The country’s quest for the elusive Olympic gold medal shifts to a higher gear as Filipino athletes compete in various Olympic qualifying tournament starting next month.

Olympic chief of mission Mariano Araneta said he’s anticipating a massive surge of Filipino qualifiers following their impressive performances in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games that the country hosted recently.

Araneta, who was just given fresh mandate to lead the Philippine Football Federation, said national athletes are training relentlessly with the backing of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), which was given a marching order of spending an additional P100 million to finance the country’s golden quest in the Summer Games.

So far, only EJ Obiena of athletics and Carlos Yulo of gymnastics are safely in, but Araneta expects the likes of Margielyn Didal of skateboarding, Kiyomi Watanabe of judo, Yuka Saso of golf, Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting, Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial of boxing and other topnotch stars to punch their respective Olympic tickets.

“Trainings are non-stop with no vacations. They are all aiming for Olympic gold,” said Araneta, a seasoned sport official who sits in the executive council of the International Football Federation.

“There are still a lot of Filipino athletes who are tipped to qualify in the Olympics. Their performances are within the range of Olympic qualification.”

The year 2019 has been special for Philippine sports.

Aside from Obiena copping an Olympic slot in a tournament in Italy and Yulo emerging victorious in the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Germany, Didal, Watanabe, Saso, Diaz, Petecio and Marcial all submitted golden performances.

Didal, Watanabe and Marcial posted lopsided wins in the previous biennial meet while Saso asserted her dominance in various tourneys in the United States.

Or course, Petecio clinched the gold medal in the AIBA Women’s World Cup, easily making her a favorite in the Summer Games set from 24 July to 9 August.

“I hope they continue their training because they are all doing very good,” Araneta said, adding that he expects around 14 to 16 Filipinos in the world’s most prestigious multi-sport conclave.

“So far, we have athletes like Carlos Yulo and EJ Obiena who are already qualified (for Olympics). Now, in skateboarding, Margielyn Didal is also expected to get a slot. As long as she attends the qualifiers, she’s almost sure of making the Olympics.”

“We are also hoping for taekwondo and track and field athletes to make it.”

Araneta said the government’s support could also play a role in their golden quest.

After all, funding will no longer be a problem following the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte of giving priority to the country’s Olympic bid.

“All of our athletes are now fully-supported by the Philippine Sports Commission. They have provided them with enough funds for training, plus President Duterte recently added P100 million for their budget.”

“They are now provided with nutritionists, physical therapists and sports psychologists. I think Caloy (Yulo) and Hidilyn (Diaz) already have them in their teams.”

Araneta stressed that the morale of the athletes is in an all-time high.

“Our athletes are very inspired right now. We saw how the Philippines topped in SEA Games, so the momentum is still there. I hope it will continue.”