A primer on Asia’s best athletes to watch out for at the 2024 Paris Olympics

En route to Paris, Eumir Marcial wrote on Instagram, “There’s no more time for excuses, no time for any explanations because I am ready. I just ask that you watch my fight and continue to pray and rally behind us as we officially begin our 2024 Paris Olympic journey.” The boxing champion has bagged multiple wins in international tilts, including a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics and gold in his appearances at the SEA Games in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

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Nesthy Petecio won the hearts of people when she took home the silver in the women’s featherweight division at the 2020 Olympics, especially as she spoke about her impoverished background, her battle with depression, and her uphill battle to excel in a traditionally male sport. At the event, she also made history by becoming the first Filipino woman boxer to win an Olympic medal, with a silver at the featherweight event. The 32-year-old athlete also excelled at the SEA Games, winning a lightweight bronze medal in 2021, a bantamweight silver in 2011, two featherweight silvers in 2013 and 2015, and two featherweight golds in 2019 and 2023.

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Carlo Paalam won silver in the flyweight boxing division of the 2020 Olympics. Before his success, Paalam was a garbage scavenger who participated in boxing matches to earn money for his family. He joined the national team in 2013 and went on to become a medallist at the World Championships, Asian Games, SEA Games and the Olympics. Paalam, along with fellow boxer Petecio, will be the Philippines’ flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Carlos Yulo had an excellent showing at the 2024 Asian Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Uzbekistan, bagging four golds in the individual all-around, floor exercise, vault and horizontal bar events. Of the win, he said on Instagram, “I am looking forward to continuing to work hard, push myself to new limits, and see how far more we can achieve.” Yulo, who made history as the first Filipino to win gold at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, placed fourth in vault at the 2020 Olympics.

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In June 2024, EJ Obiena won gold at the Irena Szewinska Memorial tournament after clearing 5.97 meters. The achievement ranks Obiena as the second-best male pole vaulter in the world, as well as the leading Asian male pole vaulter globally. The athlete’s string of highlights include breaking the Asian Athletics Championships record with 5.71 meters in 2019, setting a new Asian Games record with 5.90 meters in 2023, and winning silver at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

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Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, Malaysia’s top badminton duo, won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics. The pair also won gold at the 2019 SEA Games, ending the country’s 16-year title drought in the men’s event. Both athletes were introduced to the sport early: Chia was introduced to badminton by his father at age seven, while Soh, who comes from a family of badminton legends, started playing at four years old. They are currently ranked the fifth-best men’s doubles team in the world.

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Exemplifying the enduring spirit of an athlete, Mohd Azizulhasni Awang competed—and won—the opening leg of the UCI Track Nations Cup in 2024, despite managing a rare heart condition (he underwent open-heart surgery in 2022). And though he would eventually withdraw from the medal race upon the advice of a doctor, the track cyclist remains steadfast to his next goal: the 2024 Olympics. Known as the Pocket Rocketman, the athlete boasts a solid record, winning bronze at the 2016 Olympics, silver in the 2020 Olympics, and 12 golds at the Asian Track Cycling Championships.

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Upon winning two silver medals at the 100m and 200m freestyle races at the 2020 Olympics, Siobhán Haughey made history as Hong Kong’s first-ever Olympic double medal winner. The swimmer has a collection of accolades, winning silver and bronze at the World Aquatics Championships and two golds at the 2022 Asian Games, as well as breaking the 200m freestyle record at the 2021 World Championships. Haughey is also an advocate of mental health, saying in an interview with Tatler: “It’s important to be proactive about taking care of myself... Sometimes it can feel like I’m losing control, so I learnt to rely on my support system—my family, friends, coaches and teammates”.

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Stephanie Au competed in the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics, making her the first athlete to represent Hong Kong four times in the global sporting event. Au also won several medals at the Asian Games, including two bronze medals at the women’s relay events in Hangzhou. Beyond winning, playing sports offers more value for the athlete. “It’s not just about the result or the time; it’s about what the sport brings you: it gives confidence, it allows kids a safe haven,” she said in an interview with Tatler.

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Edgar Cheung Ka-long won a gold medal in men’s individual foil at the 2020 Olympics. The 27-year-old fencing champion boasts several medals from the Asian Games, including a gold medal in 2023, Hong Kong’s first gold in fencing at the regional event. The well-decorated fencer comes from an athletic background, with both of his parents playing for the national basketball league in China and Hong Kong.  

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Chih-Chun Tang made his Olympic debut at the 2020 Olympics, where he came in fourth place in the singles competition and bagged the silver medal in the team event with Junheng Wei and Yucheng Deng. The 23-year-old archer, who has shown interest in archery since he was a child, also won bronze at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, gold at the 2018 Asian Games, and silver at the 2023 Asian Archery Championships.

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Tzu Ying Tai took home the silver medal in the women’s singles event at the 2020 Olympics, cementing her status as one of the world’s best badminton players. Currently, the athlete ranks third in the world, but had previously achieved first place and spent 214 weeks at number one. She is also a four-time BWF World Tour Finals champion, three-time All England Open champion and three-time Asian Championships winner.

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Badminton athletes Yang Lee and Chin Lin Wang have known each other since junior high school, and this familiarity likely contributed to their powerhouse pairing when they decided to team up for the first time in 2019. Lee and Wang made their Olympic debut at the 2020 Olympics, where they narrowly scraped out of the group stage, only to keep gaining strength, finally eliminating China in the finals and taking Taiwan’s first Olympic gold in badminton. The pair is currently ranked 11th in the world.

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Wei Ling Hsu made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Olympics, where she finished 15th. The 29-year-old athlete, who started playing golf at age seven, has been making waves in the sport, bagging her first LPGA Tour event at the 2021 Pure Silk Championship, winning twice at Taiwan LPGA Tour in 2017 and 2021, and finishing fifth at the US Women’s Open in 2018.  

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Cheng-Tsung Pan represented Taiwan at the 2020 Olympics, taking home a bronze medal, and the 2014 Asian Games, winning two gold medals. Also known as CT, the 31-year-old golfer became the second Taiwanese player to win on the PGA Tour, claiming victory at the RBC Heritage. Pan credits his love of golf to his parents, who introduced him to the game at the age of five. His mom was a caddie at a local golf course, while he and his dad witnessed on TV how Tiger Woods became the youngest person to win the Masters.

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Yung Wei Yang took home a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming Taiwan’s first Olympic medallist in judo. The 26-year-old judoka is currently ranked number one in the world in the men’s 60kg weight class by the International Judo Federation. Yang has won several gold medals in global competitions, including the 2022 Asian Games, the 2022 Antalya Grand Slam and the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam.

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Yu Ju Lin is currently ranked number seven in men’s singles by the International Table Tennis Federation but had climbed to fifth in the world in 2021. The left-handed table tennis player with a shakehand grip bagged the bronze medal in the mixed double event and placed fourth in the singles event of the 2020 Olympics. He started playing table tennis in the third grade, and at 14 he officially became a member of the national team, the youngest player ever to do so.

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At the 2020 Olympics, weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun won gold in the 59kg event, breaking three Olympic records in the snatch, clean and jerk, and combined lifts of the 59kg weight class. Adding to her extensive medal haul, she also won bronze at the 2016 Olympics, four golds in the World Weightlifting Championships and a gold at the 2018 Asian Games. An athletic student from a disadvantaged background, the 30-year-old athlete discovered weightlifting in high school, winning Taiwan’s first medal at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

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Tatler Asia’s Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia’s Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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