From wushu to vovinam to boxing, Hergie Bacyadan comes full circle in Paris debut

Hergie Bacyadan used to wear different hats as she tried her hands at various martial arts in wushu and vovinam.

She did not join these sports just for the sake of it — she excelled in them. 

However, it was in boxing that Bacyadan enjoyed most of her success as she was able to punch a ticket to the biggest stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she is hoping to make the most out of it. 

Hergie's world

If there's one thing one needs to know about Bacyadan, it is her unending passion in pursuit of improvement, regardless of the sport. 

In 2016, Bacyadan managed to enter the national team and competed in the 1st Wushu Sanda Asian Cup held in China, where she delivered right away by taking home the silver medal in the women's 65kg division. She once again bannered the country in the 2017 World Wushu Championships, bagging the silver anew in the women's sanda category. 

She briefly transitioned to boxing in 2019 for a higher chance of qualifying to the Olympics. However, she would fail to barge into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Bacyadan then continued to represent the Philippines in major tournaments, this time in vovinam.

Vovinam is a martial art that originated from Vietnam and features a combination of other arts like kicks, grapples, and throws. 

Bacyadan competed in the sport during the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, where she never dropped a match until the finals but had to settle for silver due to a raffle that decided the winner. 

Later that year, Bacyadan returned to vovinam and saw action in the 2023 World Vovinam Championship, bagging the gold medal this time around. 

However, Bacyadan never lost her connection to boxing. 

She once again wore her gloves and stepped onto the ring during the 2nd Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Thailand last month. With her in the fold, this upcoming Olympics will see the biggest Philippine delegation of boxers following a four-member roster in Tokyo. 

Strong foes await

Bacyadan will test her mettle in a field composed of equally determined opponents. 

Leading the pack is Chinese boxer Li Qian, who was the silver medalist in the Tokyo edition after falling to Lauren Price in the finals round. Qian is also the gold medal winner during the 19th Asian Games last year, where she swept everything with unanimous decision wins to reach the Olympics stage again. 

Baison Manikon of Thailand, Valentina Khalzova of Kazakhstan, and Citlalli Ortiz, all of whom qualified to the Paris Games in the same tournament Bacyadan clinched her ticket, are also set to stand in her way. 

Bacyadan is among the 22 Filipino athletes bound for Paris. She is also one of the Philippines' five boxing representatives along with Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial, and Aira Villegas. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News