Category: Sports

Vietnamese athletes won the sixth and seventh gold medals for Vietnam at the 14th World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships and Congress held in Wonju, the Republic of Korea, on November 9-11.

Specifically, Tran Hoang Duy Thuan and Bui Thi Thoa grabbed the gold in the mixed pairs category. The bronze medal in this category also went to Vietnam’s Quoc Vuong and Cam Tu.

Meanwhile, Pham Van Phuoc ranked first at the Men’s Athletic Physique up to 160 cm to bring home the gold medal.

Earlier, renowned Vietnamese bodybuilder Pham Van Mach won a gold in the men’s 55kg category, marking his sixth world championship in this category.

The other golds belong to Tran Bao Quoc Vuong in the men’s 65kg category, Ho Huy Binh in the men’s 70kg division, and Dinh Kim Loan and Nguyen Th? Kim Dung in the women’s 55kg category and women’s fitness category, respectively./.

Nearly 300 athletes from Vietnamese localities and clubs and Japan competed at a Judo tournament celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties, and the 2023 Open Judo Championship Ba Ria-Vung Tau in the southern province from November 9-11.

The tournament was among a series of activities of the Vietnam-Japan Culture Week in the province.

With seven gold medals, the Japan team came first at the tournament. It was followed by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau team, with one gold, three silver, and four bronze medals, and the Vietnam team with three silvers and four bronzes.

Meanwhile, the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial Sports Training and Competition Centre topped the 2023 Open Judo Championship Ba Ria-Vung Tau with three gold, three silver and five bronze medals./.

Ateneo de Manila University clobbered the University of Santo Tomas, 67-59, to end its three-game losing skid in men’s basketball in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday. Kai Ballungay had 15 points and 14 rebounds as the Blue Eagles improved their record to 5-6. Chris Koon added 12 points on 10 attempts with six rebounds, three assists, and one steal, while Jared Brown had 10 points and two assists. ‘We’re happy to end that losing streak, that’s for sure,’ Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said. ‘I was really pleased today with our defense. We did a good job on Nic (Cabañero). He’s just a handful to try and defend (against) and to hold him down to 16 (points) on 33-percent shooting is a pretty good job’. From a 29-43 halftime deficit, UST fought back behind Cabañero, Migs Pangilinan, Kenji Duremdes, and Christian Manaytay to move within 43-47. But that proved to be their last gallant stand as Raffy Celis, Mason Amos, and Koon scored back-to-back baskets to give the Blue Eagles a 66-56, one minute remaining. The loss sent the Growling Tigers out of the Final Four race as they absorbed their 10th loss in 12 outings. Huge win In men’s badminton, Ateneo banked on skipper Arthur Samuel Salvado Jr. to escape with a 3-2 victory against seven-time champion National University at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Cubao, Quezon City. The 22-year-old player from Davao City defeated Julius Villabrille, 22-20, 21-12, in the deciding singles to carry the Blue Eagles to their fourth win this season. Ateneo, NU, and the University of the Philippines ended the eliminations with identical 4-1 records but the Blue Eagles took the No. 1 spot by having superior matches won. “Our mindset going into the tie is that we got nothing to lose and everything to gain. So, it was also my thoughts heading into my match. I was adjusting at first because I’m playing against a doubles specialist, but, fortunately, I got my groove and won it,” Salvado, who debuted in the 2019 Manila SEA Games, said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

It’s a back-to-back win for John Mark Tokong of Siargao Island after capturing the championship crown of Men’s Category of the 27th Siargao International Surfing Cup on the final day of the competition on Wednesday afternoon at the Cloud 9 Surfing Site in General Luna, Siargao Island. Tokong garnered 16.2 points in the final round, defeating his closest rival in the competition Joh Azuchi of Japan, who reaped 10.95 points. Tokong also captured the crown of the 26th Siargao International Surfing Cup last year. The international surfing tourney opened on Oct. 25 with more than 100 professional surfers from different countries participating. It is categorized as Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 and sanctioned by the World Surf League (WSL). The Women’s Category of the competition was also captured by Anon Matsuoka of Japan with 12 points in the final round, defeating Nilbie Blancada of Siargao Island. In a statement on Thursday, the WSL said Tokong moved up to 12th in ranking in Asia after winning the Siargao tourney. Tokong’s win went ahead of the upcoming Taiwan Open of Surfing QS 5000, which will start next week. In a separate statement on Thursday, Surigao del Norte 1st District Rep. Francisco Jose Matugas II said Tokong’s victory “made our island and country proud. Thank you for showing to the world the competence and skills of Siargao surfers.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

Southeast Asian (SEA) Games long jump champion Janry Ubas lived up to expectations and claimed victory in the 2023 Cel Logistics, Inc. Weekly Relay Series Finals at the Philsports track and field stadium in Pasig City on Saturday. The 29-year-old jumper registered 7.75 meters to prevail over 2023 ROTC Games triple-gold medalist Kent Francis Jardin of Adamson University (6.77m) and Leonard Grospe of Mapua (6.66m). “‘Yung panalo ko, it’s a sign na magkakaroon ako ng magandang performance this coming Philippine National Games sa December. Kasi kahit na may nararamdaman akong back pain ngayon, nakapag-perform pa rin ako (My victory is a sign that I will have a good performance this coming Philippine National Games [PNG] in December. Even though I feel pain in my back today, I was still able to perform),’ said Ubas, who was born and raised in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental province. “Off-season namin after ng Asian Games tapos ngayon, kababalik lang namin sa training para paghandaan ang PNG. Tuloy-tuloy na preparation ko sa Year 2024 (We had an off-season after the Asian Games and now, we have just returned to training to prepare for PNG. I will continue to prepare for Year 2024),” the world’s No. 48 long jumper added. At the Cambodia SEA Games in May, Ubas leapt 7.85m to capture the individual long jump gold and registered a personal best of 8.08m in the same event in decathlon where he placed second to Thailand’s Sutthisak Singkhon. The protégé of national coach Dario de Rosas pocketed the heptathlon bronze medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship in Kazakhstan. He also won the long jump gold medal at the 16th Triveneto Meeting Internationale in Trieste, Italy and the Motonet Grand Prix in Lappeenranta, Finland. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Ubas finished seventh (7.80) behind China’s Jianan Wang (8.22), India’s Murali Sreeshankar (8.19), China’s Yuhai Shi (8.10), Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov (8.01), Chinese Taipei’s Yu- Tang Lin (7.91), and Hong Kong’s Ming Tai Chan (7.83). Meanwhile, heptathlon queen Sarah Dequinan posted 5.72m to rule the women’s long jump event in the weekly relay series organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) headed by Terry Capistrano. Trexie dela Torre of La Salle secured the silver medal in 5.54m while Angelyn Ortiz of FEU (5.53m) settled for the bronze medal. Other winners were NU’s Tyronne Exequiel Flores and UST’s Jamela de Asis (shot put); UST’s Hockett delos Santos and La Salle’s Abcd Agamanos (60m hurdles); National Team’s Anfernee Lopeña and Jessel Lumapas (200m); UE’s Vincent Vianmar dela Cruz (5,000m walk); and Mapua’s Ritchie Estampador and NU’s Jessa Mae Roda (3,000m steeplechase).

Source: Philippines News Agency

Filipino para chessers paced three divisions in both individual and team standings Wednesday, inching closer to delivering the country another potential golden windfall in the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games chess tournament at the Hangzhou Qi-Yuan Chess Hall here. International Chess Federation (FIDE) Master Sander Severino, Atty. Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza and Menandro Redor showed the way after the fifth round of the standard event in the individual contests of the men’s and women’s PI (Physically Impaired) and B1-B2 (Blind) categories, respectively, with two rounds remaining. A quadruple gold medalist in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games, Severino beat compatriot Henry Roger Lopez, both sharing identical 3.5 points each, with the former on top due to the winner-over-the-other rule, in the stint backed by the Philippine Sports Commission. As the top two chess players for the country in the category, they combined for seven points in pacing the division and were ahead of the Indonesian squad of Tirto and Kutwal Appaso Shashikant by a half-point, according to national para chess coach James Infiesto. Mendoza, who passed the bar last year but took time off to focus on her chess career, lost to Indonesia’s Nasip Farta Simanja but maintained her top spot with 3.5 points while her teammate beat Cheryl Angot evened matters up in defeating Indonesian Rachel Aby Sharon to boost her score to three points. Mendoza and Angot likewise kept the Philippines on top with six points, a half-point ahead of the Indonesia side of Sharon and Yuni, Infiesto said. Menandro Ridor drew with Iranian Khosgani Amir Rabbi to raise his output to a pacesetting 3.5 points while Armand Subaste battled Indonesia’s Gangooli Kishan to a fighting draw and raised his score to three points. Infiesto said Ridor and Subaste, who had 6.5 points, were a full point ahead of the field in the men’s B1-B2 division. ‘The sixth round will be critical for us but so far we are in a promising position in all three categories,’ Infiesto said, adding that the outcome will be known after the seventh and final round Thursday morning. Making a surprise visit to the PH para chess team members before they saw action in the sixth round was Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo, who gave them encouraging words. ‘While I don’t want to pressure you given what you accomplished in the 2018 Asian Para Games, my prayer is that you continue to do your best and display the same mental fortitude five years ago in Indonesia,’ Barredo said. The PH para chess players were the sensations of the national contingent in the Indonesian capital in 2018 with five gold, two silvers and six bronze medals, with Severino emerging as the most bemedalled athlete with four mints. The promising outlook in chess was in contrast to the disappointing showing of the rest of the other athletes on Wednesday. This was underscored by the disqualification of lone one-armed taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin, who was disqualified in the men’s -80kg quarterfinals for hitting Norlan Dombayev of Kazakhstan twice, costing him a chance of playing for a medal. Also bowing to superior opposition were wheelchair throwers Cendy Asusano and Jesebel Tordecilla, who finished fourth and seventh in the women’s discus throw F54-F55 with heaves of 13.87 and 13.24, respectively. In cycling, Nikko Peralta placed 10th out of 16 entries in the men’s C4-C5 4,000-meter men’s individual pursuit.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Kevin Quiambao came up with another brilliant performance as De La Salle University overpowered the University Santo Tomas, 100-69, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday. The MVP race leader had 22 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, five steals and one block for the Green Archers who nailed their fifth win in eight games. Jonnel Policarpio added 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block while Raven Cortez and Evan Nelle contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively for La Salle, which also defeated UST in the first round, 91-71. “Focused kami kung ano yung nasa harap namin and yung pagkakamali namin nung first round, marami kaming natutunan doon. Coming to the second round, kailangan namin mag adjust, kailangan namin mag stick more to the system (We focused on what was in front of us and the mistake we made in the first round, we learned a lot from that. Coming to the second round, we have to adjust, we have to stick more to the system),” said the 22-year-old Quiambao, named last season’s Rookie of the Year. The Green Archers improved their record to 5-3 for third place while the Growling Tigers stayed at the bottom of the standings at 1-7. In the other game, National University downed the University of the East, 64-61, to take solo lead at 7-1. “The first round kinda gave us a back view of where we are in the team already. There are a lot of challenges in the first round but I guess what’s good about it is coming to this second round is we’re able to look at where we could improve on,” La Salle mentor Topex Robinson said. Nic Cabañero led UST with 13 points, six assists and five rebounds followed by Christian Manaytay, who had 10 points and four rebounds, and SJ Moore, who scored nine points on top of five rebounds. Meanwhile, La Salle will try to get back at National University when they meet again at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Archers won in overtime, 80-77, in the first round. UST and UE will square off at 2 p.m. The Red Warriors won the first round, 68-58. 4-game slump ended Far Eastern University (FEU) snapped a four-game slump after a 64-47 victory over the University of the East, in the women’s basketball at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Wednesday. Shooting guard Queenie Aquino scored 23 points, including 16 in the first half, as the Lady Tamaraws improved their record to 3-5. Congolese center Josee Kaputu contributed 15 points, 16 rebounds, three steals and two assists while Julie Manguiat chipped in five points, four assists and two rebounds for FEU, which also beat UE, 63-53, on Oct. 8. ‘Hindi pa rin natatapos yung game namin. Start palang ‘to. Ginagawa namin itong stepping stone papunta sa next games namin (Our game is still not over. This is just the start. We are making this a stepping stone to our next games),’ said Aquino, who made four triples. ‘Sinasabi ni Coach Bert (Flores) sa amin (na) wag lagi kami kay Josee. Kailangan namin mag-contribute para at least pag off si Josee, nandun kami para magbigay ng tulong sa team (Coach Bert told us not to always rely on Josee. We have to contribute so at least when Josee is off, we are there to help the team),’ she added. The Lady Tams took a 39-26 at halftime and the Red Warriors’ best effort was closing in at 30-41 on Kat Ruiz’s basket in the third period. FEU posted its biggest lead at 60-37, at 6:34 remaining. The Lady Tamaraws averaged 29.0 turnovers in the first round, and they had 31 against the Lady Warriors. UE also had more rebounds, 36 to 24. Minslie Paule finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals while Trixie Burgos added 13 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for UE, which remained winless after eight outings.

Source: Philippines News Agency