Tag: Olympic

Gilas ends Olympic bid, but not after showcasing elite program

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Dwight Ramos (with ball) rues loss to Brazil, but lauds the national program’s progress. —FIBA.BASKETBALL

There will be chock-full of stories and thought pieces on Gilas Pilipinas’ run in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia.

The Filipinos ended their stint—and their bid to make it to the Paris Olympics—after a 71-60 loss on Saturday to Brazil in the capital city of Riga.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s funny we didn’t expect to be here but then when we got here we’d expect to win. So it’s painful that we didn’t especially having that halftime lead,” national coach Tim Cone said after the game.

READ: Gilas’ Olympic dream ends, bows out of Fiba OQT with loss to Brazil

His players, however, know they earned something from the arduous journey.

Take Kai Sotto, for example.

“I think the basketball world doesn’t give the Philippines much respect,” the 7-foot-3 big man said in an interview with the Olympic Channel.

“I think that’s our job to prove to the world [so] that teams got to respect us more,” he added.

The Philippines wowed global basketball with an 89-80 upset of World No. 6 Latvia and went on to prove that such a triumph was no fluke taking a narrow 96-94 loss to No. 23-ranked Georgia just 18 hours later.

HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Brazil Fiba OQT semifinals July 6

“Now we know we could compete and we know we could play with European guys,” Cone said in an earlier television interview. “It’s just a matter of putting a really good game together.”

They almost did that, this time against a South American superpower ranked 12th in the world.

The Philippines took control of the first half and were up six at the break, before the Brazilians asserted themselves at the start of the third quarter to pull away.

“Them (Brazilians) going on a, what, 12-0 or 14-0 run on us to start the third quarter, was painful to watch. But there’s a reason Brazil’s 12th-ranked in the world and they proved that tonight,” Cone said.

READ: Gilas win over Latvia puts spotlight on Tim Cone’s triangle offense

It was actually an 18-0 run by the South Americans that had the Filipinos’ hopes of an Olympic stint caving in.

“[I]t just takes one night. You don’t show up and you lose. [S]o today we just didn’t play our best and Brazil just beat us,” said guard Dwight Ramos, a Gilas program fixture who finished with 13 points.

But it was also Ramos who earlier gave the Olympic Channel a perspective of what the team was able to do in Latvia.



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“[W]e’re finally making strides, hanging tough with the teams, and beating teams we shouldn’t,” he said. “I think it’s a great feeling, and the progress we’ve been making over the years—I’m glad to be a part of it from the beginning.”

Gilas’ Olympic bid ends, bows out of Fiba OQT with loss to Brazil

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas’ June Mar Fajardo against two Brazil defenders during the Fiba OQT semifinals game in Riga, Latvia. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas saw its dream to make it to the Paris Olympics end on Saturday night after losing to world No. 12  Brazil, 71-60, in the semifinals of the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia.

A third-quarter meltdown for Gilas Pilipinas spelled the end after the Filipinos allowed Brazil to go on a crippling 24-6 run that erased whatever strong start they had to the game.

It was all Brazil from that point with its star Bruno Caboclo catching fire and fueling his team’s push for the Summer Games. Caboclo, who played for several NBA teams, finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

LIVE UPDATES: Gilas Pilipinas vs Brazil Fiba OQT semifinals July 6

Justin Brownlee, who averaged 27 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in the group phase for Gilas, just couldn’t find his usual shots and was limited to just 15 points–all but three in the first two quarters.

Brownlee only found his mark again with 4:11 left to play after he picked up his fourth foul. He made a crucial 3-pointer that put Gilas within a realistic distance to make a last-ditch rally, 61-49.

Brazil, though, quickly responded with a 6-2 run making sure the Filipinos don’t get anything going.

After leading by as many as 12 in the first half, the Filipinos suddenly hit a wall in the third quarter while the Brazilians found their rhythm and quickly wrested the momentum.

Gilas Pilipinas went scoreless for more than six minutes into the third quarter.

June Mar Fajardo and

Despite the semifinal exit, Gilas Pilipinas still turned heads in Riga after stunning world No.6 and host Latvia and eliminating No.23 Georgia in the group phase.



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Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese lead WNBA team vs US Olympic squad

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Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever during the second half of a WNBA game Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 16, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Emilee Chinn/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will team up on the WNBA All-Star team to play against the U.S. Olympic team led by A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

The pair of remarkable rookies were selected Tuesday by a combination of votes from the media, players and fans as well as the league’s 12 coaches to play in the game in Phoenix on July 20. It’s the 20th All-Star Game in the league’s history.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been her teammate before, even at USA Basketball. I know people will be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everyone else,” Clark said. “This is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA and everyone on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and be the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them.”

READ: Caitlin Clark left off Team USA roster for Paris Olympics

Clark was the leading vote-getter from the fans, receiving 700,735 with her Indiana teammate Aliyah Boston finishing second 72,000 votes behind. Reese was fifth with 381,518 votes. Wilson and Stewart were third and fourth. Wilson garnered 607,300 votes and Stewart had 424,135.

Clark and Reese have been a boon for the WNBA in ratings, merchandise sales and attendance. They are also playing well on the court with Clark third in assists with 6.9 and Reese leading the WNBA in rebounds at 11.4.

“They just told me I’m an All-Star. I’m just so happy,” an emotional Reese said after her Sky beat the Atlanta Dream. “I know the work I’ve put in. Coming into this league so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player I was in college, or better, or would be worse, or wouldn’t be where I am right now. But I trust the process and I’m thankful I dropped to No. 7 (pick in the draft) and was able to come to Chicago.”

READ: WNBA: Angel Reese says foul on Caitlin Clark a basketball play

It’s the eighth time that two rookies have been on the team. The last was Shoni Schimmel and Chiney Ogwumike in 2014.

Joining the rookies on the WNBA team were DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones of Connecticut, Allisha Gray of Atlanta, Dearica Hamby of Los Angeles, Jonquel Jones of New York, Kayla McBride of Minnesota, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas.

Ogunbowale was the MVP of the 2021 All-Star game which featured the same format of the U.S. team playing a league All-Star team. The WNBA team won that game.

“She’s had an incredible season to this point,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said of McBride. “She’s doing everything for us, so deserving of this All-Star nod.”

The U.S. team, which will be going for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris later this month, also features Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. The pair of Phoenix players will get a chance to play in front of their home crowd in the exhibition game. Taurasi will be vying for a record sixth Olympic gold medal.

Three of Wilson’s Las Vegas teammates — Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young — are on the U.S. team. Gray was on the Tokyo Olympic squad while Plum and Young both helped the Americans win the inaugural 3-on-3 gold medal.

Other returners from the Tokyo Games include Napheesa Collier and Jewell Loyd. Several first-time Olympians will join the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.

Every player chosen for either the U.S. team or the WNBA squad is considered an All-Star making this Taurasi’s 11th time in the game. She’s now alone in second behind Sue Bird for most all time. Bird was a 13-time All-Star.



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The league will have a 3-point challenge and skill contest the night before the All-Star game.

Olympic medalist, golfers hike PH team count to 20

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Kayla Noelle Sanchez of the Philippines is seen during the 19th Asian Games Women’s 400m Freestyle Swimming Final held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou, China. Sanchez finished with a time of 54.69 seconds. (Photo by Luis Veniegra / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

Double Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez will bring more prestige to a Philippine delegation brimming with potential podium finishers like her in the grandest sports showpiece on earth.

Sanchez, a silver and bronze performer in the swimming relay events of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while carrying the Canadian colors, now represents the Philippines and will showcase her worth in the women’s 100-meter freestyle while Jarod Hatch, bronze medalist in the men’s 50-m butterfly of the Southeast Asian Games last year, likewise made it to the glitzy French capital.

They both qualified through universality with Hatch seeing action in the 100-m butterfly.

“[W]e’re expecting more. We’re chasing history and we’re setting the ante higher,’’ said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, whose goal is to surpass or match the nation’s one-gold, two-silver and one-bronze medal output in Tokyo.

The latest batch of Olympic qualifiers brings to 20 the number of Filipinos who will compete in Paris. And while Sanchez represents a foreign ace flying back to represents her roots, the Olympic roster will also feature two Filipinos who were once members of the national team but are now representing other countries.

Golfer Yuka Saso, a two-Major winner who played for the Philippines in the Tokyo Olympics, qualified for Japan this time while fencer Maxine Esteban, a multi-World Cup medalist for the country who was once the highest-rated Filipino in the world rankings, will compete in the French capital representing Ivory Coast.

In Saso’s place, two Filipino golfers will vie for medals in Paris, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina.

The two standouts were part of the names released by the international golf federation as the official qualifiers for women’s golf, along with Saso.

Two-time judo Olympian Kiyomi Watanabe was also added to the Philippine roster after qualifying through the continental quota.

The Filipino-Japanese from Mandaue, Cebu, secured one of the two Asian quotas in the women’s -63-kg division after ranking No. 92 in the world.

Meanwhile, in athletics, at least three to four tracksters could join pole vaulter EJ Obiena in the biggest track and field spectacle in the world. 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

VNL 2024: Yuki Ishikawa, Japan rally past Olympic champion France

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Japan team celebrates in the VNL 2024 Week 3 game against France. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Yuki Ishikawa took matters into his own hands to help depleted Japan complete an epic comeback-from-behind 17-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-23, 15-10 win over Olympic champion France in the Volleyball Nations League on Saturday evening before a roaring crowd at Mall of Asia Arena.

With Ran Takahashi flying home to Japan due to a nagging injury and Yuji Nishida sitting out after the second set due to abdomen pain, Ishikawa willed Japan back from two sets down, with 33 points off 31 spikes, one ace, and a block in front of 11,879 fans.

“First two sets, we were not working well. At the same time, we made too many mistakes, especially in our attacks. After the third set, we worked on our chemistry, our attack, and defense,” said the Japan skipper. “We have to push all the time. First and second sets we were a little bit nervous.”

READ: Japan’s Ran Takahashi leaves Manila to treat knee injury

“[33 points] is not important for me. What’s important is the team, so our teammates played very well, so I had to make the right plays,” he added.

Kento Miyaura, who came off the bench, also stepped up with 19 points built on 16 spikes, two aces, and a block as Japan improved to 8-3 in fifth place with one last assignment remaining against the USA on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Miyaura powered the Japanese to an early 10-5 start in the fifth set before Ishikawa delivered the killer blows to complete the comeback win against the 2022 VNL champions.

READ: VNL 2024: Japan bounces back with sweep of Netherlands

“It’s our last game in the Philippines, so we will do our best every time, and we will continue to play well,” said Ishikawa of USA. “It’s a really, really tough game for sure. United States plays fast, so our service needs to be well.”

Akihiro Yamauchi and Kentaro Takahashi added six points each as Japan won the second of its third assignment in their third consecutive VNL Manila leg.

France absorbed its second straight defeat in Manila, sliding to a 7-4 record in sixth place after a tough loss to the also-ran Iran.

Jean Patry led the balanced attack of the French Spikers with 21 points off 18 attacks, two aces, and a block. Trevor Clevenot backstopped him with 15 points, while Yacine Loati and Nicolas Le Goff had 11 and 10 points, respectively.



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France tries to end its skid against Brazil on Sunday at 3 p.m. 

Minus equestrian, pentathlon opens Olympic path for PH athletes

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Juliana Sevilla, Princess Arbilon and Shyra Aranzado finish with medals at the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) 2024 Laser Run World Championships.

Modern pentathlon, now more accessible to Filipinos has suddenly become a pathway for athletes to make it to the Olympics.

With the discipline discarding equestrian in favor of obstacle course racing, Filipinos can now hope to book tickets to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The other disciplines in the sport are swimming, running, shooting and fencing.

READ; PH duo rules mixed relay event in China

Just last week, Melvin Sacay and Juliana Shane Sevilla thrived on the global stage after claiming a gold medal in the UIPM 2024 Laser Run World Championships.

“All our athletes are strong and driven. A different medalist from our team emerges in every competition, that’s how determined they are to qualify for the

Olympics,’’ said Philippine Modern Pentathlon Association president Richard Gomez.

Joseph Godbout led the roster of Filipino athletes, who excelled at the world championships last year after topping the UIPM 2023 Biathle/Triathle World Championships in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia following a silver finish at the UIPM 2023 Laser Run World Championships in Bath, Great Britain.

READ: Princess Arbilon claim two golds in Biathle/Triathle World Championships

Princess Honey Arbilon was likewise a cut above the rest after bagging two gold medals in the Bali, Indonesia world champs last year.

The shifting landscape in the five-sport discipline provides added motivation for Filipino pentathletes to clearly visualize their Olympic dream starting with the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.



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