Roberto Jalnaiz (born November 15, 1966) is a retired amateur boxer from the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

who is best known for winning his country's only gold medal at the

1990 Asian Games ) , Nations participating = 36 , Athletes participating = 6,122 , Events = 308 in 27 sports , Opening ceremony = 22 September 1990 , Closing ceremony = 7 October 1990 , Officially opened by = Yang Shangkun , O ...

. Competing in the

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

(– 54 kg) division, he also represented his native country at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Career

Jalnaiz first campaigned in the flyweight division where he won a bronze medal at the

1987 Southeast Asian Games The 1987 Southeast Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia Tenggara 1987), officially known as the 14th Southeast Asian Games, was a multi-sport event held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 9 to 20 September 1987 with 30 sports featured in the games. ...

in Jakarta. Henson, Joaquin M
“Joan tipped as Olympic medalist.”
''The Philippine Star''. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 03 June 2020. The following year, he took part in the

and lost to Hungary’s

Janos Varadi János or Janos may refer to: * János, male Hungarian given name, a variant of John Places * Janos Municipality, a municipality of Chihuahua ** Janos, Chihuahua, town in Mexico ** Janos Biosphere Reserve, a nature reserve in Chihuahua * Janos ...

in his opening bout. He eventually moved up to bantamweight and stayed in that division for the rest of his career. At the

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Jalnaiz made history by becoming the lone Filipino athlete to win a gold medal in the quadrennial multi-sport spectacle. He defeated Thailand’s

Chatree Suwanyod Chatree Suwanyod (born 23 December 1965) is a Thai boxer. He competed in the men's bantamweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), o ...

, Nepal’s

Suresh Malla Thakuri Suresh is an Indian masculine given name originating in the Sanskrit word ' (compound of ' and '). Its meaning is "Ruler of Gods" and it has been used an epithet for the Hindu gods Indra, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. People named Suresh include: *Sur ...

, Indonesian

Franky Mamuaya Frankie may refer to: People * Frankie (musician), indie pop musician from Los Angeles, California *Frankie Abernathy (1981–2007), American MTV Real World cast member * Frankie Adams (born 1994), Samoan New Zealand actress *Frankie Avalon (born ...

and South Korean

Hwang Kyung-sup Huang or Hwang may refer to: Location * Huang County, former county in Shandong, China, current Longkou City * Yellow River, or Huang River, in China * Huangshan, mountain range in Anhui, China * Huang (state), state in ancient China. * Hwang Riv ...

en route to winning a gold medal in the bantamweight class.Boxing Results
Jalnaiz followed up his Beijing triumph by winning another gold medal, this time at the 1991 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

. He also topped his division at the

1991 Southeast Asian Games The 1991 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 16th Southeast Asian Games, was a multi-sport event held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November to 3 December 1991, with 28 sports featured in the games. This was the second time that ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Jalnaiz qualified for the

by reaching the semifinal of the 1992 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok. He stopped Agustin Castillo of the Dominican Republic in his opening bout in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

before posting another abbreviated victory over Frenchman Philippe Wartelle to reach the quarterfinals of the bantamweight division. Jalnaiz was leading

Joel Casamayor Joel Casamayor Johnson (born July 12, 1971) is a Cuban American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2011. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBA super featherweight title from 2000 to 2002; and the ...

halfway through the first round of their quarterfinal bout when the fancied Cuban landed a solid left that knocked him out and abruptly put an end to their duel. Casamayor went on to win the gold medal. Jalnaiz retired after the Barcelona Games and became a boxing trainer and talent scout. He later became boxing project director of Cagayan de Oro, a position he held until 2012 when he and his family migrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Henson, Joaquin M
“Jalnaiz in Ancajas’ corner.”
''The Philippine Star''. 07 February 2018. Retrieved 03 June 2020. Jalnaiz remained involved in boxing after settling in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and was often included in

Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Phil ...

’s large entourage whenever the Filipino ring icon has a fight in the United States. He also joined the camp of

Jerwin Ancajas Jerwin Juntilla Ancajas (born 1 January 1992) is a Filipino professional boxer. He held the IBF junior-bantamweight title from 2016 to 2022. Personal life Jerwin was born and raised in Panabo, a suburb of Davao City, Philippines. He was int ...

in 2018 but left a year later. Giongco, Nick
“Ancajas loses key personnel.”
''Manila Bulletin''. 03 January 2019. Retrieved 03 June 2020.

Personal life

Jalnaiz and his wife Mary Joy have three children. His two sons, Roberto and Rafael, boxed as teenagers but lost interest in the sport after they migrated to the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalnaiz, Roberto 1966 births Living people Flyweight boxers Bantamweight boxers Boxers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for the Philippines Asian Games medalists in boxing Boxers at the 1990 Asian Games Filipino male boxers Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games SEA Games medalists in boxing SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines SEA Games bronze medalists for the Philippines Competitors at the 1987 SEA Games Competitors at the 1991 SEA Games