Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam said that his Olympic silver medal win was historic and symbolic for him after finding out that the medal was made from recycled electronic materials.
“Malaking bagay sa buhay ko, scavenger ako dati, nangangalakal ako dati parang may simbolo siya sa akin kasi galing siya sa mga gadget na sira so may konek siya sa buhay ko,” Paalam said in an interview after his fight.
Paalam said that he could not believe that he won a silver medal in his first-ever Olympic match.
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“Gusto ko talaga mag medal kasi itong medal na ito simbolo siya ng buhay ko kung saan ako galing,” he said.
Paalam was so close to winning the gold but suffered via split decision against Great Britain’s Galal Yufai at the men’s flyweight finals.
Paalam sealed the best performance of the Philippine boxing team with two silvers and one bronze in this year’s Olympic games.
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The country has also the best Olympic run with 1 gold, 2 silvers and 1 bronze.
A former garbage collector, Paalam, was born in Bukidnon before moving to Cagayan de Oro.
He started to play boxing when he was nine years old. (TDT)
