Noah Lyles speeds through finals, earns spot at Olympics in 100m

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Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men’s 100-meter final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

EUGENE, Oregon — The bright red running suit, the white pearls and the gold medal said it all.

Noah Lyles is the flashiest, and the fastest, sprinter in the United States — maybe even the world.

We’ll all get to find out later this summer in Paris thanks to a come-from-behind victory for Lyles in the 100 meters at U.S. track trials Sunday — a 9.83-second sprint that secured his spot at an Olympics where he has his sights set on electrifying his sport.

READ: NBA stars rip Noah Lyles over ‘world champ’ claims

“This was basically the plan, and the plan is working right now,” Lyles said.

Lyles came from the back half of the field to match his best time ever in the sprint that crowns the Fastest Man in the World.

He beat 200-meter specialist Kenny Bednarek by .04. Fred Kerley, the 2022 world champion, finished in third and will also go to Paris. Christian Coleman, the 2019 world champ, was in the lead with about 30 meters left but finished fourth.

The Lyles win makes the American sprint favorites 2 for 2 after three days of these trials. It comes a day after Sha’Carri Richardson also lived up to expectations and won the women’s 100 to earn her trip to Paris.

Both of these sprinters shine in their own way. Lyles is on a mission to lift up an entire sport that has been dimmer ever since Usain Bolt exited stage right after the Olympics in 2016.

READ: Noah Lyles wins world title at 100m and sets his sights on more

In keeping with that theme, the 26-year-old Lyles showed up to Hayward Field in a neatly tailored sports coat and pants and was handed a briefcase containing his freshly pressed racing uniform. He wore white pearls for the race, and when he was introduced, he leaped and jumped about 30 yards down the track, imploring the crowd to get on its feet.

Snoop Dogg was in the house and has taken in some of the action with Lyles’ mother, who is almost as entertaining to watch as her son; up in the stands, she fell to her knees after Noah reeled in Kerley to his right, then Coleman and Bednarek to his left.

“Every step I took felt more powerful than the last,” Lyles said. “I was like ‘I got this race.’ I told myself I wasn’t going to ease up.”

But he did, lifting his index finger in the air just before the line and beating his chest after he crossed it.

This marks the first national title in the 100 for Lyles, who has three 200-meter world titles but reimagined his goals after a disappointing third-place finish at the Tokyo Games in that race. Last summer, the world saw the work start to pay off.

Lyles won the world championship at 100, 200 and the 4×100 relay last year in Budapest. His 100 time on a cool, still night in Eugene matched the mark he ran to win worlds. If he can pull off the triple again, he would be in company with Bolt, the Jamaican great who went 3 for 3 all three times he raced at the Olympics.

“He’s the package,” Lyles’ coach Lance Brauman said. “That doesn’t mean that we don’t have to do some things to get better and keep going forward. But he enjoys that part of it. He loves to be at the track. He loves to be at training. I mean, he loves the race. It’s just who he is.”

Lyles, who races next weekend for a spot in the 200, might even be in the mix to win four medals. No. 4 could come in the 4×400, and if he does that, he would be in the company of the likes of Carl Lewis and even Jesse Owens.

Kendricks and the Olympics

Pole vaulter Sam Kendricks remains jaded toward the Olympic movement, but will not decline his spot at the Paris Games. Kendricks, who won his event at trials on Sunday, missed out on competing at the Tokyo Games due to a positive COVID-19 test.

“I love this sport. I love competing,” Kendricks said. “I love putting on Team USA. I’ve always loved that — I joined the freakin’ Army because I love this country. I’m super excited about all that.”

But he does not think the Olympics should be the be-all, end-all destination for athletes such as himself.

“I think it’s is too far gone,” he said. “It’s not a good place to point our young people. It’s actually self-deprecating.”

Wing(er) and a prayer

Four-time Olympian Kara Winger is back.

Winger retired shortly after winning a silver medal at world championships in Eugene in 2022, but recently decided to start throwing the javelin again.

She recorded a throw of 63.22 meters (207 feet, 5 inches) at a meet last month and says she believes she can reach 64 meters, which would give her the Olympic standard and probably the top-three finish she would need to make the team.

Her event starts next Friday.

“I’m not a ‘practice’ thrower,” she said. “If I don’t get it, it would probably be because of something mental.”

Sweet 16

Quincy Wilson will have a few stories to tell when he heads back to high school. Like the one about how he raced for a chance to go to the Olympics.

The 16-year-old who attends the Bullis School in Maryland earned a spot in the 400-meter final after his run of 44.59 seconds held up and was one of the best two marks among sprinters who didn’t finish in the top two over the three semifinals.

From Division III to Paris

Matthew Wilkinson is on the next step from Division III to the Olympic Games. Wilkinson, who was an eight-time All-American at Carleton College in Minnesota, finished second in the men’s steeplechase to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

“Am I dreaming?” he said in the post-race interview with NBC. “Someone wake me up, because this is unreal.”



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He’ll be joined by the winner, Kenneth Rooks, and third-place finisher James Corrigan.

Andy Murray faces agonizing decision over Wimbledon farewell

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(FILES) Britain’s Andy Murray reacts as he plays against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during their men’s singles tennis match on the fifth day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 7, 2023. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

Andy Murray has not yet decided if he will play Wimbledon for the final time despite the ruling body of the men’s tour claiming he has withdrawn from the Grand Slam tournament where he is a two-time champion.

The ATP announced on its official ‘X’ account that the 37-year-old former world number one had pulled out of Wimbledon after undergoing back surgery on Saturday.

“After an operation on a spinal cyst, Andy Murray is sadly out of Wimbledon. Rest up and recover Andy, we’ll miss seeing you there,” said the ATP.

READ: Andy Murray uncertain if he’ll play in Paris Olympics

However, that message was quickly deleted, leaving a question mark over the fitness of the 2013 and 2016 champion at the All England Club.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph also reported that Murray will be a Wimbledon no-show.

Wimbledon starts on July 1 while Murray also faces a race against time to be fit for next month’s Paris Olympics. The Scot is a two-time gold medallist in Olympics singles.

The draw for Wimbledon takes place on Friday, giving Murray little time to consider his options, but Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith said the star had yet to make a decision.

“I’ve seen the reports and on social media and that’s not my understanding,” Smith told the BBC on Sunday.

“This has come from one source and had a knock-on effect, a lot of people are reporting it but that’s not my understanding.”

‘Hope for the best’

Smith added: “He (Murray) obviously went through a procedure yesterday (Saturday) and you have to wait and see now. My understanding is no decision has been made and let’s hope for the best for Andy.”

Murray managed just five games before a back injury forced him to withdraw from his second-round match against Australia’s Jordan Thompson at the Queen’s Club warm-up event in London on Wednesday.

The three-time Grand Slam title winner, who plays with a metal hip, struggled from the start of his match against Thompson and said afterward he had a feeling of weakness in his right leg and had lost coordination.

READ: Andy Murray’s French Open career ended by Wawrinka in first round

“I never had that loss of coordination, control and strength in my leg before,” Murray said shortly after retiring from his match with Thompson.

“I’ve been struggling with my back for a while — I had lost the power in my right leg so lost all motor control, I had no coordination and couldn’t really move.”

Asked then about his prospects of playing at Wimbledon, he added: “Like all tennis players, we have degenerative joints and stuff in the back, but it’s all predominantly been left-sided for me my whole career.

“I have never had too many issues with the right side. So maybe there is something that can be done between now and then to help the right side.”

Murray underwent minor back surgery in 2013 and following a first-round loss at the recent French Open he said he would need treatment to address soreness.

The three-time Grand Slam champion only returned to competitive action in May after nearly two months out with an ankle injury.



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He had been due to play singles and doubles with his brother Jamie at Wimbledon before potentially ending his career at the Olympics.

NBA draft: International prospects beyond France

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FILE – Red Star’s Nikola Topic, right, drives to the basket during the Euroleague basketball match between Red Star and Partizan, in Belgrade, Serbia, on Jan. 4, 2024. AP Photo, File)

France isn’t the only country producing top prospects for the NBA — it just sort of seems that way.

Victor Wembanyama was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft a year ago and went on to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

Two more Frenchmen — Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher — are projected top picks Wednesday night in the draft. Tidjane Salaun is another potential lottery pick from France, and Pacome Dadiet could go late in the first round.

But the international pool extends beyond France. Other prospects include Nikola Topic and Nikola Djurisic of Serbia, Bobi Klintman of Sweden, Juan Nunez of Spain and Ulrich Chomche of Cameroon.

READ: NBA: Hawks GM taking trade calls but plans to keep top pick

Here’s a closer look:

Nikola Topic (Serbia)

The 6-foot-6 point guard has a partially torn ACL but is still projected to be a first-round pick. He doesn’t turn 19 until August. He was projected as a top-five prospect early in the 2023-24 season following his performance with Belgrade club Mega — Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic ’s old team. Topic made a midseason move back to his original club Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) to play alongside one of his idols, Milos Teodosic, and to get some meaningful minutes in the Euroleague. But he missed time with a left knee injury — before the ACL issue that came later.

“I’m working on my rehab with the knee injury, and that’s the main focus right now,” Topic said in a video call with reporters on June 4 from the NBA’s pre-draft camp in Treviso, Italy. “After that, I’ll work on basketball. … I’ve been doing (the) weight room. It’s not 100% healed. I haven’t started running or practicing with (the) basketball. The focus is on my rehab, on my knee and on my body mainly.”

In the latest AP NBA mock draft, Topic is projected to be selected 15th. He needs to improve his 3-point shooting — as he shot around 30% last season. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game in an injury-shortened season.

Nikola Djurisic (Serbia)

The 6-7 small forward has logged major minutes the past two years as a starter with Mega, where he was teammates with Topic for part of last season. The 20-year-old Djurisic improved his 3-point shooting this season but still shot just 30.5% overall — and 33.6% in 30 Adriatic League games. He averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 turnovers.

In an interview with the Indiana Pacers when he visited there for a pre-draft workout, the 209-pound Djurisic said he is trying to show that he is a “three-level scorer, can defend multiple positions, can switch 1 to 4.” He says he’s “definitely a creator” on the floor “who cares about finding open teammates.” He’s projected as a second-round pick.

READ: Bronny James is staying in the NBA draft, agent announces

Bobi Klintman (Sweden)

The 21-year-old Swede played this past season in Australia as part of the National Basketball League’s “ Next Stars ” program. A versatile 6-foot-9 forward, Klintman shot 36% from 3-point range in 23 NBL games for the Cairns Taipans while averaging 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The 212-pound Klintman played one season at Wake Forest and withdrew from last year’s draft. The AP mock draft predicts Klintman going toward the end of the first round.

Juan Nunez (Spain)

After developing through Real Madrid’s youth system, the 6-4 point guard played with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany the past two seasons. The lefthander shot 31.9% from 3-point range in both of his seasons there.

The 20-year-old Nunez has shown improvement. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists and 2.3 turnovers in 2023-24 and in 15 Eurocup games he upped those numbers to 10.8 points, 5.7 assists and shot 35% from beyond the arc. A crafty pick-and-roll playmaker, the 205-pound Nunez lacks explosiveness. He’s not an elite defender but can be disruptive on that end of the floor. Nunez shot only 60.7% from the free throw line last season. Most mock drafts predict Nunez as a second-round pick, which could make a draft-and-stash candidate.

Ulrich Chomche (Cameroon)

The 6-10 center is trying to become the first NBA Academy student-athlete to go directly to an NBA team. The 232-pound Chomche just barely qualifies for this draft — he turns 19 on Dec. 30.



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He has played in two seasons of the Basketball Africa League. Chomche was preparing for a third season but withdrew when he received an invitation to the NBA combine. In three BAL qualification games playing for the academy’s team, he averaged 13 points, nine rebounds and 2.7 blocks. His game is often described as “ raw,” because of limitations on the offensive end. With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he can certainly block shots and protect the rim, though. Africa academy alums Babacar Sané of Senegal and Thierry Darlan of the Central African Republic left for the G League Ignite. Sané is in the draft; Darlan had declared but withdrew.

Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix, Hamilton returns to podium

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Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium winning the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on June 23, 2024 in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday after a decisive early move and an “aggressive strategy” from Red Bull to deny McLaren’s pole-sitter Lando Norris and extend his lead in the world championship.

Lewis Hamilton completed the podium at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit as the Mercedes seven-time former champion returned to the podium for the first time since Mexico last season.

The racing may be closer than the past two seasons but Verstappen always seems to pull it out of the bag when it matters most.

READ: F1: Max Verstappen aims for another win at Spanish Grand Prix

This was his 61st career win, seventh of the season, and fourth at the track where he first shot onto the F1 scene as a teenager in 2016.

And it pushed him another step further to a fourth straight title with Austria and Silverstone coming up over the next two weekends.

“I think what made the race was at the beginning I took the lead on lap two and that’s where I had my buffer,” said the 26-year-old.

“I think we did everything well, we drove an aggressive strategy but luckily it paid off until the end. Very happy to win here.”

Fourth-placed George Russell in the other Mercedes enjoyed a stunning start.

With Verstappen to the left of Norris, and Russell to the right of him in the charge into the first turn at the end of the long straight, the pole-sitter came out the loser.

As Norris grappled with Verstappen it was Russell, unsighted, who pulled out from fourth on the grid to take command.

“I got a bad start. As simple as that. The car was incredible today, we were for sure the quickest, I just lose it in the beginning,” rued Norris, who climbed into second in the drivers’ standings for the first time in his career.

Ferrari-bound Hamilton, who received a huge cheer from the Catalan crowd on the podium, said: “Unfortunately, like Lando, I got a really bad start.

“It’s been a solid weekend, I have to say a big thank you to the team as they’ve been training so hard on the pit-stops and the strategy, and they were on point.”

Verstappen raced in second from Norris with Hamilton in fourth.

Two laps later, at the end of the straight, Verstappen made his race-winning move.

READ: F1: Verstappen wins ‘crazy’ rain-hit Canadian Grand Prix

He was told by his race engineer this “might be our best opportunity Max” and the Dutch ace needed no second invitation, producing a beautiful pass to deprive Russell of the lead, surging over one second clear of the Briton, with Norris less than a second back.

In the first flurry of pit stops after around a quarter of the 66-lap race Russell had a slow stop, emerging in eighth as Verstappen led by almost five seconds.

Hamilton had a quicker stop than his teammate as Verstappen headed in for a change of tires, returning to the circuit in fourth behind yet-to-pit Norris.

A feisty Hamilton zipped past home hero Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and up to sixth at turn one, with contact between the pair.

Norris and his team were trying a different strategy, staying out longer before a new set of rubber.

He eventually ‘boxed’ for fresher tyres, to slot back in behind Sainz in sixth.

At halfway it was the familiar presence of Verstappen with a six-second gap from Russell, from Norris, back in third after a straightforward overtake past Hamilton.

‘We need to push Max’

A few laps later Norris bested Russell after a bit of nip and tuck between the pair to leave only Verstappen ahead of him, albeit around nine seconds up the road.

Russell promptly pitted as the race entered its business stage, Norris chipping away at Verstappen’s lead.

On lap 45 Verstappen came in for a second time, as Norris followed suit, setting up a compelling conclusion in Catalonia.

Norris had over six seconds to make up on his Red Bull rival with 15 laps left as Hamilton moved past his teammate to put himself in the running for his first podium of 2024.



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“We need to push to the end now Max,” Verstappen’s engineer urged on the team radio. He took the chequered flag for the third straight year at one of his favorite tracks by a little over two seconds from Norris.

Verstappen heads to Red Bull’s home race in Spielberg in a week’s time with a 69-point lead over Norris, who earned a point for the fastest lap, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, fifth on Sunday, third, two points further back.

‘Good to be back,’ says Lewis Hamilton after podium return

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Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton raises his trophy as he celebrates on the podium with Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen (R) after the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on June 23, 2024 in Montmelo, on the outskirts of Barcelona. (Photo by Manaure Quintero / AFP)

Lewis Hamilton may be a seven-time world champion and Formula One record holder but his delight at finally finishing on the podium again after a lengthy barren spell on Sunday was plain to see.

The 39-year-old, in his final season at Mercedes before moving to Ferrari, took third at the Spanish Grand Prix to join in the post-race champagne celebrations for the first time since Mexico in October, 2023 and to extend his record of 198 career podium appearances.

His buoyant race form came on the back of a superb qualifying session after a season when he had been bettered by his teammate George Russell 8-1 arriving in Catalonia.

READ: F1: Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton returns to podium

He played down the prospect of ending his long and successful time at Mercedes with a final victory this season, but was upbeat that the team had finally emerged from the doldrums ever since Red Bull stole a march on their rivals with the change in the F1 technical landscape two years ago.

Hamilton, who missed out on a record eighth world title on the last lap of the season in controversial circumstances to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi in 2021, said: “It’s a big boost to finally get a good result and to be back up here.”

The Briton, who shares the record of six wins in Spain with Michael Schumacher, added: “We are slowly slowly getting closer.

“We have to take it with a pinch but I do think we have closed the gap a little bit.

“It’s all hands on deck (back at the Mercedes factory) and we have to keep pushing.

“We have to keep fine tuning the car but we are definitely building momentum.”

READ: F1: ‘One of my worst races,’ says Lewis Hamilton after missing podium

Talking about his recent wretched luck in qualifying up to this weekend he said: “My Saturday has been so bad for the past 15 races, it’s good to have a clean weekend.”

Talking about his upcoming switch to Ferrari Hamilton reflected: “I love Mercedes, I’ve been with them since I was 13.

“The job this year is to work as hard as I can, whatever trajectory the team is on there are things that I can be proud of being a part of.

“It would be nice to sign off with a win – but just being consistent at weekends like this is the target.”



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Hamilton sits eighth in the world championship, on 70 points, 11 behind teammate Russell, who finished fourth in Catalonia.

Red Bull’s Verstappen won Sunday’s race ahead of Lando Norris in a McLaren.

Del Monte aces spice up Binitin leg

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Three crack players from Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon will be carrying the fight for the Mindanao region when the second leg of the ICTSI Junior PGT gets off the ground on Monday at Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Binitin, Murcia.

Developing their games at tough Del Monte, Keith Pagalan, Simon Wahing and Coby Langamin will all be playing in the boys’ premier 16-18 division as they shoot for high finishes to qualify for the national match play championship scheduled later in the year at The Country Club in Laguna.

Winners from four age divisions (boys and girls) are all part of the Bacolod roster, vying not just for consecutive victories but also for ranking points for the finals after the 14-leg nationwide circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.

Bacolod’s John Rey Oro and Iloilo’s Rhiena Sinfuego aim for back-to-back wins in the boys’ and girls’ 16-18 class, respectively. Both divisions will be over 72 holes.

The spotlight, however, will be on Pagalan and his teammates from Manolo Fortich High School in Bukidnon as they also prepare for the Mindanao Series starting next month.



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Delgaco knows tough task ahead in Paris

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PH rower Joanie Delgaco at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. –JUNE NAVARRO/INQUIRER

Rower Joanie Delgaco believes that winning a medal in the Paris Olympics is a formidable task. But that doesn’t mean she won’t try to.

“Every athlete wants to stand on the medal podium. I’ll certainly do my best and give myself a chance,’’ Delgaco told the Inquirer in Filipino.

Ranked No. 23 in the world, the 26-year-old from Iriga City is trying to improve her clocking in time for the qualifying heats of the women’s 2000-meter single sculls at National Olympic Nautical Stadium on July 27.

“If I’m not fortunate enough to medal, I’ll pursue my next goal of improving my world rankings,’’ said Delgaco, an Asian championships gold medalist.

Delgaco’s best time in the event is seven minutes and 39 seconds, good enough to get past the heats for a semifinal appearance.

Time to beat

A podium performance would mean clocking at least 7:19 in the finals where New Zealand’s Emma Twigg (7:13.97) is the defending champion.

“It would be a great accomplishment for me if I could row faster than my personal best in the Olympics,’’ said Delgaco, the first Filipino woman rower in the global quadrennial Summer Games.

Reaching the Olympics wasn’t only an achievement for Delgaco, who made the national training pool as an 18-year-old.

Making it to Paris erases all the pains of past failures to make the Olympics grade.

“This is my third attempt (to qualify for the Olympics) and I finally made it,’’ said Delgaco, who missed the Tokyo Olympic berth by one second and also had a failed bid for the 2016 edition in Rio De Janeiro.

She joined eight other Filipino Olympians who left Saturday for a monthlong training camp at La Moselle and Les Arenes in Metz, France, where she and the others enter the final stretch of their preparations. INQ



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Ex-barista Bates helps brew winning concoction for Bolts

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Brandon Bates –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Meralco rookie Brandon Bates feels his time working in a coffee shop in his hometown Australia was “the most cathartic job” he has ever done in his life.

“In case you guys still haven’t noticed, I love talking to people, serving people,” he said in a candid chat with the Inquirer.“I’d be up at four or five o’clock in the morning for the opening shift and sometimes, if I have to stay for the whole day, until 4 p.m. then 4:30 for the end of [the shift]. I just love doing it.”

Bates may have to soon reconsider his answer as he is shaping up to become a key figure in the Bolts’ future campaigns following a riveting performance that helped deliver the franchise’s first-ever PBA title.

Picked eighth overall in the last Rookie Draft, the La Salle product who traces his Filipino lineage through his mom, held his own against the league’s premier big men Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, and ultimately the highly revered and the PBA’s seven-time MVP, June Mar Fajardo.

Bates said that going up against the PBA’s top-flight frontline talents is going to be transformative for his career—especially considering the frequency of those meetings.

“I think it’s incredibly important [to be] playing against the best of the best in a seven-game series. I’ve learned a lot from it, so hopefully, I’ll be able to take it into my second season,” he said.

Bates played against the Aguilar-Standhardinger tandem for seven grueling games, and then another six tightly contested matches against Fajardo, whose peers call the most dominant of this era.

As rich as the praise heaped upon him, Bates felt he wouldn’t have unlocked such a fine play if not for his teammates. And that is also the same thing that fuels his optimism heading into the next season.

“We have so many other great players. So many other vets who have guided me, who have shown me the ropes, showed me how to play,” he went on. “All things considered, It’s just part of the course.”

Bates has repeatedly likened the progression of his young career to a movie—having gone from serving espresso shots to hitting and blocking them in Asia’s pioneering pro league. INQ



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Elreen Ando’s desire to land Olympic gold fueled by detractors

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Elreen Ann Ando will spearhead the PH weightlifting team in Paris having big shoes to fill. —AFP

With Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, the Philippines’ first and only Olympic gold medalist and sentimental favorite, failing to qualify for the Paris Summer Games that gets going next month, the responsibility of following up on her historic feat falls on three promising weightlifters.

And shouldering the heaviest burden is Elreen Ando, who actually ousted Diaz-Naranjo when they competed for the lone Olympic ticket available for the country in their face-off in the 59-kilogram category of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Cup in Thailand last April.

She will be joined by Asian junior weightlifting champion Vanessa Sarno and John Ceniza in the world’s fashion capital as part of a 15-strong Philippine contingent that will be shooting for the country’s second gold medal.

Ando getting there the way she did, naturally, had nonbelievers coming out in the open.

“I am drawing my strength from my family and people who don’t believe in me—I made them my motivation,” Ando, who was seventh in the 64-kilogram division in the Tokyo Games, said in Filipino.

Diaz-Naranjo and Ando crossed paths in qualifying after their respective events in Tokyo, the 55-kg for Diaz-Naranjo, were scrapped for the Paris edition, with the 59-kg bracket the middle ground for the PH aces.

But Ando proved her worth in Thailand by lifting a total of 228 kg, a personal-high, after clearing 100 kg in snatch and 128 kg in clean and jerk to finish seventh overall and overshadow Diaz-Naranjo’s total of 222 kg for 11th spot.

“When I was slowly losing my touch, I was also losing trust in myself and felt down, depressed and stressed and went through a lot of challenges,” Ando recalled of the time when she saw her chances returning to the Olympics dwindle following a disappointing finish in the Asian championships.

“So I talked to my coach and told him that I still want to compete in the Olympics so we talked and he motivated me to believe that I can still fight,” Ando added. “He was one of those who has a huge trust in me.”

The 25-year-old lifter shattered previous records in the Southeast Asian Games last year en route to a gold medal in her new weight class.

Better version

“I will still try to improve my lift and since it’s free to dream, of course I will be looking for the [Olympic] gold medal,” she said, believing that she is now a stronger version of herself compared to the one in Tokyo.

Sarno, earlier tipped as Diaz-Naranjo’s heir apparent, will be looking to make the most out of her first Olympic appearance behind the support of her family.

The 20-year-old out of Bohol is ranked No. 5 in the 71-kg division after posting a new Philippine record of 110 kg, to break her previous record of 108 kg last year, in snatch also in the IWF Cup to qualify in the Olympics with a 245 kg total lift.

“We are looking to prevent injuries [prior to the Olympics] while slowly improving our personal records,” Sarno said.

Another Cebuano in Ceniza will be making his Olympic debut after qualifying with an impressive 300 kg total lift also in the IWF Cup in the men’s 61-kg category where he finished fourth.



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“While competing, we can’t predict the time when we’ll get [the gold] but we are all doing everything we can to get the gold medal,” Ceniza said. INQ

Cheng, the man behind the scenes for Filipinas, leaves PH national team

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Jeff Cheng (first, front row) takes a selfie with the young Filipinas during happier times. —PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM/FACEBOOK

The future of the Philippine women’s football team, almost a year removed from a historic debut in the Fifa (International Federation of Football Associations) Women’s World Cup, was put under a cloud of uncertainty following the decision of Jefferson Cheng to relinquish his management role.

Cheng, who has been team manager even when countless achievements were still a dream, made his announcement on Sunday, a decision stemming on the direction of the country’s most successful national football squad.

“For several months, we tried our best to make things work, under new and very different circumstances,” Cheng said in a statement relayed to football beat writers. “Unfortunately, the situation is not workable.”

Cheng did not mention any individual or group with a contrasting vision, but stopped short of mentioning the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) or any of its top brass.

The federation is eight months removed from installing John Gutierrez as successor to long-time president Nonong Araneta.

“Our priorities and goals do not align, and the PWNT (women’s team) organization that we worked hard to develop in the past years is incompatible with current methods,” said Cheng.

Cheng informed his decision to director of national teams Freddy Gonzalez, who admitted that the eventual successor will have big shoes to fill.

Unimaginable heights

Gonzalez, and the PFF, which came out with a separate statement thanking Cheng’s contributions, did not address Cheng’s sentiments.

“It’s a huge challenge, but I have every intention to make sure we keep the program of the women’s national team progressing in the right direction. We must continue building on Jeff’s great work,” said Gonzalez.

Under Cheng, the women’s team reached unimaginable heights, appearing in two Women’s Asian Cups in 2018 and 2022. It was also in 2022 when the team claimed a bronze medal in the pandemic-delayed Southeast Asian Games and the Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship.

The 2022 Asian Cup in India also saw the Filipinas secure a historic berth to the 2023 World Cup following a dramatic quarterfinal victory over Chinese-Taipei via penalty shootout.

At the World Cup in New Zealand, the Filipinas gave themselves a fighting chance as debutants, and produced a stunning win over the cohosts in Wellington on Sarina Bolden’s first-half header.

Alen Stajcic handled the Filipinas during that World Cup stint while fellow Aussie Mark Torcaso has been at the helm since that campaign, steering them to a quarterfinals berth at the Hangzhou Asian Games.



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The youth team was eventually integrated into the program under Cheng, with the U-17s reaching their age-group version of the Asian Cup for the first time a few months ago. INQ