Lauren Hoffman has faced many hurdles already whether in sports or in life.In the upcoming Paris Olympics, she hopes to surpass another one as she is to face the grandest hurdle of her career.Hoffman will be one of the Philippines’ track and field Olympic bets together with fellow hurdler John Cabang Tolentino and pole vaulter EJ Obiena in the athletics.The 25-year-old Filipino-American hurdler will compete in her pet event 400-meter hurdles as she vies for no less than a medal. Her Olympic journey will begin on Sunday, August 4, 6:35 (Philippine Time).When Hoffman learned about her qualification for the Paris Games, these are the first words that she uttered, "I qualified for the Olympics. Still feels so crazy to say that."Lauren, the daughter of a Filipina mother and American father, grew up in the States, and started representing the Philippine flag only in 2023, then immediately made an impact since donning the national colors.She buckled up to work and competed in that year's Asian Games in China, where she impressed right away in the 400m hurdles after finishing second second in the heats with a 57.61-second output and fifth in the finals with a 57.21 seconds performance.However, that was not enough to clinch a berth in the Paris Games. She needed to either hit the Olympic standard time of 54.85 seconds in succeeding competitions or finish within the top 40 in the world rankings.Only 32 athletes managed to meet the required time while the eight others had to rely on their Olympic rankings to punch their way to the Games. Hoffman qualified through the latter after ranking 39th as her current personal best and national record is at 55.47 seconds she set in 2022.Despite hurdling the harder path, Hoffman was just ecstatic to wave the flag once she set foot at sports' biggest stage. 

The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) has announced that all games scheduled for Thursday, July 25, have been canceled due to the inclement weather brought by Typhoon Carina.The league made the announcement on Wednesday, prioritizing the safety and well-being of players, staff, and fans.In a statement, the league said, “Due to the inclement weather brought by Typhoon Carina, all Premier Volleyball League games scheduled for Thursday, July 25, have been postponed and will be moved to a later date. Stay safe and dry.”PLDT was supposed to face Farm Fresh at 1:00 pm at the PhilSports Arena with the High Speed Hitters looking to continue their unbeaten start that saw them clinch two wins. Meanwhile, the Foxies would have been looking to get their breakthrough after falling 0-2 in Pool A.Creamline and Nxled were also scheduled for their 3:00 pm encounter with Cool Smashers eyeing for back-to-back wins while the Chameleons were vying for their second win in three games.Chery Tiggo, who are also undefeated in Pool A with a 2-0 slate, were originally set to slug it out against Galeries Tower at 5:00 pm.The league will announce the rescheduled dates for these matches at a later time.

Association of Boxing Alliance of the Philippines’ (ABAP) chairman Ricky Vargas expects the five-strong Philippine boxing team to bring home a medal from the Paris Olympics.“Minimum two golds,” said Vargas. “Podium finishes for all five are very possible. They’re prepared, they’re ready. They went through a lot to get to where they are, to represent the country in the Olympics.” The fighting five are lightheavyweight (80kg) Eumir Marcial, featherweight (57kg) Carlo Paalam, lightflyweight (50kg) Aira Villegas, featherweight (57kg) Nesthy Petecio and middleweight (75kg) Hergie Bacyadan.Marcial, 28, earned his ticket by making it to the final of the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year while Villegas, 28, and Petecio, 32, got their passes at the first World Qualifying Tournament in Italy last March. Paalam, 25 and Bacyadan, 29 booked their slots at the second World Qualifying Tournament in Bangkok last June.The boxing tournament in the Summer Games begins July 27 and ends August 11 when Philippine delegation flag-bearers Paalam and Petecio, and the rest of the team go for gold if they make it all the way to the final.

Farm Fresh finally tallied its first win in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.Yeny Murillo was unstoppable in the fifth set as Farm Fresh survived the Galeries Tower in a five-set thriller, 25-22, 35-37, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10, to secure their first victory in Pool A on Tuesday, July 30, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.The Colombian outside spiker led her team’s offense after delivering 29 crucial points, built on 26 attacks, 16 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs, carrying her squad on her back in the fifth set.“You know, we have been working really hard and we are trying to get in rhythm with each other and I feel like my team needed this win because my team needs motivation to keep pushing and keep pushing harder,” Murillo said during the postgame press conference.Also leaving a strong impression for the Foxies were Caitlin Viray and Trisha Tubu with 18 markers apiece and Ckyle Tagsip contributing 15, including four blocks, in a solid team win for Foxies, who now occupied the fifth spot in Pool A with a 1-2 win-loss record.On the other hand, the Highrisers dropped to 0-3 at the bottom of Pool A.Thai import Chuewulim Sutadta paced the Galeries Tower with 19 points, 19 excellent receptions, and 10 excellent digs.Graze Bombita and France Ronquillo added 17 points each, while Roselle Baliton chipped in 14 markers.Farm Fresh aims to sustain its momentum when they face Nxled on Saturday, August 03, at the same venue, while the Galeries Tower will look to secure their first win against Creamline. 

University of the East opened its bid in the 2024 V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge in a stunning way, crushing reigning NCAA Season 99 champion De La Salle-College of St. Benilde in straight sets at the Paco Arena on Wednesday night, July 31.The Lady Warriors staged multiple comebacks to complete their domination of the Lady Blazers in a battle between Jerry Yee-coached squads.“The Lady Blazers have had the advantage over us the past couple of weeks, so I’m very happy that the girls pulled through even coming from behind,” said UE assistant coach Obet Vital.Down by as many as five points midway through the final set, UE rattled off a pivotal 9-1 run to gain momentum and sweep CSB to a 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 victory.Khy Cepada led the Lady Warriors by delivering 20 points, all from attacks, while Kayce Balingit and Jenalyn Umayam contributed 12 and 10 markers, respectively.Jelai Gajero also returned to the court for the first time since tearing her ACL in the same tournament seven months ago. The California Academy standout focused on regaining her floor defense for the game.Meanwhile, Corrine Apostol paced CSB with 14 points, while Rhea Densing chipped in 12 markers.UE will face UAAP Season 86 silver medalist University of Santo Tomas on Sunday, August 4, while St. Benilde will aim to bounce back against Far Eastern University on the same date.

Cignal executed a near perfect game to continue its dominance of Pool B in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Thursday, August 1, at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.The HD Spikers dismantled the struggling Petro Gazz Angels in straight sets, 25-19, 25-19, 25-22, bringing them close to sweeping Pool B with a perfect 4-0 record.This is also the HD Spikers’ best start in two years since the Invitational Conference in 2022 to secure their places among the top three teams.

Capital1’s Russian reinforcement, Marina Tushova, reset the Premier Volleyball League record books by scoring 45, powering her team past Choco Mucho in a thrilling five-set encounter at the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) on Thursday, August 1, at the PhilSports Arena.Tushova’s 45-point explosion surpassed the previous record of 44 points set by Dominica Priscilla Rivera of Akari during the 2022 Reinforced Conference.The Russian outside hitter poured 43 kills, one block, and an ace to complete the Solars Spikers come-from-behind victory that set their best start in the league so far with a 2-2 record in Pool B.Tushova also hard-carried the defensive side of the ball in the win with 18 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs as middle blocker Des Clemente tallied seven points off four blocks, while Julia Ipac scored six.On the other hand, Choco Mucho’s Greek import, Zoi Faki, scored a conference-best 28 in the losing cause as the Flying Titans sank to a 1-3 slate in Pool B.Dindin Santiago-Manabat contributed 16 points with 12 attacks, two blocks, and two aces, while Maddie Madayag and Royse Tubino added eight markers apiece.Capital1 will look to sustain its momentum when they face ZUS Coffee, while Choco Mucho will aim to recover when they face Petro Gazz on Tuesday, August 6, at the same venue. 

After winning the interim fight with Gustavo “El Gladdiator” Balart, Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks wants to challenge his longtime rival and reigning divisional king from the Philippines  Joshua “The Passion” Pacio for the third time. The highly anticipated unification trilogy between Brooks and Pacio should be coming into fruition once the Filipino athlete recovers from his torn ACL.Jarred Brooks was disqualified and lost the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title back in March, but he’s hungry to redeem himself and get back to his previous glory as the undisputed king. During their clash last March, Brooks was disqualified in the first round of the contest after slamming Pacio head and neck first into the canvas, resulting in an anticlimactic finish. Pacio then sustained a neck injury.Brooks accepted the bout for the division’s interim crown against Balart while Pacio continues to recover from his injury. However, now that Brooks owns the interim gold, he is super excited and can’t wait to settle the score with Pacio in a high-stakes rubber match.Brooks now has a professional record of 21-3, scoring his 11th finish.

Justin Brownlee secured another championship to his accolades after Pelita Jaya reigned the 2024 Indonesia Basketball League (IBL) after subduing Satria Muda Pertamina Jakarta, 73-65, on Sunday, August 4, at the Indomilk Arena. The well-loved Gilas Pilas naturalized player and Barangay Ginebra import did not have a huge offensive night but he made his presence felt by producing 14 points, including eight in the third quarter alone, together with five rebounds. Indonesian team naturalized player Anthony Beane paced the squad with 23 markers, spiked by six triples, while former PBA import KJ McDaniels contributed 14 and seven boards.Forward Muhamad Arighi had 13 points as well, spiked by three triples, off the bench as Pelita Jaya won its second IBL title after seven years.With the crown tucked under his belt, Brownlee is expected to fly back to Manila soon to rejoin Barangay Ginebra as he looks to lead his team in the upcoming PBA Season 49, which kicks off with the Governor’s Cup. 

Akari came out on top as the league’s last undefeated team after dealing Cignal its first loss in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena on Tuesday, August 6.The Chargers finished their Pool B games with a 15-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 victory against the HD Spikers, pushing them down to a 4-1 for second. American reinforcement Oly Okaro led the massive charge with 24 points anchored on 22 attacks, one ace, and one block, while Ivy Lacsina chipped in 14 markers from 12 attacks as the Chargers ended the first round with a clean 5-0 slate.Ced Domingo contributed 10, four coming from the total 12 blocks of Akari. Kamille Cal seemed to be adjusting well as the starting playmaker with 14 excellent sets to go with eight points, including three blocks.Gretchel Soltones also had an all-performance with eight points, 19 receptions, and 11 digs.HD Spikers’ Venezuelan import MJ Perez was the only one to score in double digits with 24 points, along with 11 receptions, and nine digs. Riri Meneses and Ces Molina added nine and eight markers, respectively, in the losing effort. Both teams will enter the next round as part of the top three in their group, facing the bottom three from Pool A.

Filipina weightlifter Elreen Ando might have finished outside of the podium but she set a pair of personal-best marks in the women’s weightlifting 59kg division at South Paris Arena 6 on Thursday, August 8 (Manila time).In her return to the Olympic stage, Ando registered a total lift of 230kg, with 100kg from the snatch and 130kg from the clean and jerk, both personal bests, to finish in sixth place among 12 competitors.The 26-year-old Ando eclipsed her previous records of clean and jerk and total lifts of 128kg and 228kg, respectively, which she achieved at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in April in Thailand.She also equaled the national snatch record of 100kg, which she set at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh last September. Ando finished the Summer Games in sixth place, improving from her seventh-place finish with 222kg in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 64kg category. Reigning world champion Luo Shifang of China smashed all of the Olympic records in the division with a 107kg snatch, 134kg clean and jerk, and 341kg total as she bested two Tokyo gold medalists. Canada’s Maude Charron took the silver with a total of 236kg, while Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Hsing-chun secured the bronze with a total of 235 kg.The Philippines' youngest Asian champion, Vanessa Sarno, will aim to end the weightlifting team’s campaign on a high note on Saturday, August 10, in the women’s 71kg category.

Chery Tiggo overcame a second set stumble and took down Galeries Tower in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Thursday night, August 8.The Chery Tiggo Crossovers capped the first round on a high note with a commanding four-set win over the Galeries Towers Highrisers, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16.Spiker Ara Galang led the team’s local offense with 16 points built on 11 attacks and five blocks, while import Khat Bell, despite nursing a minor back injury, still tallied a game-high 25 markers on 21 attacks, three blocks, and one ace to go along with 12 excellent receptions and eight excellent digs. 

Filipina golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina exhibited their fighting spirit, displaying their clutch performances to end their respective campaigns in the Paris Olympics women’s individual stroke play at the Le Golf National on Saturday, August 10.Pagdanganan narrowly missed out on a historic medal for the Philippines as she finished at joint fourth with an impressive 4-under 68 in the fourth and final round. She was one stroke away from a bronze medal until China’s Janet Lin birdied in the 18th hole to seize the solo third and dash the Filipina’s medal hopes.

Filipina weightlifter Vanessa Sarno capped her Olympic debut in disappointment after logging a DNF (did not finish) at the Paris Olympics women’s weightlifting 71kg class at the South Paris Arena early Saturday (Manila time).What looked like a promising Paris Games campaign came to a quick halt as the 20-year-old Sarno used up all her three snatch attempts at 100kg, 10kg lower than her previous personal and national record, to no success.

Filipino-Canadian Kayla Sanchez and Filipino-American Jarod Hatch, who both represented the country in the Paris Olympics 2024, will join the Philippine Aquatics Inc. (PAI) national trials this month at the Teofilo Ildefonso swimming pool of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. A total of 61 Filipino swimmers based abroad have signed up to join some 500 local hopefuls for a 50 meter (long course) and 25 meter (short course) swimming championships slated on August 15 to 18 and August 20 to 23, respectively.The national trials will be the basis for the selection of the national team members who will see action in the Aquatics World Cup series, the 46th Southeast Asian Age Group Championships and the World Aquatics Championships next year.Sanchez and Hatch banner the list of foreign-based hopefuls together with former Southeast Asian Games champion Chloe Isleta, junior standout Heather White, and Teia Salvino. 

PLDT booked a ticket into the quarterfinals after eliminating ZUS Coffee in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference at the PhilSports Arena Tuesday night, August 13.The High Speed Hitters have qualified for the quarterfinals after dominating the still-winless Thunderbelles in straight sets, 25-18, 25-14, 25-12.Russian import Elena Samoilenko led the charge for the PLDT High Speed Hitters, posting a game-high 14 points on 12 attacks and two blocks to go along with eight excellent digs and six excellent receptions, while Majoy Baron supplemented the offense with 13 markers on nine attacks, three blocks, and one ace.For Baron, who also nabbed the Player of the Game nod, the triumph was a way of having fun and being consistent. She also revealed that missing the Final Four last conference became their motivation to win their games.

National University is set to compete in the 2024 VTV International Women’s Volleyball Cup in Ninh Binh, Vietnam from August 24 to 31.The Lady Bulldogs were tapped as last-minute replacements after the withdrawal of University of Indonesia, making the reigning UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball champion the lone collegiate team in the eight-team field.Set to boost the Lady Bulldogs’ campaign are the Alas Pilipinas trio, Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Arah Panique, who will be coming off from a back-to-back bronze medal hauls of their own in the 2024 Southeast Asian Volleyball League (SEA V.League) in Vietnam and Thailand. The NU Lady Bulldogs will be up against Vietnam and pro clubs Aranmare Yamagata of Japan, Gimcheon Korea Expressway Hi-Pass of South Korea, King Whale Taipei of Chinese Taipei,  Korabelka of Russia, Kuanysh VC of Kazakhstan, and Henan Shuanghui of China.Last year, Choco Mucho donned the Philippine colors in the annual tournament organized by the Volleyball Federation of Vietnam, where it took home the bronze medal and a pair of individual accolades for Sisi Rondina (best outside spiker) and team captain Maddie Madayag (best middle blocker).The overseas tournament will serve as NU’s preparation for its forthcoming UAAP Season 87 title defense. 

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 Akari Chargers took down the Nxled Chameleons to remain perfect in the Premier League Volleyball (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Thursday, August 13, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig. Akari moved just a win away from securing the top seed and sweeping the preliminary round despite an opening set loss to sister team Nxled, 21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18.

Scotty Hopson scored 46 points to lead Converge in defeating Terrafirma, 127-95 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, August 21.Hopson's 46-point explosion was highlighted by his 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc and an impressive 75-percent shooting from the field. He also added eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in his statline.Alec Stockton also added 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, while Schonny Winston scored 14 and Justin Arana put up 13 for the FiberXers who posted its largest win in team history.