ONE can’t fight destiny — even if she’s an Olympic boxer.
Boxer Hergie Bacyadan almost quit many times after absorbing every beatdown of life before punching a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 29-year-old pugilist initially competed in martial arts as she represented the Philippines in wushu and Vovinam tournaments, but despite thriving in those sports, she had an uncanny feeling that she was destined for a different sport.
Hergie Bacyadan, the last Filipino boxer to qualify for the Summer Games in Paris, trains at the ABAP Gym in Rizal Memorial Complex, Manila. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO
Perhaps her instincts were right.
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Bacyadan first made it to the national team in 2016 through the sport of wushu, and when she shifted to boxing in 2019, she earned her first gold medal in the 2019 Asian Grand Slam Boxing (ASBC) Asian Championships.
But doubts kept her from pursuing her dream of competing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“There was a time that I let go of boxing. I told myself, ‘I don’t know what is going on in my mind. I do not know if I still belong. I do not know if I still have a future in sports or if I am just playing it as a hobby,'” she said with a sigh.
“But I told myself that athletes dream of being part of the national team, that I have this privilege and opportunity, and I should not waste it,” she added.
The Igorot boxer said that competing in wushu was fine since she clinched two silvers after competing in China and Russia, but when she changed her sport and took her first gold in boxing, that was when she knew that she should stay on that path.
Bacyadan’s life was a bunch of “howevers.” She won another gold in the 2022 Thailand Open and clinched another bronze in the 2022 ASBC Asian Championships. However, she opted to stop for a year.
“I stopped again and did nothing for a year, and that is when I started playing Vovinam. I competed for 65 kg and shifted my focus there.”
After a successful run in the 2023 Vovinam World Championships — she was the Philippines’ first Vovinam champion — Bacyadan was again pursued by destiny as she was tapped again to box.
“I told myself that maybe this is my sport, Vovinam. But after winning the gold in Vovinam, lawyer Wharton Chan (Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas) said I should rest for one week, and I should prepare for the World Qualifying.”
“I was shocked. I said to myself, ‘Huh? Boxing again?’ God really connected all the dots to my life. I really thought about it since I wanted to give my best. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I had the chance again to qualify for the Olympics,” Bacyadan said.
With focus, grit and wit, Bacyadan outlasted her opponents in the World Qualifying Tournament and will now pursue her Olympic dream, bound for Paris.
Now that the Paris 2024 Olympics is fast approaching, Bacyadan vowed to give her all and said she is in 100 percent condition.
“My condition is 10 out of 10. My training so far is good; my coaches are happy with how I perform in our training. I still want to improve, of course. I want to polish since I came from combat and kickboxing; there are still adjustments.”
“The power is there, but I am working on my timing. Timing in boxing is really important.”
After a series of stops for a year, bouncing back stronger, and beating opponents from different sports— destiny is something that Bacyadan cannot defeat.
Bacyadan believes that she was led by fate.
“This time, it is different. I still cannot believe that I am an Olympian now. Boxing was erased in my mind before, I was focusing on other things. Now, this is God’s will, and He returned me to boxing. This is my purpose.”
“Who knows if I can take the gold in the Olympics?” Bacyadan said with a spirited smile.
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