In 24 hours, the Opening Ceremonies for the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia will be held with 272 of our best Filipino athletes, 63 of their coaches beside them, marching before they compete in 35 disciplines in hopes of bringing honor and glory to our country.

Fortunately, in my swimming career, I was given the privilege to compete in the Asian Games twice. First in the 1986 Asiad in Seoul, South Korea and the second in the 1990 edition hosted by Beijing, China.

Expectations are high for this year’s Philippine team. But it has always been high. Whether it is the SEA Games or the Asian Games or the Olympics, the expectation for gold medals is always there. The team is gauged as a success on the number of golds we bring home.

Unfortunately for the Olympics we have yet to win one. But I believe it will happen soon enough.

To those who may not know, every year there is a major event that the Philippines participate in. The SEA Games are held every two years but are always on an odd year like 2019, which we will be hosting next. Every four years are the Asian Games and also the Olympic Games, but they are always on an even year alternately like this year’s Asiad and the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Expectations from our countrymen and the pressure to perform well are something every single athlete should embrace at this level. They should always welcome the challenge otherwise the pressure will consume them and would lead to unfavorable results.

I remember one press conference I was invited to attend before the start of the 1991 SEA Games here in Manila, wherein the very first question asked of me was “How many Gold medals are you going to win?” They didn’t ask me “How well was my training camp for this meet?” Or “are you in good physical health?” “How long was your preparation?” “How did you perform in your tune up competitions?” No. The expectation was always the gold medals.

I welcomed that and accepted it and somehow expected it. Once I started winning golds for our country, I knew that the expectation to continue winning golds would follow immediately. There is no escaping that and it is part of the honor and privilege given to us as National athletes in having our National Flag on our chests.

In moments when the pressure is there to perform well and bring home the Gold, athletes should keep in mind two thoughts.

First is that we have only one brain, capable of one thought at a time and we will occupy it with only positive thoughts.

I believe that when the pressure comes, it always brings a race to your brain between both polarities of thought. You should refuse to entertain the negative. You should think of the podium when after you win, they will play our “Lupang Hinirang.” All the people present, no matter the nationality, will be standing in respect to our country. That is positive thought.

That is what our country deserves each time we compete.

The negatives are a waste of energy and time and will eventually steal your chance at glory. If they enter your thought, the positives will be blocked.

The second is that you have to make sure that opponents remember you as the most difficult they have ever raced in their lives. You want them to remember your name whether they win over you or vice versa. Since the Asian Games are quadrennial, you will see each other only after another four years. But at that time, you would not want them to forget how you made it so difficult for them to win. When you see each other again, they will have that thought in their heads like an enigma. They will look at you twice and ask themselves how well you will perform this time. That is now your advantage and you can use it to take back what you lost before.

My aim in sharing these two thoughts is to provide our athletes with a winning perspective that would allow them to perform their very best for our country.

As a spectator now who once was a part of the Asian Games, I wish I could see the faces of all of our Filipino athletes’ opponents when all their competitions are done, whether they win or lose, because I believe I will see the heavy breathing mixed with the sigh of relief that finally it was over. At that point, I am confident they will never forget the names of our 272 Filipino athletes who made their quests for glory so difficult.