Mobile Legends: Bang Bang may have crowned its new Queens of the sport.This, after Smart Omega Empress (OMGE) dethroned stalwarts, Team Vitality (VIT), to take the MLBB Women's Invitational (MWI) 2024 and write history as the first Filipino team to win a tournament at the Esports World Cup.The all-Filipino team executed a clean sweep over their Indonesian rivals in the Best-Of-Five (BO5) Grand Finals, ending their 24-match winning streak dating back to 2021.OMGE Roamer, Meraaay said during the post-match press conference: “We want to give honor to our country. I hope we made our kababayans (countrymen) proud, including those who went to the venue to support us. It feels like a dream for all of us. We would like to take our hats off to Team Vitality who gave us a good fight. We can already call ourselves world champions."

In what appeared to be a continuation of a sad story overall for the Filipino judoka, Kiyomi Watanabe’s Olympic dream ended early as she fell quickly out of medal contention in the 2024 Paris Games.She ended her Olympics bid in a 51-second Ippon loss against China’s Jing Tang in the women’s judo -63kg Round of 32 at the Champ-de-Mar Arena in Paris, France Tuesday afternoon (Manila time).This is the second straight early exit for Watanabe, following a similar ippon loss against Spanish judoka Cristina Cabana Perez in just 38 seconds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021.Watanabe is the third Filipino and first woman judo athlete to compete in multiple Summer Olympic Games, the last being John Baylon and Jerry Dino in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.Watanabe is a regional champion, having won in the Southeast Asian Games in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.

After achieving a historic win for the Philippines. The Filipino-Britain bronze medalist Jake Jarman expressed his desire to represent the Philippines in the 2028 L.A Olympics. Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion confirmed in an interview. According to Carrion, it is going to be easy for Jarman because he already has his Philippine passport.They will also seek permission from the International Gymnast Federation if Jarman receives a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from FIG. 

Danilo Fresnido won a silver medal in the Men’s 50+ Javelin Throw event at the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.Fresnido clinched the second spot behind Carlo Sonego of Italy with a distance of 56.34 meters.Masters sprinters John Aguilar and Brenda Zinampan together with pole vaulter Judith Staples saw action at Day 1 of the tournament.Zinampan ranked 12th in the 100 meter women’s event registering a time of 14.04 seconds in the qualifying rounds and would move to the semifinals. Aguilar finished 5th in 100 meters men’s event heat 2 with a 12.75 seconds performance while Staples ended her pole vault event in 6th place with a jump of 2.0 meter.On the other hand, Day 2 of the event saw Dolly Claravall in the Hammer Throw with a 27.01 meter performance and a 22nd place overall ranking in the highly contested W50 category.Hurdler Edward Kho finished 5th in heat 2 of the 400 meter men’s event and ranked 19th overall with a 1:10.13 performance. Zinampan saw action at the 100 meter women’s event with a 14.40 seconds, finishing at 22nd spot.Eleven members of the National Masters & Senior Athletics Association of the Philippines are competing in the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championship from August 13 to 25.

Filipina tennis player Alex Eala tallied her first win of the US Open qualifiers in New York in a three-set victory to start her campaign.Coming off back-to-back quarterfinals appearances in two US tournaments, the 19-year-old Filipina defeated Australia’s Maddison Inglis in the first qualifying match, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.Eala’s win set her up with a tough challenge against 15th-seeded Nuria Parrizas-Diaz of Spain in the second round of the qualifiers on Thursday, August 22 (Manila time).This is Eala’s last chance this year to qualify for the first time to the main draw of a pro Grand Slam tournament.

Filipino boxer Carl Jammes “The Wonder Boy” Martin won via TKO in his debut fight in foreign soil against a Mexican boxer Anthony Salas last Saturday, September 7. He overpowered Mexican boxer Anthony Salas in less than two rounds in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. This marked also a significant milestone in his promising boxing career.Martin said that his rigorous training in the US contributed a lot to sharpen his skills and the fruit of his labor reaps. Aside from focusing on his training, he confidently believes that by the help and trust in God Almighty he will definitely win this fight. “I feel this is the right time to fight and prove myself abroad. This is the time to show that I am ready after being trained at the Knuckleheads Boxing Ranch training compound in Las Vegas, Nevada, This is what I needed as I look forward to fighting for a world title in 2025.” Martin said. Beginning in the first round, Martin targeted the body of Salas with all of his power punches until in the second round where he knocked down Salas with double punches in the head and in body until another combination attack and  left hook to the body sustained by Salas.. The referee decided then to step in and stop the fight. Currently, Martin is no. 3 in the WBO ranking with an unblemished record of 24 wins, with 18 knockouts. Martin now is one of the possible challengers for Japanese Champion Naoya “The Monster” Inoue who is the undisputed super bantamweight world champion. He is also ranked in NO. 6 in the International Boxing Federation (IBF). 

Carl Jammes Martin now eyes a shot in one of four titles of Naoya Inoue after knocking out Anthony Salas of Mexico in his much awaited international debut.The second-round knockout victory boosted Martin’s record to 24-0 with 19 knockouts.Now, Martin is rated No. 6 by the International Boxing Federation and No. 3 by the World Boxing Organization. Just like Marlon Tapales. Martin is now back on training at the Knuckleheads Boxing Gym in Las Vegas. While in the roster of WBO, Martin now has almost a guarantee for a title shot that he may continue to emerge victorious.  Sean Gibbons, Martin’s promoter guaranteed  that he will fight again this December in a world title shot in 2025. “He will fight again in December then a world title shot in 2025,” said Gibbons. Meanwhile, Naoya “The Monster” Inoue will fight again in December and in April 2025 before he will attempt to invade the featherweight ranks in pursuit of a fifth world title in as many weight classes.

The East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away launches its 2024-25 season, kicking off a thrilling double-header at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, October 2.Two PBA basketball champions will banner the opening games with the reigning Commissioner’s Cup victors San Miguel Beermen will face Korean Basketball League finalist Suwon KT Sonicboom in the first game of the night, while PBA Philippine Cup winners Meralco Bolts will then take on Macau Black Bears.

San Miguel averted disaster after dispatching the Converge FiberXers in the toe-to-toe Game 5 of their quarterfinals match-up, 109-105, on Sunday night at the Ynares Center, Antipolo.June Mar Fajardo showed why he's an eight-time MVP by producing a monster double-double of 40 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Beermen in entering the semis of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup.Fajardo went 15-of-27 from the field and shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line to carry much of the load in SMB's triumph.Though having a lot of contributions, JMF said that they all step-up in their do-or-die victory.

University of Santo Tomas in their domination against the University of the Philippines, 84-57, in the second round of their UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday afternoon, October 14, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.The Growling Tigresses now have a 7-1 record bolstered by their fourth straight win led by their veteran guard Tacky Tacatac who finished with a game-high 23 points.

Rain or Shine might be in a 1-3 hole right now in their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals series against the defending champion TNT Tropang Giga but they will not go down without a fight.The Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guao said that they still feel good about their chances in their match-up and their perspective is still positive.

Social media icon Jake Paul etched another milestone in his professional boxing career when he defeated Boxing Hall of Famer “Iron” Mike Tyson in a unanimous victory at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.The youthfulness of the 27-year-old Paul overcame the iconic boxer to get his 11th win in 12 fights, while the 58-year-old Tyson record went to 50 wins and 7 losses.It was also the first time that “Iron Mike” returned to the ring since 2005.Tyson tried to bring back his old form but Paul always had an answer to continuously dominate the match.Using his speed, Paul surprised the boxing legend and rocked him in the 3rd round, and he continued his pace until the 8th and final round.In the final 10 seconds of the game, Paul gave a vow to Tyson to give honor to the Hall of Famer.Paul landed 78 punches of the 278 he had thrown, while Tyson only landed 18 of 98. After the match, Paul said that it’s an honor that he fought his idol in the ring.

Gin Kings longtime import Justin Brownlee will lead Gilas Pilipinas in its homecourt campaign against visiting squad New Zealand in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers tonight, Thursday, November 21 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Gilas head coach Tim Cone described Brownlee as “highly motivated” following a loss in the recently concluded PBA Governors’ Cup Finals against TNT in game six.“Talking to him after the Finals, he is highly-motivated. When you see Justin highly-motivated, we’ve seen him highly-motivated in the past and what he could do. I don’t think anybody has anything to fear about Justin. He is ready. He is ready to go. I think he is going to put up some real nice performances for the country coming up.  I think you are going to see a really motivated Justin coming into this New Zealand (game),” Cone said.Cone also stated that Brownlee’s struggle in the PBA Governors’ Cup was a tough one although he is healthy and only needed a rest. “He struggled, we all struggled in the series. People started thinking that he was having injuries or not. It was just a tough, long playoff going through Meralco and San Miguel. And then having to go against Talk ‘N Text and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. It was a tough road,” said Cone.Despite Brownlee being motivated, Cone warned that being motivated is only half the battle as Gilas is in for a tough outing in the window especially against New Zealand, which is ranked No. 22 in the world and No. 3 in the FIBA Asia zone.“I think Justin is going to be ready to play. That doesn’t mean he puts up big numbers. That means he is going to be locked in to what we do, get his teammates involved, and play the game the right way, which he does 99 percent of the time,” Cone added..

Christian Bernardo and Alvin Morada won the gold medal in the men’s doubles competition at the Bahrain International Series 2 in Diamond Jubilee Hall in Manama, Bahrain.The Smash Pilipinas - Philippine badminton duo defeated Vimalraj Annadurai and Mauryan Kathiravan of India, 21-14, 21-15, in the finals.

ZUS Coffee kept their momentum alive, logging its second victory against winless Galeries Tower, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Thursday, November 28.The Thunderbelles achieved their first-ever sweep since entering the league in the 2024 season with this victory.ZUS Coffee, once a consistent bottom-dweller, is currently tied for fourth position alongside Petro Gazz, Akari, Chery Tiggo, and Choco Mucho, all of whom have identical 2-1 records.

Chery Tiggo showcased title aspirations as they erased PLDT’s three-game winning streak, 25-12, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, to claim solo third in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday, December 3, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.The Crossovers handed the PLDT High Speed Hitters their first conference defeat and tallied identical 3-1 records.Chery Tiggo's tenacity was evident in the fourth set, after slipping a straight-set victory in the third frame. In a narrow finish, they overcame their opponent after mounting a late comeback after falling behind 17–19.The Crossovers also took advantage of PLDT’s mistakes in service reception to score eight aces. Additionally, they only made 18 of their own mistakes, turning 33 unforced ones into free points.

Jansen Rios buried a crucial three-pointer in the dying seconds of the game to give Meralco the win against Terrafirma, 96-91, on Friday night, December 6, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The win also lifted the Bolts the share of the lead in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup team standings with NorthPort Batang Pier at 3-0.It was a grind-out battle in the crucial stage of the game until Rios hit an unmolested triple at the right corner to give the Meralco a 94-91 lead and Chris Newsome sank two free throws after Dyip's erratic plays in the final 9.4 seconds of the game.The game seemed like it would be a blowout game when the Bolts erected a 67-51 lead in the third quarter but Terrafirma showed resiliency and even tied the game at 91-all with 1:05 left in the fourth and final period.Meralco coach Luigi Trillo was just glad his team hung on despite blowing a big lead.

The San Miguel Beermen couldn't stop the fiery Robert Bolick before the end of the final period as NLEX defeated SMB, 104-99, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.The NLEX shooting guard was unstoppable and scored 20 of his game-high 39 points in the final quarter and added nine assists, helping the Road Warriors erase a 19-point deficit and secure their third straight win. They improved to 3-1 in the conference, while dropping San Miguel to 1-1 as the Beermen failed to build on a slim win against Phoenix in their first assignment.The Road Warriors trailed by 19, 46-65, in the third quarter after an and-one play by Quincy Miller.However, NLEX dropped a 23-8 bomb to put themselves back into the game, 69-73, after a layup by Bolick, with less than two minutes to go in the third.The former point guard of San Beda Red Lion's performance left NLEX head coach Jong Uichico impressed with the skill and dedication he displayed in the game.

The Philippine Men’s Football team’s match against Myanmar ended in a 1-1 draw in the opening match of their 2024 ASEAN Championship campaign at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.Myanmar scored first through Maung Maung Lwin at the 25th minute mark.During the second half, Bjorn Kristenensen scored the goal through a spot kick in the 72nd minute of the game. 

The Converge FiberXers tallied their fourth straight victory after defeating the Meralco Bolts, 110-94, in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday, December 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.Jordan Heading led Converge with his 30 points, five rebounds, and eight assists to notch their fourth straight win in the conference and improve their record to 6-2.“I try to approach this game like I approach every game, which is part of being a professional: You have a routine and you try to stick to your routine every single game. Obviously, there’s a little excitement but I’m used to it for as long as I can remember,” said Heading.The FiberXers even erected a 20-point margin, 94-74, with less than eight minutes left in the game, but the Bolts trimmed the lead to 102-88 with 2:57 left on the clock.However, Converge never looked back and secured the win with consecutive baskets from import Cheick Diallo, and big man Justin Arana.