History beckons as five more athletes formally joined Team Philippines in the Paris Olympics that will open on 26 July at the Seine River in the French capital.

Golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina, swimmers Kayla Sanchez and Jarrod Hatch, and judoka Kiyomi Watanabe formally became the latest members of the Filipino contingent that will shoot for its second gold medal in their centennial year of joining the Summer Games.

Pagdanganan and Ardina made it after getting included in the 60-woman field at the end of the two-year qualifying period of the International Golf Federation late Monday.

Pagdanganan, a gold medalist in the 18th Asian Games, will be making her second straight Olympic stint after emerging as No. 36 while Ardina wound up at No. 56 in the Olympic ranking bannered by superstars Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu of the United States, Yin Ruoning of China, Celine Boutier of France, and Hannah Green of Australia.

Also making the grade was Watanabe.

‘Great news, and we can even ask for more.’

The Filipino-Japanese sensation punched a return ticket to the Summer Games after clinching one of the only two continental quotas reserves for Asia. Tang Jing of China bagged the other Asian spot.

Although ranked No. 92 in the women’s -63-kilogram event, the International Judo Federation still gave the 27-year-old Watanabe a slot as only a maximum of two athletes per country will be allowed to join the biggest and most prestigious sports event in the world.

On the same note, Sanchez and Hatch also made it after they were endorsed by the Philippine Aquatics Inc. for universality place — the slot given to countries with no entries in centerpiece sports like swimming and athletics.

Sanchez, a former Olympian who switched nationality from Canada only two years ago, will swim in the women’s 100-meter freestyle while Hatch qualified for the men’s 100-meter butterfly.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino was delighted with the news, saying that the inclusion of five more athletes boosted their chances of winning their second Olympic gold medal.

“Great news, and we can even ask for more,” said Tolentino from Metz, France, where he is overseeing the pre-Paris training camp at La Moselle with chef de mission Jonvic Remulla.

“Each day, as the countdown to the Olympics dwindles, the morale goes higher and higher.”

Tolentino said they expect four more athletes from athletics to make it.

Robyn Brown, Kristina Knott, John Cabang and Lauren Hoffman are all expected to qualify due to their superior standing in the world Olympic ranking in World Athletics.

If ever, the number of Filipino qualifiers will be the biggest in more than three decades following the qualification of star-studded crew bannered by Ernest John Obiena of athletics, Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial of boxing, and Carlos Yulo of gymnastics in the previous months.

“But we’re expecting more,” said Tolentino as he awaits an official announcement from World Athletics on who will join Obiena in Paris.

The last time the Filipinos sent a big Olympic delegation was in Barcelona in 1992 with 26. Since then, the numbers dwindled to 12 in Atlanta in 1996, 20 in Melbourne in 2000, 16 in Athens in 2004, 15 in Beijing in 2008, 11 in London in 2012, 13 in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and 19 in Tokyo in 2020.

“We’re chasing more history, we’re setting the ante higher,” said Tolentino, whose target is to match or surpass the one gold, two silver and one bronze medals clinched in Tokyo.