How foreign Olympians with Filipino roots fared in Paris

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WINNERS. Gold medalist Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines (left) celebrates on the podium with bronze winner Jake Jarman of Great Britain during the men's floor exercise awarding in the Paris Olympics gymnastics.

Several foreign athletes whose parents trace their roots to the Philippines impress in the Paris Olympics

MANILA, Philippines – While there were 22 athletes who represented the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics, there were also other Olympians with Filipino blood who competed – and in some cases, won – for other countries.

Lee Kiefer, USA (fencing)

ON TOP. Fencer Lee Kiefer of the United States celebrates after winning her Olympic gold-medal bout in women’s foil.

Lee Kiefer won the individual foil and team foil gold medals in women’s fencing for the United States. The 30-year-old Kiefer’s mother, Teresa Oropila, is originally from Tagum City and immigrated to the United States.

Kiefer, who also claimed the individual foil gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, became the first American fencer to win three Olympic gold medals.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Kiefer is currently on break from medical school at the University of Kentucky. She’s been married to fellow US Olympic fencer Gerek Meinhardt since September 2019.

Jake Jarman, United Kingdon (gymnastics)

ELITE. Jake Jarman of Great Britain reacts during the men’s artistic gymnastics competition in the Paris Olympics.

Jake Jarman, who was born in England to a Filipina mother, Ana, earned the bronze medal in the men’s floor exercise behind Carlos Yulo, who claimed the gold.

The 22-year-old Jarman, who lived in Cebu for two years until he was five years old, also finished in fourth place in the men’s vault and in the men’s team event, as well as seventh in the men’s all-around.

Logan Edra, USA (breaking)

RIGHT MOVES. US breakdancer Logan Edra performs a sequence of dance moves as she teaches a breakdancing class at Playground LA in Los Angeles, California.

American Logan Edra, more popularly known by her b-girl name “Logistx,” was unable to advance past the round-robin stage of breaking, which made its Olympic debut.

The 21-year-old Logistx was born in Chula Vista, California as her paternal grandparents migrated from the Philippines. Her father Herren, who primarily raised her in Southern California, was responsible for introducing Logistx to hip-hop dancing when she was seven years old, according to a story by NBC.

Maxine Esteban, Ivory Coast (fencing)

MILESTONE. Maxine Esteban celebrates after clinching an Olympic fencing berth.

Maxine Esteban, who was born and raised in the Philippines, represented Ivory Coast in Olympic fencing as a naturalized citizen.

The 23-year-old Esteban, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, was defeated by Pauline Ranvier of France, 15-7, in the round of 32 of women’s individual foil.

Leylah Fernandez, Canada (tennis)

FOCUSED. Canada’s Leylah Fernandez returns the ball in women’s tennis action.

Leylah Fernandez competed for Canada in Olympic women’s tennis for the second straight time. She reached the third round of the women’s singles tournament before falling to Angelique Kerber of Germany, 6-4, 6-3.

Fernandez also bowed out in the second round of the women’s doubles where she teamed up with Gabriela Dabrowski, and lost to the eventual silver-medal winning tandem of Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider of Russia, 6-4, 6-0.

The 21-year old-Fernandez, a runner-up in the 2021 US Open women’s singles and 2023 French Open women’s doubles, was born to an Ecuadorian father and a Filipina mother, Irene Exevea.

Marios Georgiou, Cyprus (gymnastics)

VETERAN. Gymnast Marios Georgiou of Cyprus in action in the men’s horizontal bar final of the Paris Olympics/

Marios Georgiou became a three-time Olympian after competing for Cyprus in gymnastics in the Paris Games.

The 26-year-old Georgiou, who finished sixth in the men’s horizontal bar with a score of 13.333, was born to a Filipina mother who left for Cyprus years ago.

Georgiou won the men’s all-around event at the 2024 European Championships.

Mitchell Saron, USA (fencing)

DEBUT. Fencer Mitchell Saron of United States gestures to the crowd during the Paris Olympics men’s sabre competition.

Mitchell Saron made his Olympic debut for the United States in fencing and reached the round of 16 in men’s sabre, where he bowed to Elsissy Ziad of Egypt, 15-13. He was also part of the US men’s sabre team that finished seventh after the classification round.

The 23-year-old Saron, whose mother Beatrice Bravo is a Filipina immigrant from Guam, is an economics graduate from Harvard University.

Yuka Saso, Japan (golf)

FAMILIAR. Yuka Saso of Japan in action during the first round of women’s golf action in the Paris Olympics.

Yuka Saso, who finished ninth representing the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics women’s golf, finished 54th in Paris, this time carrying the flag of Japan.

The 23-year-old Saso was born in Bulacan to a Filipina mother, Fritzie, and a Japanese father, Mazakazu.

The two-time US Open champion had to switch nationalities as Japanese law required her to renounce one of her two citizenships by the time she turned 22 years old in 2023. A Japanese passport also allowed her visa-free entry to 192 countries, making it easier for her to compete as a professional golfer.

Regine Tugade-Watson, Guam (athletics)

SPEED. Regine Tugade-Watson of Guam (center) competes in the women’s 100m preliminary round of the Paris Olympics athletics.

Regine Tugade-Watson competed in her third Olympic Games and made it past the preliminary round before dropping out when she finished seventh out of eight runners in heat 8 of round 1 of the 100-meter run with a time of 11.87 seconds.

According to the official Olympics website, the 26-year-old Tugade-Watson’s parents Rizaldy, and Jeanelyn Tugade, are originally from the Philippines and immigrated to Guam. – Rappler.com

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