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Hergie Bacyadan Is Ready for His Olympic Dream
Before he makes his Olympic debut in Paris, the boxer talks to Preview about his athletic journey, his Indigenous roots in Kalinga, and his queer identity and “heart of a man.”
Published Jun 28, 2024
After a decade-long journey, the boxer is making his debut in the Olympic ring.
Hergie Bacyadan has an easy smile when we meet him at his boxing headquarters, his hand stretched out in greeting. Hours later, he and his fellow athletes would don, quite literally, their country on their chests, with the president and the Malacañang bidding them goodbye in a formal send-off. The next entry in his hectic schedule was his flight that night, as he was about to enter the thick of it: the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
But at that time, Hergie welcomed us in his domain in a street in Manila. Beside him, a boxing ring is situated at the corner of the gym, with an array of gloves and speed bags hanging from the room’s different nooks. With his casual demeanor, it seemed surprising to think that he was weeks away from being in an altogether unique setting, and what could be the arena of his life.
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Joseph Pascual
Hergie Bacyadan for Preview In Focus June 2024
The Olympic Dream
The easygoing manner was still intact when we asked him what excited him about the Games, hours away from his trip to France. “Excited na ako mangbugbog,” the 29-year-old athlete joked. The friendly smile and the outstretched hand have a distinct difference from what his competitors and the audience know—a gloved fist, a determined look, and a swift uppercut, which led to the defeat of Venezuela’s Maryelis Yriza in Bangkok, Thailand, his entryway to the forthcoming Paris Olympics.
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But before his winning stint in the women’s 75-kilogram division in boxing, Hergie found himself in different rings and arenas, all in the same grueling scope of combat sports. Growing up in the province of Kalinga as one of many children in his family, the future Olympic athlete would head to Manila, where his foray into sports would first find its footing in college.
Joseph Pascual
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ON HERGIE: Pull Daisy Bleu, P13,900, A.P.C. Weekend JJJJOUND Shorts, P14,500, A.P.C. x JJJJOUND. Slide Sandals in Grey, P3800, GRAMICCI, Commonwealth.
Early on, Hergie would set his sights on martial arts. In 2016, the athlete became a member of the Philippines’ wushu team, where he would later win silvers in the Sanda Asian Cup in 2017 in China and the 2017 World Wushu Championships in Russia. And then came vovinam, the Vietnamese martial art that afforded Hergie more accolades—a silver in the 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, and a gold in the 2023 Vovinam World Championships, making him the country’s first champion in the sport.
Still, the boxing ring posed a different siren call, especially as a setting familiar to many Filipino sports viewers. After missing his initial attempt at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Italy, the recent qualifier became his golden ticket to his Olympic dream, which, hopefully, would manifest into a medallion for his debut.
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Joseph Pascual
With the help of skill, practice, and a team of coaches like Ronald Chavez and Gherson Nietes, Hergie became one of the Filipino Olympians and the five boxers in these Games’ fleet, considered as the largest contingent of Filipino boxers that have qualified for the Olympics in 28 years. The athlete regarded the technical differences among the sports—complicated footwork, for one—but the necessity of discipline and grit remained the same, nonetheless.
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We spot him in the small recesses of his schedule, which began with training in the early morning. As an Olympian, most days include that, but his personal activities find their way into it, too, in one way or another. In honoring his Igorot roots in Kalinga, Hergie took part in a “warrior blessing” from his tribe before he flew for France, which involved offerings, blessings from the elderly, and a prayer. After his time in the Paris Olympics, he previously mentioned that he hoped to have an Igorot tattoo inked to his skin to commemorate it. It’ll be among the many tattoos that line his torso and arms, which have also paid homage to the Indigenous blood that runs in his veins. It seems apt that Hergie, descended from warriors, became one himself, standing on a foreign stage.
Joseph Pascual
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A Warrior’s Identity
Identity is vital to Hergie in all its shapes and forms. Aside from the nods to his Kalinga upbringing, he pointed out the other tattoos that adorned his arm—an image dedicated to the boxing craft and colorful stripes that resemble a rainbow by his forearm, the “bahaghari,” he said, that spoke of his queer identity.
When I asked him for his pronouns, Hergie left it up to my hands. Despite this, he’s assured that he had always felt that he had the heart and mind of a man. His tribe in Kalinga had accepted his identity, as he wore traditional men’s garments like the bahag back home. He had learned the concept of a “trans man” through the people he met who identified with this, but still, it’s a delicate matter, especially as an athlete who competes in the women’s division. Hergie wears this proudly like a badge.
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Joseph Pascual
ON HERGIE: Wavy Yokes Track Jacket, P17,500, BLUEMARBLE, Cul-De-Sac Podium.
“Ang kasarian ko babae pero ang puso’t isip ko lalaki,” he reiterated that day, which he also once told ABS-CBN News. Transgender and non-binary people in sports have spurred long discussions from school competitions to professional athletics, given the sex-segregated nature of the field. International legislatures and debaters have argued for the differences in human physiology between the sexes, which incites a so-called “unfair advantage” that has mostly targeted trans women athletes. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 55 bills in the United States alone have sought to prevent trans athletes from competing in their gender identity’s divisions.
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Joseph Pascual
ON HERGIE: Jens Pant in Dusty Hamilton Brown, P5040, CARHARTT WIP, Commonwealth
But supporters of trans athletes have also raised the nuances of these. Hormone replacement therapy allows trans and cisgender athletes “to compete against one another in a meaningful fashion,” which may level the playing field. Now, the International Olympic Committee has been more open to professional trans athletes in new frameworks, which state that they no longer need to undergo “medically unnecessary” procedures and treatments to compete, including hormone level modifications. Before this, trans athletes’ testosterone levels were closely regarded and even required them to undergo treatments and genital surgery.
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Joseph Pascual
It’s different with each case, however. Hergie, despite his “mind of a man,” stressed that he was born female, and recounted the many tests he had taken to prove his place in the women’s division. In 2023, the athlete released a statement with Vovinam Pilipinas, when the Russian National Team had questioned his gold in the world championship for the female competition, stating that Hergie was a man.
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“I am trans at heart, but I did not take any hormones or steroids to look like a man,” Hergie told us. “This is my natural build that I have worked on for 10 years. If I compete in the women’s division, I don’t think there’s an issue.”
Similarly, the athlete had released his official statement in an online post. “I strongly condemn their accusation about me being a ‘man’ when I’m (was) born female,” he wrote. In the statement, the athlete emphasized that he had “never taken or injected male hormones” nor undergone surgery for his masculine physique. “The strength and skills I have were purely acquired through my hard work, perseverance, and commitment to my country.”
Joseph Pascual
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According to the athlete, this was one notch in the instances of discrimination that queer athletes like him continue to face. “It’s a complete discrimination and disrespect to me and my fellow Filipinos and LGBTQIA Community,” he wrote. “We all deserve to be treated fairly and equally, regardless of our sexual preference and orientation.”
The road to the Olympics has been riddled with struggle and challenges, which once pushed Hergie on the brink of giving up. “It came to a point that I doubted if I can still really do this. But I just kept on pushing and now I’m an Olympian,” he said. And as they know, an athlete is not just their skill—they’re held up by a team and a legion, even if they partake in an individual sport like boxing. Aside from his coaches, Hergie found this in his family in Kalinga and his wife Lady Denily Digo, a content creator and former banker.
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Joseph Pascual
The couple had chanced upon each other in a manner like a romance meet-cute, when Lady accidentally pressed Hergie’s live stream on TikTok. Time went on, and the fated accident became wedded bliss. In 2022, the two exchanged vows in an online ceremony presided over by a Utah county, which began holding virtual wedding ceremonies for international couples during the pandemic. They later held a different ceremony in the presence of their family and friends.
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Joseph Pascual
ON HERGIE: Derby Shirt Jac, P8500, CARHARTT WIP, Commonwealth
Despite prejudiced comments they have faced online, Hergie and Lady are staunch in their relationship, which they often share glimpses of with their audience. The couple has been vocal about their support for the long-languished SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression) equality bill, which may be a significant step towards discrimination of the Filipino LGBTQIA+ community.
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In the section of that are Filipino queer athletes, and Hergie is proud to be one of its representatives on the global stage. While he admitted the struggle that athletes and moreover, those who are LGBTQIA+ see on the regular in the country, the boxer is among the bright specks of light in the need for representation and visibility.
“As part of the LGBTQIA+ community, [I hope this] triumph will truly inspire them to express who they really are,” Hergie said. “We can show the world that we deserve to be accepted and treated equally.”
“We cannot please everyone. Kahit naman LGBTQIA+ ka or not, madami pa din mapanghusga at di makatao. Just be a good person and you’re bigger than them already. Focus on the people who love and believe in you.”
Joseph Pascual
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Hergie reflected that the life-long interest in combat sports is, for one, intrinsically linked to manifestations of masculinity. But in the present, he is settled on playing in the women’s division and making a name for himself there. In the future, however, Hergie’s vision is clear, as he hopes to build a family and foster their businesses with his wife. With his glove on and inside the boxing ring, Hergie’s years of practice, skill, and grit will continue on, even past his long-awaited Olympic debut.
But first things first—he conquers Paris.
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