Filipina-American hurdler Lauren Hoffman is out of contention after she failed to advance in the semifinals of the women’s 400 meters at the Stade de France in Paris held on Monday, August 5.Hoffman placed seventh and last in Heat 3 of the repechage round, clocking in a time of 58.28 seconds.Qualifying from the third repechage heat were France's Shana Grebo (54.91s) and Ukraine's Anna Ryzhykova (54.95s).The first-time Olympian was relegated to repechage after failing to qualify during the first round of the competition. Hoffman registered 57.84 seconds, finishing 37th overall among 39 participants.Another Filipino track athlete, John Cabang Tolentino, will also compete in the repechage of the men's 110 meter hurdles after a sixth-place finish in the heats on Sunday, August 4.

Filipina fencer Samantha Catantan shared that she is set to take a break from the piste again after sustaining another anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during the 2024 Paris Olympics.The 22-year-old Catantan announced the development on Monday, August 5, in an Instagram post, just a week after she concluded her campaign in the women’s foil event last July 28.

France clinched a ticket to the Paris Olympics men’s basketball tournament final four by defeating the previously unbeaten Canada on Tuesday, August 6 (Manila Time) at the Bercy Arena.Guerschon Yabusele, who was inserted to the starting line-up together withIsaia Cordinier picked up the slack for a subdued Victor Wembanyama, helping establish an early 23-10 advantage in the first quarter and France never relinquished until the end.Yabusele led the way for the host team with 22 points and Cordinier added 20 markers. Evan Fournier scored 15 points and Mathias Lessort notched 13 as Wembanyama was limited to seven, while still hauling down 12 rebounds.On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 27 points for Canada while RJ Barrett contributed 16 markers.The win set up a rematch against Germany in the semi-finals that is scheduled on Thursday, August 8.

The Meralco Bolts and Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots will be the first game of the PBA’s 49th season that will open on Sunday, August 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.Coming off their first championship in the last Philippine Cup, the Meralco Bolts will face the Hotshots in the lone opening game of the Governors’ Cup at 7:30 p.m.But before the tip-off, there will be an opening ceremony scheduled at 5 p.m. at the end of the 48th Season Awards where the top performers from last season will be honored including the announcement of the Most Valuable Player. The awarding is set at 4 p.m.The one game to be played on the opening night will be Meralco’s import Allen Durham return game, after four years. He is looking to finally win a chip in the import-laden tournament.On the other hand, Magnolia will parade former NBA Slam Dunk Champion, Glenn Robinson III to be their reinforcement.

The Philippine Basketball Association 49th season opened the ceremony by acknowledging athletes and giving entertainment.When the curtains were raised at 5pm on Sunday, August 18 at the Araneta Coliseum.TV5 sports news anchor Tito Mikee Reyes and radio-TV host Ana Ramsey set the mood for the PBA’s opening night as they hosted the event.Then, the team muses together with the PBA board of governors came up on stage followed by the introduction of the team roster with their imports.Team muses were composed of different personalities from sports including Olympinas, beauty queens and celebrities.Singer-actress Julie Ann San Jose (who’s Magnolia muse last year) was the muse for the crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra, Olympian gymnast Aleah Finnegan for Meralco, volleyball star Jema Galanza for Phoenix, figure skater Charmaine Syke Chua for NorthPort, SEA games medalist in karate Jamie Lim for San Miguel (Jamie’s father Samboy was one of the SMB’s icon in the 90’s), Miss World Philippines 2024 Krishnah Gravidez for Blackwater, streamer-host-model Myrtle Sarrosa for Converge, actress and model Rere Madrid for Magnolia, host-beauty queen Inday Fatima for NLEX, beauty queen Sophia Bianca Santos for Rain or Shine, pageant icon Annabelle Mcdonnel, and Eat Bulaga host Atasha Mulach for TNT.Olympic bronze medalists boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas also joined them on stage.

The women’s Grand Slam main draw remained elusive for Filipina tennis player Alex Eala after bowing out in the final round of the 2024 US Open qualifiers.Eala fell in the third round of qualifying, blowing a one-set lead against world No. 123 Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania in three sets,  6-3, 1-6, 4-6.After winning the opening frame, the Filipino prodigy lost steam as the 28-year-old Romanian dominated the second set with a 4-0 start before Eala scored a point but took a medical timeout.The world No. 123 got the better of the 19-year-old Filipino in the end game to enter the US Open main draw against Julia Grabher of Austria in the first round.Eala stayed optimistic despite another close call.

The Philippines concluded their stint after finishing third place in the women’s doubles of the Sunchang Open International Soft Tennis tournament in South Korea over the weekend.Team captain Bien Zoleta-Mañalac and Princess Catindig ended their campaign after they were overwhelmed by Koreans Lee Hangyeol and Kim Koeun in the semifinal round, 4-5 (7), held at Sunchang Public Stadium.On the other hand, the Philippine team will now proceed to Anseong City for the World Championships scheduled on September 3 to 9. The Soft Tennis Pilipinas are vying to surpass their previous medal tallies of three bronze medals coming from Josephine Paguyo in 1995, Joseph Arcilla in 2011, and Zoleta-Mañalac in 2015.

George King led a regal performance of 44 points, while Sedrick Barefield added 32 more markers to give Blackwater the dub Tuesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.After delivering a 33-point, 19-rebound performance in his PBA debut against Barangay Ginebra last Frida, King made another impactful game as he exploded for his second double-double scoring 44 and grabbing 13 boards for the Bossing, which lead as much as 19.The local unit of Blackwater was led again by their top rookie Sedrick Barefield who hit a three-pointer at the final 1:10 mark of the game to seal the win for the Bossing, and marked the victory with another ‘night night’ gesture.RK Ilagan and Troy Rosario helped out also in the offensive end, scoring 14 and 12 respectively. Ilagan also added five boards and the same number of dimes to his name.

Jerrold Mangliwan wrapped up his 2024 Paris Paralympics stint after finishing sixth and last in the heats of men’s 100 meter T52 at the Stade de France on Thursday, September 5.The veteran wheelchair racer registered a time of 19.44 seconds where he finished sixth and last among the 12 competitors. Only the top three from each of the two heats and the next two fastest advanced to the final.Tomoki Sato of Japan topped the heat with a time of 17.20 seconds, while Canada’s Anthony Bouchard clocked in 17.43 seconds and Mexico’s Salvador Hernandez Mondragon completed the top three with 17.45 seconds.Mangliwan is the fourth Filipino athlete to exit the Paralympics after para swimmer Ernie Gawilan, para archer Agustina Bantiloc, and para taekwondo jin Allain Ganapin.The Philippine delegation is now down to two with para swimmer Angel Otom and para javelin thrower Cendy Asusano still in the medal contention, hoping to tally the country’s third medal in Paralympic history. 

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters wanted to redeem themselves after failing to sweep the first round of the elimination round when they were defeated by June Mar Fajardo’s buzzer-beating jumper in their last game.The Elasto Painters will face the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, which seek their first win of the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup when they meet on Tuesday, 5pm of September 9 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Should ROS get the dub, they will have a solid hold of the lead in Group B when they recorded a 5-1 in the standings, and will be one victory ahead of coach Yeng Guaio’s target to be able to secure a spot in the crossover quarterfinal round.However, Guiao is cautious of the struggling Fuel Masters that will rely on the capabilities of their new import Brandone Francis, who averaged 39 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in his first two games in the league.

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters relied on their huge fourth quarter surge to promptly get back on the winning track after defeating Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters 122-107 on Tuesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Caelan Tiongson, Andrei Caracut and Gian Mamuyac poured out the buckets they needed while Adrian Nocum and Aaron Fuller painted their own will to lead a 24-4 run from a 95-97 deficit that gave the Elasto Painters a safe 119-101 lead, only 1:22 left.Nocum led the Elasto Painters with 16 points, partnered with a career-high 10 rebounds to notch his first career double-double while import Aaron Fuller added 16 markers and 11 boards, even though he’s buckled with foul trouble.Gian Mamuyac poured out 14 points which included back-to-back triples during their fourth quarter run. Anton Asistio and Jhonard Clarito put up 13 and 10 respectively while ROS prized rookies Tiongson and Felix Lemetti both tallied 12 points.Guiao played down the win, saying Phoenix isn't playing to its potential.

After an embarrassing 49-point beating from SMB, Barangay Ginebra bounced back big through a boost by RJ Abarrientos to deliver a 112-96 victory against Phoenix on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Abarrientos produced a career-high 24 points highlighted by a four-pointer and three triples, together with five rebounds and five assists to lead the Gin Kings in clinching a quarterfinals berth.Japeth Aguilar joined the fray by firing 21 points, while Scottie Thompson added 20. Justin Brownlee and Maverick Ahanmisi contributed 13 and 12, respectively to balance the scoring for the crowd-favorite team.Ginebra now has a 6-3 win-loss record, half-game behind the joint leader San Miguel and Rain or Shine which both 6-2 slates.

Converge surprised the mighty Beermen once again as they dragged them to a winner-take-all showdown after having a 114-110 victory in Game 4 of their PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup quarterfinals match-up to tie the series on Friday night, October 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The FiberXers put the pressure on SMB by making clutch plays in the end including Bryan Santos' back-to-back triples that gave them a 101-95 lead in the home stretch.

Petro Gazz rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to defending champion Creamline with a strong 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 win over Farm Fresh in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Saturday, November 23, at Candon City Arena, Ilocos Sur.The Angels won their second straight game thanks to a spectacular homecoming performance from reigning conference MVP Brooke Van Sickle, who scored 20 points — 19 of which came from attacks.With the victory, Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho shared the same 2-1 record and were now tied for fourth position.

La Salle-EcoOil concluded its 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference campaign with straight sets, 25-19, 25-22, 25-18, victory over VNS on Sunday, December 1, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.The Green Oilers missed out on the Final Four despite a strong start that included four straight victories."I said just enjoy it. It was somehow disappointing in a sense that we didn't make it to the Final Four, but I'm hoping that with all our losses, we have learned something," said head coach Jose Roque, reflecting on the team's campaign.

It will be an epic rematch when the De La Salle University Green Archers defend their title against rival University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the UAAP Season 87 Men's Basketball Finals.In Season 86, the DLSU wards won the title in three games against the UP squad.The Green Archers want to do it back-to-back as they will once again be led by the soon-to-be crowned two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao, while the Fighting Maroons aim to get revenge.It will only be the third post-elimination match-up of the two universities in the Final Four era.The two teams first faced each other in Season 84 when the leadership of coach Goldwin Monterverde led the Carl Tamayo-Malick Diouf combo of UP defeated the Justine Baltazar-led La Salle in their semi-final battle, and got their first championship since 1986.After two years, the Green Archers relied on the mentorship of new head coach Topex Robinson to help them win the Season 86 title in three games.In the coaches’ head-to-head match-up, Robinson had a 5-2 edge against Monteverde.

A TOUGH START FOR GILAS GIRLS. 🇵🇭🏀The Gilas Pilipinas Girls opened their Division A FIBA Women’s U18 Asia Cup campaign with a brutal reality check, falling to defending champion Australia, 102-47, at the Karisma Arena in Seremban, Malaysia on Sunday, Oct. 4.The Australian Gems wasted no time showing why they are the defending champions, exploding to a 30-8 lead after the opening quarter and putting the Filipinas in a hole they could never escape.By halftime, the damage was already done.Australia stretched its advantage to 60-20, effectively putting the game out of reach after two quarters.Tiffany Reyes and Zaydhen Rosano led Gilas with 10 points apiece, but Australia’s depth proved too much. Five Australian players scored in double figures, led by Sophie Richardson with 18 points and Isabel Smith with 17.But there’s no time to dwell on the loss.The Filipinas return to action Monday, Oct. 5, against South Korea, before wrapping up the Group A preliminaries against New Zealand on Tuesday.THE AUSTRALIAN WALL WAS TOO HIGH. NOW COMES THE RESPONSE.The score is final.THE FIGHT ISN’T.

Jonalyn Halasan of Calabarzon bagged another gold medal for the region after ruling the secondary girls division of triple jump at 11.39 meters.This is the 17-year-old’s third time competing in Palarong Pambansa, and her second gold medal after finishing first in the elementary girls division of the same event in 2019.The student-athlete shared she draws inspiration from former long jump Olympian turned coach Marestella Torres. She also thanked her parents and her coaches for their support.“Even when we are not that tall and lean, they always remind us that we can still do it,” said Halasan, who hails from General Pantaleon Garcia Senior High School in Imus City, Cavite.

Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas retained its flawless record in the 43rd William Jones Cup in Taiwan after a 112-90 blowout over USA on Thursday, July 18, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei.Chris McCullough once again forefronted the Philippine team after unloading 24 points on top of 18 rebounds and seven assists. Tajuan Agee supported McCullough with 19 markers, while the rest of the local cast also delivered in the victory that saw Strong Group pull away in the second half.USA pulled ahead of the competition at 62-62 early in the third quarter before SGA ended the period on a 17-14 run for an 89-76 lead, which ballooned to as big as 22 points.Incoming Ginebra rookie, RJ Abarrientos was the top local performer contributing 17 markers off four triples, Jordan Heading chipped in 11 points, while Ange Kouame and Allen Liwag scored 10 each.Meanwhile, Future Sports leaned on Bowen Hammer as he led the pack with 18 points and six rebounds, while Marcus Elliott added 15 points.On the heels of the most dominant victory, Strong Group-Pilipinas aims to continue its winning streak in the tournament when it tangles with Japan on Friday, July 19.