Category: Sports

John Riel Casimero beat Namibian opponent Filipus Nghitumbwa by unanimous decision to capture the World Boxing Organization (WBO) global super bantamweight title at Okada Manila Grand Ballroom in Parañaque City on Saturday. Casimero knocked down Nghitumbwa in the sixth round, eventually setting the tone for the 122-pound bout. The judges also deducted a point from Nghitumbwa in the 12th round for hitting Casimero behind the head. Two judges had it 116-110 while another scored 114-112, all for Casimero, who won in his first bout at home since 2019. Casimero improved to 33-4 win-loss (22 by knockout) while Nghitumbwa fell to 12-2. The Filipino is now one step closer to a meeting with WBO super bantamweight champion Stephen Fulton Jr. of the United States. In the supporting bout, Weljon Mindoro failed to take the WBO Asia-Pacific junior middleweight title from Japanese champ Takeshi Inoue. The fight was ruled a split draw, with one judge scoring 117-111 for Inoue, another scoring 115-113 for Mindoro, and the third judge even at 114-114. Mindoro remained undefeated at 10-0-1 (10 KOs), while Inoue has a 19-2-1 record (11 KOs). Arnel Baconaje, meanwhile, won by unanimous decision against Jhon Gemino (117-111, 116-112, 116-112) to capture the Philippine super featherweight title. He raised his record to 16-7 (8 KOs) while Gemino has 23-17 (13 KOs).

Source: Philippines News Agency

Ageless Eric Shaun Cray ran to his 6th straight 400m hurdles gold in the Southeast Asian Games to infuse life into the Philippine campaign in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the Morodok Techno National Stadium here on Thursday. The 34-year-old Cray, bugged by a nagging sports hernia, weathered the pain to storm to a 50.03-second clocking in his favorite event, beating Thailand’s Natthapon Dansungnoen (50.73) and Singapore’s Calvin Quek (50.75). The Philippines’ other entry, Alhryan Labita placed 7th in 53.89. Cray’s time was way below his Philippine record of 48.98 achieved at the IAAF World Challenge in Moratalaz, Madrid in 2016, but was enough to give him a sixth straight 400m hurdles’ title and eighth gold overall to crown himself as the most successful track athlete in the games. His other two came in the 100m during the 2015 Singapore games and the 4×100 mixed relay in the 2019 edition at the New Clark City Stadium in Tarlac. ‘This means everything,’ said Cray, catching his breath as a swarm of reporters surrounded him. ‘This is a product of hard work, dedication.’ ‘You know, we just showed a lot of perseverance. I have a lot of drive, dedication for 10 years, ups and downs after injuries and everything I’ve been through,’ said Cray, who is aching to make a return to the Olympics, to be held in Paris 2024. The next step is the Asian Championships, which is a qualifying tournament for the Olympiad. ‘That (Olympics) is the goal,’ said Cray, who is still undecided on whether to shoot for 7th straight 400m hurdles gold when the biennial meet is held in Thailand in 2025. ‘I gotta qualify first in Paris, then I’ll take it from there,’ he added. The athletics team’s two other golds were courtesy of Ernest John Obiena’s record leap in the pole vault and Janry Ubas in the long jump.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ASEAN Para Games triple-gold medalist Angel Mae Otom and Paralympian Ernie Gawilan will carry the national colors in the 11th World Para Swimming Championships scheduled to be held in Manchester, United Kingdom from July 31 to August 6. The Filipinos earned the trip to the UK through the Minimum Qualifying Standard (MQS) and Minimum Entry Time (MET) set by the World Para Swimming during the Citi Para Swimming World Series held in Singapore from April 29 to May 1. Otom, who has a congenital upper limb deficiency, topped the women’s 50m backstroke in 42.00 seconds. She clocked 49.47 seconds in the 50m butterfly to finish third. The MQS in the 50m backstroke and the 50m butterfly are 52.66 seconds and 56.15 seconds, respectively. Otom also qualified in the 50m freestyle (42.76, MQS 45.07) and 200m freestyle (3:53.84, MQS 3:55.34). “I’m so happy because I won two medals in Singapore although the times I registered were not my best performances,” the University of the Philippines freshman taking up sports science said in an interview on Tuesday. Otom’s personal best times are 41.58 (50m backstroke), 48.070 (50m butterfly), and 41.40 (50m freestyle). “When I learned that I qualified for the worlds, I was shocked. I didn’t expect it. It’s my first time to swim in the 200m freestyle, too. The opportunity to compete against world-class swimmers in Manchester is something I am looking forward to. I am excited,” she added. Otom was born in Meycauayan, Bulacan but grew up in Olongapo City, her mother’s hometown. She learned to swim at a young age because their house was near the beach. She joined the 2018 Philippine Sports Association for Disabled Athletes (PHILSPADA) National Para Games in Marikina, winning the gold medal in the 100m backstroke. The following year, she became a member of the national team. Otom won the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle at the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games in Bahrain, which was her first international competition. She debuted at the 2022 ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia with three gold medals coming from the 50m backstroke (41.58), 50m butterfly (48.070), and 50m freestyle (41.40). She said qualifying in the World Championships has inspired her, even more, to do well in the Cambodia ASEAN Para Games slated June 3-9. “I will do my best to keep my three titles, that’s the goal I want to achieve in Cambodia,” said Otom, who admires five-time Paralympics gold medalist Lu Dong of China. Tony Ong, who serves as head coach of the national para swimming team, commented, “She has good potential but still quite young. I think she will mature more as years go by.” While Gawilan did not get a medal in Singapore, the times he submitted in the 400m freestyle (5:06.02, MQS 5:16.80), 100m freestyle (1:07.99, MQS 1:08.16), 50m freestyle (32.78, MET 32.86), and 50m butterfly (34.55, MQS 36.67) were enough for him to qualify for the World Championships, his third after competing in Scotland (2015) and London (2019). Gawilan, who hails from Davao City, saw action at the 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) and 2020 (Tokyo) Paralympics. In 2014, he became the first Filipino gold medalist in the Asian Para Games when he topped the men’s 200m Individual Medley in Incheon, South Korea. “They did very well even though we had a hard time going to the pool,” Ong said. “We are hoping that both athletes will have an outstanding performance for the upcoming World Championships, which is also a pathway going to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.” Other swimmers who competed in Singapore were Ariel Joseph Alegarbes, Gary Bejino, Edwin Villanueva, Marco Tinamisan, Muhaimin Ulag, Roland Sabido, and Arnel Aba.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Team Philippines was off to a good start Sunday morning with three more gold medals that hiked the total to 10 at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Cambodia. Kim Mangrobang retained her women’s individual duathlon title while obstacle course racing (OCR) delivered two in the men’s and women’s team relay events. The men’s team is composed of Ahgie Radan, Elias Tabac, Mervin Guarte, and Jay-ar de Castro while the women’s squad members are Sandi Menchi Abahan, Mecca Cortizano, Milky Mae Tejares, and Maritess Nocyao. The 31-year-old Mangrobang crossed the finish line in an hour, four minutes, and 23 seconds to rule the 11-woman field in Kiep. Vietnam’s Thi Phuong Trinh Nguyen (1:05:12) and Indonesia’s Maharani Azhri Wahyuningtiyas (1:06:14) setted for the silver and bronze, respectively. Mangrobang will also eye the triathlon gold on Monday. The OCR victories were the fourth for the sport after Mark Julian Rodelas and Precious Cabuya topped the individual categories on Saturday. Also into the final round are five karatekas — Matthew Manantan, men’s Individual Kumite -67kg; Jamie Lim, women’s -61kg Kumite; Ivan Agustin, men’s -84kg Kumite; Remon Misu, women’s -68kg Kumite; and Arianne Brito, women’s +68kg Kumite The men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball teams took silver medals after bowing to the host, 15-20, and Vietnam, 16-21, respectively, also on Sunday. On Monday, Carlos Yulo and the Philippine national men’s artistic gymnastics team begin their campaign at the National Olympic Stadium Marquee Tent. Yulo, who is joined by Juancho Miguel Besana, Ace de Leon, Jhon Santillan and Jan Timbang, will vie for podium finishes in the men’s individual and team all-around starting at 10 a.m. (11 a.m., PH time). Last year, the two-time world champion Yulo grabbed the men’s all-around title and took the silver in the team all-around along with Cruz, Besana, De Leon, Timbang and John Matthew Vergara. Unlike in last year’s SEA Games, however, non-Cambodian gymnasts can only join up to two apparatuses, meaning a gymnast can only win a maximum of four gold medals, including the individual and team all-around medals. The individual apparatus finals will be on Tuesday. No swimming golds yet Also on Saturday, a silver and a bronze raised hopes of a decent finish in the swimming competition being held at Morodok Techo Sports Complex here. The men’s team had a promising start after Jerard Jacinto copped the bronze in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 55.99 seconds, breaking his own national record of 56.27 set in the 2019 World Junior Championships. Singapore’s Quah Zheng Wen ruled the event in 55.22, while Indonesia’s Farrel Armandio Tangkas clocked 55.80 for the silver. Jacinto’s bronze is the men’s squad’s first medal since the 2021 SEA Games (held in 2022 due to the pandemic) after it was left holding an empty bag in Vietnam, where the Philippines finished last in swimming with one gold, three silvers, and three bronzes – all from the women’s crew. “I think it’s a very good sign,” national head coach Archie Lim said in a news release. “It shows that if you really try, if you really push it, there’s always a chance. It shows that he took a chance and got a medal.” The quartet of Teia Salvino, Miranda Renner, Xiandi Chua, and Jasmine Alkhaldi ended the day by taking the silver in the women’s 4x100m freestyle, clocking 3:47.96. Singapore finished over two seconds faster at 3:44.29 for the gold, while Thailand bagged the bronze in 3.50.01. Lim said the four exceeded expectations in the event where the country failed to medal last year. “They won a silver as a group, so we’re hoping that it serves as a motivation in the next few days that if we really just work together and really try hard, there’s always a chance to get a medal,” said Lim. Medals in the men’s 50m backstroke, men’s 100m breaststroke, men’s 50m freestyle, men’s 4×200 freestyle relay, women’s 50m backstroke, women’s 200m freestyle, and women’s 200m individual medley were being disputed Sunday.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers scored blowout wins to go 2-1 up in their NBA conference semifinal series on Sunday (Philippine Time). The Heat took down the New York Knicks, 105-86, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff encounter at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Despite being held to only 38.9 percent shooting, Miami responded by limiting New York to only 34.1 percent field goals as the defense held the fort for the home team. ‘It’s about figuring out how to compete at a really high level,’ Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘What’s necessary for that game to be able to win.’ Jimmy Butler led Miami with 28 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, while Max Strus added 19 points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. Jalen Brunson had 20 points, six rebounds, and eight assists; Josh Hart added 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal; and Julius Randle put up 10 points, 14 rebounds, and two assists for New York. Over at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the Lakers bombed out the Golden State Warriors, 127-97. The Lakers pulled away late in the second quarter as they quickly averted the Warriors’ early barrage in hopes of reclaiming home-court edge. ‘We’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, if not the best. For us to reach our potential, we have to defend at a high level. Not one team in this league tests you more in that than Golden State, so we have to be alert for a test on every single possession,’ said LeBron James, who finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and one block for the Lakers. Anthony Davis led the hosts with 25 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, four blocks, and three steals, while D’Angelo Russell also made 21 markers with three boards, five assists, and one steal.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Taking home a silver and a bronze at the tough Asian Seniors Kurash Championships in Hangzhou, China is something the Philippines can be proud of. Thanks to Charmea Quelino who bagged the silver medal in the women’s -63kg category and Nick Gabriel Ligero who took the bronze in the men’s -60kg category last week, Filipinos proved they have the potential to excel in the sport given more training and foreign exposure. The Asian Championships, held April 25 to 29 at the Xiaoshan Linpu Gymnasium, was a test event for the Asian Games. The venue will be the training and competition venue for judo, ju-jitsu and kurash during the Asian Games on Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. “I feel so blessed for winning the silver medal. Our team worked so hard and sacrificed a lot for this competition,” said Quelino in an exclusive interview with Philippine News Agency on Saturday. “Honestly, I did not expect that I can keep up and win a medal at the Asian-level because this is only my second international tournament and there are many strong athletes outside of South East Asia,” added the 24-year-old native of Baguio City. Quelino defeated Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nhung and Indian Akshita Sharma to reach the final where she lost to Chinese Zhang Wen. Sharma and Uzbekistan’s Mukhlisakhon Kadirberganov settled for the bronze medals. “My first match was so challenging. She (Vietnamese) is one of the strongest players since the previous SEA (Southeast Asian) Games so I feel blessed when I beat her,” shared Quelino, who captured the silver medal (-52kg) in the Vietnam SEA Games in 2022, where Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nhung, entered in the -57kg category and took the bronze. “I’m super thankful to God because I know I can’t do it without Him. He was the one I held on to the most during the competition. I’m also very thankful to my coaches and teammates because without them, I wouldn’t be able to grow as an athlete. They always push me and teach me for my betterment,” added the 5-foot-2 judoka. After graduating with a double degree (sports studies and psychology) in 2021, she worked for a while at a counseling and consultancy facility for people with substance use disorder. “After graduation, I started working. It was my last year in the UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) and I was going to stop my athletic career. But I was invited to apply to the kurash national team so I grabbed the opportunity because I thought I am still young and maybe there was a purpose why the Lord gave me another chance to play. I thought that I don’t want to grow up with regrets of not maximizing my athletic career. So, I decided to leave my job to train with the team for the SEA Games,” she narrated. She also said that preparing for the SEA Games was one of the hardest trainings she had as she lost more than 10 kilograms in just a few weeks. She added that she survived the toughest training because of the support of her teammates. Meanwhile, Ligero’s performance in his first tournament abroad was praiseworthy as he fought with an injury. He lost to Vietnam SEA Games gold medalist Le Cong Hoang Hai in the semifinal round to settle for third place with Indian Om Rattan. Abdulaziz Khamroev of Uzbekistan defeated Le Cong in the final. “It’s been an honor to compete against the Vietnamese because he is one of the most well-known and most admired in kurash. Our game was intense. Because of my dislocated shoulder, when I hold him with my left arm, I can’t stop his other attacks and my grip is too light,” said the UAAP Season 82 Most Valuable Player in 2019. Ligero, born and raised in Sampaloc, Manila, said it has been his long-time dream to become a member of the kurash team. ‘It is truly such an honor and privilege to represent the country and even blessed enough to be able to bring pride to our country,’ Ligero said. Meanwhile, Kurash Sports Federation of the Philippines president Rolan Llamas lauded Quelino, Ligero and the rest of the team. “Our athletes learned a lot from the Asian Championships and their experiences would help them as they prepare for upcoming tournaments such as the Asian Games and Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games,” said Llamas, who is also the deputy president of the Kurash Union of South East Asia. The AIMAG will take place Nov. 17 to 26 in Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok and Chonburi province. Kurash is a traditional Uzbek wrestling style popular in Central Asia. The objective is to throw one another to the ground. Victory is declared if thrown to the back.

Source: Philippines News Agency

For the second straight day, obstacle course racers remained perfect, leading a six-gold medal charge Sunday that kept the Philippines in the mix of things in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) here. Putting the finishing touches to a scintillating stint in the four-day event, the men’s and women’s relay teams proved too much for the opposition, taking the last two mints to complete a four-gold sweep, further reinforcing their status as the best in the region. With another big crowd at the Chroy Chavrang Convention Center Car Park, the men’s quartet of Ahgie Radan, Elias Tabac, Mervin Guarte, and Jay-ar de Castro hurdled all the obstacles in a new global standard of 24.47 seconds to beat Malaysia’s Ghalib Mohamad Azimi, Mohd Redha Rozlan, Nuur Hafis Said Alwi and Yoong Wei Theng, who clocked 25.15. Earlier, Sandi Menchi Abahan, Mecca Cortizano, Milky Mae Tejares and Maritess Nocyao reigned supreme in the women’s category with a world mark of 33.73 at the expense of Indonesia’s Anggun Yolanda, Ayu Pupita, Mudji Mulyani and Rahmayuna Fadillah (35.06). The other gold medals were delivered by reigning duathlon queen Kim Mangrobang; the women’s soft tennis duo of Bien Zoleta-Mañalac and Princess Catindig; jiu-jitsu fighter Marc Lim who finally triumphed in his third SEA Games; and karateka Jamie Christine Lim, who bounced back from her bronze-medal finish in Vietnam last year. Mangrobang kept her crown in the 5-kilometer (km) run, 20-km bike and 2.5-km run finale at Kep Beach Resort; Zoleta-Mañalac and Catindig completed a championship sweep capped by a 5-2 victory over Chatmanee and Napawee Jankiaw of Thailand in the women’s doubles finals; Marc Lim beat Vietnam’s Dang Dinh Tung for the men’s ne-waza nogi 69-kilogram (kg) gold; and Jamie Lim returned to her rightful place on top of the SEA Games karate world by ruling the women’s under-61kg women’s individual kumite at Chroy Changvar Center Hall A. Jamie Lim went home with a bronze in Vietnam last year but regained the crown she won in the Philippines in 2019 when she humbled Cambodian Vann Chakriya in the title match, 3-1. ‘I had less (time) for social media, no Tiktok and IG (Instagram) for the last few months but now everything is okay,’ said Jamie Lim, daughter of Philippine Basketball Association legend Samboy Lim. The Filipinos, backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, ended the day with 13 gold medals in a tie with Indonesia for second, just ahead of Vietnam which had 12. First-time host Cambodia was on top of the heap with 25 gold, 19 silver and 19 bronze medals as of posting time, mainly through its domination of indigenous combat sports kun-bokator, kun khmer and vovinam. The Filipinos also had 14 silver medals, one of them coming from the Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men’s squad that lost 15-20 to the Cambodian team that featured three naturalized players in Brandon Peterson, Sayeed Pridgett, and Darrin Dorsey. The women’s 3×3 team also lost to Vietnam 16-21 after ousting Thailand 21-19 in the semifinals. Karate contributed four silver medals for the day, courtesy of kumite fighters Matthew Manantan (men’s under-67 kg), Ivan Agustin (under-84 kg), Remon Misu (under-68 kg women) and Ariane Brito (+68kg women). But Cambodia’s bid for a Cinderella finish will be severely tested when the region’s big guns, among them the Filipinos, Thais, Indonesians, and Malaysians, press their bids in several martial arts disciplines and athletics, which get going Monday at Morodok Techo Stadium. Boxers Rogen Ladon and Ian Clark Bautista assured themselves of bronze medals but James Palicte bowed out of contention. Ladon, winner in 2019 and 2022, overcame the hugging and holding strategy of Indonesian Ingatan Ilahi to score a 5-0 unanimous decision win and advance to the flyweight semifinals against Malaysian Muhammad Abdul Qaiyum Ariffin. Bautista, a two-time SEA Games gold medalist, beat Van Duong Nguyen of Vietnam via a referee-stopped-contest due to injury after inflicting a cut on his foe’s left eyebrow in their featherweight duel. He will face next Asri Udin of Indonesia in the semifinals. Palicte lost to Van Ratha of Cambodia via split decision in the light welterweight quarterfinals.

Source: Philippines News Agency