1. Eric Shauwn Cray - Track and Field 400m Hurdles
The 27-year-old Filipino-American is a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist for the men's 400m hurdles. He broke the SEA Games record for the event after clocking in 49.40 seconds last year. In the Asian Indoor Championships this year, he broke the tournament record for the 60m with a time of 6.57 seconds in the semifinals, but it was surpassed by in the final race as Cray settled for the bronze.
2. Rogen Ladon - Boxing Men’s Light Fly 46-49kg
Fresh off a silver medal at the recent ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships, Ladon is continuing the excellent Filipino tradition of success in boxing’s lighter weight classes. The 21-year-old famously wept with emotion in front of coaches Pat Gaspi and Nolito Velasco after qualifying for the World Championships, and he is highly regarded by many of Asia’s most knowledgeable boxing aficionados. He was 2nd place to the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore and 2nd place to the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Thailand and 7th place in Thailand International Invitational Tournament in Thailand.
3. Charly Suarez – Boxing Men’s Light 60kg
The 27-year-old fighter from Davao del Norte qualified after winning the silver medal in the 2016 Asia & Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament. He is a two-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games in 2009 and 2011 competing in the feather weight and light flyweight categories. In 2014, he won the silver medal in the Asian Games fighting in the lightweight division.
4. Kirstie Elaine Alora – Taekwondo
A two-time bronze medalist in the Asian games, Filipina jin Kirstie Alora qualified for the Rio Olympics after bagging a silver medal in the Asian Qualifying Tournament last April. She will compete in the women's +67kg division. The 26-year-old taekwondo jin from Laguna is a three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, making her debut in Manila in 2005 when she was only 15 years old.
5. Ian Lariba - Table Tennis Women’s Single
Ian Lariba is the first ever Filipino table tennis player to qualify for the Olympic Games. The 21-year-old was born in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, where she picked up the sport during her grade school years. The chosen flag bearer for the country in Rio, Lariba was hailed as Co-Athlete of the Year in the UAAP after finishing her career with undefeated record. She led De La Salle University to three championships and won three MVP awards. She was qualified in April 16, 2016 at the Asian Table Tennis Olympic Qualifying event in Hong Kong.
6. Hidilyn Diaz – Weightlifting
Hidilyn Diaz will represent the Philippines for the third time in the Olympics this year. The 25-year-old weightlifter from Zamboanga City was youngest in her category when she made her debut in Beijing in 2008. She was the flag bearer in London in 2012. Diaz won three gold medals in the 2015 Southeast Asian Championships and Asian Championships, and also brought home the bronze medal in the World Championships last year competing in the women's -53kg.
7. Mary Joy Tabal - Track and Field Women’s Marathon
Mary Joy Tabal is the first ever Filipino marathoner to qualify for the Olympics. The 26-year-old Cebuana won the silver medal in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games after winning the National Milo Marathon Finals for three consecutive years. She left the national team due to conflicts with Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association last year, but she was reinstated following her qualification to Rio. She beat the Olympic standard after clocking in 2 hours 43 minutes and 31 seconds in the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon in Canada.
8. Nestor Colonia – Weightlifting
The 24-year-old Nestor Colonia will join fellow Zamboanga native Hidilyn Diaz in Rio Olympics weightlifting. He was a given a slot in the men's -56kg by the International Weightlifting Federation. He won two gold medals and a silver in the 2015 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Thailand. In April 30, 2016, he bagged the bronze in the 2016 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan.
9. Marestella Torres-Sunang - Track and Field Women’s Long Jump
The country's reigning long jump queen, Marestella Torres-Sunang will be making her third straight Olympic appearance. The 35-year-old was born in San Jose, Negros Oriental, where she was discovered as a potential track 'n field star. She set the national record for long jump at 6.71 meters in 2011, before eclipsing it this year with a 6.72 meter-leap in the Kazakhstan Open to book her ticket to the Olympics. She is a four-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games and also won the gold in the Asian Championships in 2009.
10. Miguel Tabuena – Golf Men’s Individual
Filipino golfer Miguel Tabuena was only 16 years old when he won the silver medal in the Asian Games in 2010. With golf back in the Olympics after more than a century of absence, the now 21-year-old is looking to impress in a competition field without the world's top golfers. He is currently ranked fourth in the Asian Tour Order of Merit. He won in the Philippine Open last year to bag his first Asian Tour title. He made his debut in the US Open last month. He was Top 37 in International Golf Federation (IGF) for Olympic participation.
11. Jasmine Alkhaldi – Swimming Women’s 100m Freestyle
A 2012 London Olympian, Jasmine Alkhaldi is again representing the country in the 100m freestyle. Like Lacuna, the 23-year-old Fil-Arab also received a universality invitation from world swimming body FINA to compete in Rio. She won eight bronze medals in the Southeast Asian Games competing in freestyle, butterfly, and medley relay. She would have won the gold medal in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, but a re-race was called due to a false start.
12. Jessie Lacuna – Swimming Men’s 200m Butterfly
Bulacan pride Jessie Khing Lacuna is on his way to a second Olympic appearance after receiving a universality invitation from world swimming body FINA. The 22-year-old will compete in the men's 200m butterfly after swimming in the 200m freestyle in the 2012 London Olympics. Lacuna, who swims for Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP, was named UAAP Co-Athlete of the Year after bagging seven gold medals in the tournament this season. In the Southeast Asian Games last year, he won a silver and two bronze medals in 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly, and 200m medley.
13. Kodo Nakano – Judo
Kodo Nakano is a Filipino-Japanese judoka who will compete in men's 81kg event the Rio Olympics after an Iranian judoka backed out at the last minute. The 23-year-old won the bronze medal in the 2013 Southeast Asian Judo Championships and also represented the country in the World Championships in the same year. Nakano will immediately fly to Rio de Janeiro and has long been in the list of Filipino hopefuls to the Rio Olympics. But after he failed to earn an outright berth, his only hope was for a late inclusion.
