. The provincial capital, as well as its ...

. His mother left his father after a failed marriage when Carlo was just six years old. After the estrangement, Carlo Paalam, his father and siblings left Balingoan for

Cagayan de Oro Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO and officially the City of Cagayan de Oro; ; Bukid language, Binukid: ''Ciudad ta Cagayan de Oro''; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippi ...

for better opportunities. Paalam then worked as a scavenger at a landfill in the city. His neighbor encouraged him to join a local tournament known as "Boxing at the Park" after seeing him in a backyard boxing match. He won his first boxing match at age 7 and used his winnings to buy rice for his family.

Career

He was scouted by local officials by Zedrick Ramos in 2009 after figuring in the Boxing at the Park tournament and was placed under Cagayan de Oro's boxing training program. Paalam then joined the Philippine national team in 2013 and started competing for international level. He took home bronze medals both at the AIBA Youth Asian and World Championships in 2016, and at the Asian Games in 2018. He took part in the

2017 Southeast Asian Games The 2017 Southeast Asian Games (), officially known as the 29th Southeast Asian Games, or the 29th SEA Games, and commonly known as Kuala Lumpur 2017, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event that took place from 19 to 30 August 2017 in Kuala ...

in Malaysia, but did not medal. He bagged gold medals in the ASTANA/President's Cup in Kazakhstan in 2017, 10th AIBA International Boxing Tournament, and 1st Thailand International Boxing Tournament in 2018. In 2019, he took home his first

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with sup ...

gold medal at the

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, were the 30th edition of the SEA Games, Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport ...

which was hosted at home in the Philippines. He made his debut at the

in Tokyo in July 2021 after qualifying through the IOC-BTF standings “by virtue of their highest standings in their respective weight categories (in the Olympic qualifying rankings)”, after the remaining qualifying tournaments at that time were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He pulled a victory by a split decision against Irish flyweight boxer Brendan Irvine and advanced to the Round 16 Quarterfinals. He then won by a Unanimous Decision against World Championship Silver and bronze medalist Mohamed Flissi of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. He then pulled an upset victory against reigning Olympic gold medalist Shakhobidin Zoirov of

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

by a 4–1 split decision as the fight was halted due to both fighters having cuts and injuries while fighting. Paalam advances to the semifinals against Ryomei Tanaka of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Paalam would defeat Tanaka by a unanimous decision (5–0) to advance to the gold medal match against

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

boxer Galal Yafai. Paalam fought Yafai in the finals of the men's flyweight event but lost to a 4–1 split decision. He became the fourth medalist to bring home an olympic medal for the Philippines at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as he brought home a silver medal in the men's flyweight boxing event.

Olympic Games results

Tokyo – 2020 (Men's Flyweight) * Round of 32: Defeated Brendan Irvine (Ireland) by SD, 4–1 * Round of 16: Defeated Mohamed Flissi (Algeria) by UD, 5–0 * Quarterfinal: Defeated Shakhobidin Zoirov (Uzbekistan) by SD, 4–1 * Semifinal: Defeated Ryomei Tanaka (Japan) by UD, 5–0 * Final: Lost against Galal Yafai (Great Britain) by SD, 1–4 (won silver medal) Paris - 2024 (Men's 57 Kg) * Round of 32: Drew Bye * Round of 16: Defeated Jude Gallagher (Ireland) by UD, 5-0 * Quarterfinal: Lost against Charlie Senior (Australia) by SD, 2-3

In popular media

Paalam's life leading to his silver medal win in the 2020 Summer Olympics was dramatized in an

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

of ''

Maalaala Mo Kaya (, abbreviated as ''MMK'') is a Philippine television drama anthology series broadcast by ABS-CBN and Kapamilya Channel. Hosted by Charo Santos-Concio, its first iteration was aired from May 15, 1991 to December 10, 2022. It is the longest ...

'', a drama anthology series, aired on January 8, 2022. He was portrayed by CJ Navato.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paalam, Carlo 1998 births Living people Filipino male boxers Filipino sportspeople People from Bukidnon People from Misamis Oriental Asian Games bronze medalists for the Philippines Boxers at the 2018 Asian Games Boxers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Asian Games medalists in boxing Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Olympic boxers for the Philippines Boxers from Misamis Oriental SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games Competitors at the 2023 SEA Games Sportspeople from Bukidnon Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the Philippines Olympic medalists in boxing Bantamweight boxers Boxers at the 2022 Asian Games Boxers at the 2024 Summer Olympics 21st-century Filipino sportsmen