What must it do to the heart to come so close only to fall short 25 consecutive times? This has been the Olympic saga of the Philippines, a sports-obsessed nation that has never won a gold medal. And no, the gold medal from a demonstration bowling tournament at the 1988 Summer Games does not count.

Boxing has yielded the most Olympic silver and bronze medals for the country. The Philippines has a legacy of great pugilists who somehow never made it to the top podium. Apart from Manny Pacquiao, who retired before the Rio Olympics, two Filipinos—Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde—have been inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and five are currently world champions.