Kiyomi Watanabe is set to make her mark again in the world stage as she will be competing for Team Philippines in women’s judo of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 for the second straight time.It has been three years since the Philippines fielded the Olympics with a female judoka to represent the nation in judo. And though Watanabe’s campaign did not get as far as she had hoped, she earned the distinction as the first Filipina Olympian in the sport since the country participated in Olympic Judo competitions since 1964.Three years later, that remains to be the case as Watanabe is the lone female in the country’s elite line of judokas in the Olympics which includes John Baylon (1998 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona), Jerry Dino (1998 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona), Benjie McMurray (1988 Seoul), Tomohiko Hoshina (2012 London), and Kodo Nakano (2016 Rio).The 27-year-old had a forgettable outing in her Olympic debut in the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games after absorbing defeat in the opening round via an ippon to Spain’s Cristina Cabaña.Despite the heartbreaking loss, Watanabe booked her return trip to the Olympics.Watanabe, who won four gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games and a silver medal in the Asian games, secured her seat after earning one of the two continental quotas allocated for Asia in the -63 kilogram class of the women’s category through her world ranking, No. 92.In her return to the Olympics, the Filipino-Japanese vowed to do better by hurdling the first round in the weight division consisting of 28 entries.Watanabe is set to begin her stint on July 30. 

Central Visayas collected 16 gold medals in the final day of the 2024 Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) National Games weightlifting competition at the Gogon Elementary School on Wednesday, July 24.Bohol Institute of Technology’s June Michael Jaluag registered a total of 216 kilograms – 85 kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk – to secure three gold medals in the men’s 94kg category.Czar Angelo Bangoy of Holy Trinity College in General Santos City (SOCCSKSARGEN) took the silver medals in snatch (70kg), clean and jerk (100kg), and total (170kg) while Jhon Benedict Jacob of Naga College Foundation (Region V) settled for the bronze medals in snatch (50kg), clean and jerk (75kg), and total (125kg).Rising Boholana lifter Samantha Nicole Podot pocketed three gold medals in the women’s weightlifting -77kg category.The 19-year-old Podot lifted a tournament-best 55 kilograms in the snatch and 65 kilograms in the clean and jerk for a total of 120 kilograms that earned her a golden treble.Podot, a first year BS Medical Technology student of Holy Name University (HNU) in her hometown of Tagbilaran City, trains alongside Vanessa Sarno, one of the country’s representatives to the most anticipated Paris Olympics set to kick off on July 26.Other weightlifting gold miners from Central Visayas include Justine Luke Loreto (men’s 54kg), Julia Xeanne Quano (girls 49kg), Daisymae Zerna (girls 53kg), and Rhea Marie Magparo (girls 57kg).Meanwhile, Bicol Region produced nine gold medals coming from Naga College Foundation students Mateo Noel Falcon (boys 68kg), Venn Emil Quiros (boys 73kg), and Aljo Augie Bibe (boys 54kg).With about a day left in the 2024 PRISAA Games, Central Visayas and Bicol Region have the most number of golds and total medals collected in the senior and youth division, respectively.Region VII has so far won 66 gold, 33 silver, and 34 bronze medals in the senior level, a total of 133 medals.Cordillera Administrative Region has the second most gold medals won with 33, plus 23 silvers and 31 bronzes, followed by Western Visayas (Region VI) with a 24-23-19 medal tally.Also reaching double digit numbers in gold medals are SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) and CALABARZON (Region IV-A) with 23 each, Ilocos Region (Region I) with 14, as well as the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) and Negros Island Region with 11 apiece.In the youth division, Bicol Region (Region V) has 52 golds, 39 silvers, and 38 bronzes, totaling 129.Western Visayas is second with 38 gold, 42 silver, and 30 bronze medals, while Calabarzon is not too far behind with a 33-21-20 medal haul.Central Luzon (Region III) has 25 golds, Central Visayas has 11, and Northern Mindanao (Region X) has 10.The PRISAA National Games will have its closing ceremony on Friday.

The 37th Thai King’s Cup Sepaktakraw World Championship will lose some of its lustre as Indonesia and Philippines, semifinalists in the regu event at the International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) Sepaktakraw World Cup last May, have officially withdrawn from the tournament. ISTAF secretary-general Abdul Halim Kader announced that the Indonesian Sepaktakraw Association withdrew from the King’s Cup to focus on the 21st National Sports Week in the republic from September 8 to 20.However, the Philippine Sepaktakraw Association did not provide any reason for their withdrawal by the final registration deadline on July 14.

Serbian gaming organization Aurora Gaming has formally entered the MLBB scene through the reveal of its powerhouse MPL Philippines roster Saturday night.The team is composed of powerhouse veterans, all of which have had significant experience in and out of the Land of Dawn.Leading the pack are ex-Blacklist International stalwarts Edward Jay “Edward” Dapadap, Kenneth Carl “Yue” Tadeo, and Renejay “Renejay” Barcarse.RSG Philippines’ former star jungler Jonard “Demonkite” Caranto, TNC Pro Team stalwart Ben “Benthings” Maglaque, and Minana EVOS’ Jan Dominic “Domeng” del Mundo have also joined the team.At the coaching team of Aurora’s star-studded lineup are ex-Blacklist coaches Aniel “Master The Basics” Jiandani, supported by assistant coach Dexter Louise “Dex Star” Alaba.And guiding the team as Esports and Gaming Content Directors are MPL legends Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie James “Wise” del Rosario.Aurora Gaming says their focus on the team would focus on ambassadorship, quelling rumors of a return for both OhMyV33nus and Wise to competitive MLBB.

Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan won the country’s first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women’s individual saber event at the Grand Palais on Monday, July 29.Five-time Olympian Kharlan reached the semifinals by defeating Japan’s Fukushima Shihomi (15:9), Azerbaijan’s Anna Bashta (15:6), and Hungary’s Anna Marton (15:7), but she lost to top seed Sarah Balzer (7:15) of France in the semifinals.Kharlan overturned a six-point deficit to beat South Korea’s Sebin Choi, 15-14, to earn a bronze medal.The Ukrainian fencer was disqualified from last year's world championships, a key Olympic qualifier, for refusing to shake the hand of a Russian opponent Anna Smirnova after winning their bout.Amid a mounting backlash, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stepped in to hand Harlan a “unique exception”, a guaranteed spot at the Games. The fencing’s governing body overturned a two-month ban it had imposed along with the disqualification and made handshakes optional soon after.Kharlan has now earned a total of five Olympic medals in both team and individual events, but her latest medal is nothing like the others.“I brought a medal to my country, and it is the first one, and it is going to be a good start for our athletes who are here because it is really tough to compete when your country is at war,” Kharlan said post match.“Every medal is like gold. I don’t care that it is bronze. It is gold.”

Swimmer Kayla Sanchez’s quest for a medal in the women’s 100 meter freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics came to an end when she failed to advance in the semifinals.Sanchez clocked 54.21 seconds in the second semifinal on Tuesday, July 30, (early Wednesday in Manila) at the Paris La Defense Arena, good for seventh in her group and 15th overall.Earlier in the day, the 23-year-old Filipina made her Olympic debut for the Philippines by delivering an impressive performance after finishing fourth-place in the heats.She registered 53.67 seconds, setting a new national record for the Philippines in the women’s 100m freestyle.Unfortunately, Sanchez missed the top-eight cutoff for the final and became the eighth member of the 22-strong Team Philippines to get eliminated.Gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Jung-Ruivivar, fencer Samantha Catantan, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, rower Joanie Degalco, and boxer Eumir Marcial all bowed out of medal contention in their respective events.

Chile’s table tennis player Zeng Zhiying proved that age is just a number by being the country’s representative in the Paris Olympics. She fulfilled the athlete’s dream of playing in the grandest stage at 58 years old.Despite bowing out early in the tournament, Zhiying still shone with her own spotlight because of her grit to finally reach her Olympic dream in a tourney where it’s filled with all sorts of players from different ages and backgrounds.Zeng made her Olympic debut on Saturday but fell short in the preliminary round where she lost to Lebanon’s Mariana Sahakian, 1-4.Before Zeng’s match, she made sure to thank her father and brother for the support they have given throughout her journey.

Carlos Edriel Yulo has truly become the Philippines “Golden Boy” after capturing not just one but two golds in the grandest stage of sports.Yulo won his first Olympic gold medal in the men’s artistics gymnastic’s floor exercise last Saturday, July 3.He became the first male Filipino athlete to bring home an Olympic gold for the country and the second overall after Hidilyn Diaz got the first one in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games.During the finals of the floor exercise, Yulo scored 15.000 points to dethrone Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat, who eventually got the silver medal by tallying 14.966 points while top qualifier Jake Jarman of Great Britain bagged bronze with 14.933 points. Just 24 hours after clinching his first gold medal in Paris, Yulo got another one by topping the vault finals. He scored a massive 15.433 in his first vault followed by 14.800 in his second to have an impressive average of 15.116.The other two podium finishers in the vault were former world champion and Tokyo silver medalist Artur Davytan of Armenia who bagged another silver with his 14.966 performance, and Great Britain’s Harry Hepworth brought the bronze with an average of 14.949 points. With two golds from Caloy Yulo and an assured of at least bronze for boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, the Philippines has already matched its four-medal haul in Tokyo - the biggest in Philippine Olympic history.The Philippine Centennial delegation can still overcome the feat as EJ Obiena entered in the men’s pole vault while the other athletics representative Lauren Hoffman (women’s 400m hurdles) and John Cabang Tolentino (men’s 100m hurdle) were relegated to the repechage round. Golfer Bianca Pagdanganan will start her quest for a medal on August 7 while weightlifters John Ceniza, Eireen Ando and Vanessa Sarno will also have their opportunity this week.Having two golds already, assured of another two medals, and six more athletes having a chance to bag more, this can truly be called the golden era of the Philippine delegation in the Olympics while celebrating the 100 years of participating in the Summer Games.

Filipina golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina made significant strides in the second of four rounds in the Paris Olympics women’s individual stroke play at the Le Golf National on Thursday, August 8.Pagdanganan put up her best performance yet in Paris 2024 after firing a 3-under 69 to climb seven spots after ending the first round with a par 72. She brushed off two two bogeys in the first four holes and went on to earn four birdies, including three in the back nine with a total score of 3-under 141 through two rounds.If Pagdangan keeps her nerves and sustains her charge, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) veteran could increase the country’s medal harvest.Ardina, the other Philippine bet in the field, remained at the bottom half of the 60-woman field despite improving four places to joint 36th. She shot a par 72 as she compensated for a double bogey at the second hole with birdies at 11th and 18th for a 4-over 148.Japan’s Yuka Saso, who represented the Philippines in the 2020 Tokyo Games, struggled anew and dropped a spot to joint 47th. She went two-over-par with 74 in the second round, with a seven on a par-four 12th hole.Round 3 of the event will continue on Friday, August 9.

The Petro Gazz Angels soared above the Creamline Cool Smashers in a must-win Pool C match of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Tuesday, August 13, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.Petro Gazz continued to turn things around in the second round of the PVL and shot down the streaking Creamline in five sets, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-12.This victory improved their win-loss record to 3-3 and increased their chances of making the quarterfinals.Cuban reinforcement Wilma Salas paced the Angels with 34 points on 33 attacks and a block apart from 17 excellent digs, while Brooke Van Sickle registered 24 markers out of 23 attacks and an ace.

Filipina tennis player Alex Eala missed out on a semifinals berth of the W100 Cary tournament in North Carolina after failing to outplay second seed Renata Zarazua of Mexico early Friday morning (Philippine time).After taking the first set with ease, 6-3, Eala had a strong start in the second set, going up 4-2. However, Zarazua stormed back and won the next four games to take the match into a third set.Despite inching closer, pulling at 3-4, the 26-year-old Mexican bet kept her composure and won to punch a ticket to the semifinals.This is the second straight quarterfinal exit for the 19-year-old Asian Games bronze medalist after falling in the final eight of the W100 Landisville a few days ago. 

The Chery Tiggo Crossovers secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference after breezing past the winless ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles on Saturday, August 17, at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Crossovers bounced back from their previous loss to the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, improving their record to 5-2 and claiming solo fourth place after hammering the Thundebelles in a commanding straight-sets victory, 25-18, 25-18, 25-19.With the quarters in mind, coach Kungfu Reyes said they will try harder in training, which they expect to show in matches.

World championships medalists Joseph Arcilla and Bien Zoleta-Mañalac will banner the 12-man Soft Tennis Pilipinas team at the 2024 World Soft Tennis Championship slated September 1 to 11 at Anseong, South Korea.Team captain Arcilla will banner the men’s team with Dheo Talatayod, Patrick Mendoza, Adjuthor Moralde II, Samuel Nuguit and Sherwin Nuguit, while captain Zoleta-Mañalac will steer the women’s squad, alongside Princess Catindig, Bambi Zoleta, Cristy Sañosa, Virvien Bejusano, Bea Ebriega and Shyryn Salazar.The team is now in Daegu and Sunchang City, South Korea for a three-week training camp.The 12-member team will first compete at the 2024 Sunchang Open Soft Tennis Tournament set for August 25 to 31, as a final build-up to the world meet.

Filipino Olympian and pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena finished joint third place in the men’s pole vault at the Lausanne Diamond League athletics event in Switzerland on Wednesday, August 21 (Philippine time).Obiena cleared 5.82 meters in just a single attempt to place third, tied with Sondre Guttormsen of Norway and Kurtis Marshall of Australia, in the tournament which had 11 competitions. Reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 Armand Duplantis of Sweden ruled the event placing first with 6.15 meters followed by Paris silver medalist Sam Kendrick of the United States with 5.92 meters clearance. This is Obiena’s first competition after a narrow podium finish in the Paris Olympics where he placed fourth registering a height of 5.90 meters, but lost the bronze to Emmanouil Karalis of Greece due to a tiebreaker.Obiena is also expected to compete in the Silesia leg of the Diamond League on August 25.

Arvin Tolentino scored his career-high 51 points in a romp made by NorthPort Batang Pier against Converge FiberXers, 135-109, on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Tolentino’s career-best broke the previous franchise record 50 points established by NorthPort’s former gunner Stanley Pringle during the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup.It was also the last 51-point production in the league since Asi Taulava had the same score back in 2004 where TNT won over Purefoods, 131-105 during the Fiesta Cup.According to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon, Allan Caidic and Rudy Distrito were the last two homegrown players to hit more than 50 points. Caidic recorded a league-high 79 points on November 21, 1991 while Distrito scored 54 in Tivoli’s 162-149 over Ginebra.Adding flavor to Tolentino’s career game was his 15-of-27 shooting from the field - 10-of-14 from two-point range and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc while nailing a perfect 16-of-16 from the stripes.The First Mythical Team Member for the 48th Season breached the 50-point barrier with 2:01 left in the fourth on a jumper from the left wing, and was replaced shortly thereafter, receiving high fives from NorthPort coaches and players.

Jerrick Ahanmisi scored a career-best 24 points to lead the Magnolia Hotshots’ overwhelming win over Terrafirma Dyip, 124-104, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Magnolia went back to their identity as a defensive team and even led as much as 60-22 in the second quarter.Ahanmisi's career game was highlighted by his four 4-pointers and two 3-pointers, where his 10 of 24 markers in the second period fueled their breakaway to erect a 63-32 lead at the half.Before Ahanmisi’s explosion, Hotshots import Glenn Robinson III made his presence felt early in the game and finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds despite dealing with food poisoning on the eve of the match.Zavier Lucero, Ian Sangalang, Paul Lee and Joseph Eriobu each finished with at least 12 markers to back up Ahanmi’s impressive performance.The performance pleased Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero even though the Hotshots seemed to relax in the second half where they allowed the Dyip to score more than 30 per quarter.

Meralco Bolts bank on a huge third-quarter tear to rip NorthPort Batang Pier, 109-99, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday night, September 1.Import Allen Durham hulked a near triple-double performance spiked by his 19 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter where the Bolts pulled away from the Batang Pier for good. He added 15 rebounds and nine assists to lead Meralco in a joint Group A lead with TNT Tropang Texters at 3-1.Chris Banchero put up 23, Bong Quinto chipped in 18, including a team-leading 14 in the first half, while Anjo Caram contributed 10, all in the third canto.On the defensive end, the Bolts limited Arvin Tolentino to 21 after exploding for a career-high 51 in their last game in a follow-up to a near triple double in a previous outing.The Bolts also did a good job on NorthPort import Venky Jois whom they bounded to just six points, five rebounds and three assists with two turnovers.William Navarro and Joshua Munzon contributed 18 and 16, respectively for the Batang Pier who fell to an even 2-2 record as their two-game winning run was snapped.

Chezka Centeno continued to carry the fight for the Philippines after defeating Mayte Romero of Spain on Tuesday, September 3, in the World Pool Association or WPA World 9-Ball Women’s Championship held in Hamilton, New Zealand. The World Junior 9-Ball champion will vie for a place in the knockout round when she faces off Yuki Hiraguchi of Japan.Meanwhile, veteran Rubilen Amit launched her 9-Ball Women’s Championship in grand fashion after overwhelming Canada’s Veronique Menard with a 4-1, 4-0 victory in the race to 4 best of three sets preliminary stage.Amit’s win arranged her a match up against Chinese Taipe’s Chen Chia Hua, who earned a first-match bye. But the 9-Ball crown remained elusive for the two-time World 10-Ball champion as she dropped the second game with Hua, 1-2, via shootout.She will meet Gemma Schumann of Australia on the loser’s side.The lone Filipino entry, Carlo Biado, on the other hand, opened his first match with a loss against Jui-an Ryan Hsu of Chinese Taipei, 6-8. He tried to revive his chance by trouncing Kenko Suzuki of Japan when he was relegated in the loser’s bracket but eventually succumbed to Chinese Gao Zhankui, 7-8, to end his World 10-Ball crown bid. 

The TNT Tropang Giga claimed a share of leading the Group A after overpowering the still winless Terrafirma Dyip, 107-89 in their match last night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Rondae Hollis-Jefferson just shook off a nagging ankle injury to lead TNT in their win as he registered 26 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.