Philippine female gymnasts gave a good account of themselves during the qualification round of the women’s artistic gymnastics in the 2024 Paris Olympics held at the Bercy Arena.Levi Ruivivar, Emma Malabuyo, and Aleah Finnegan all had their moments; they all failed to advance to the next round by not entering the top eight of any of the events and falling short of making it to top 24 in the all-around.Jung-Ruivivar and Malabuyo both totaled 51.099 points in the all-around, while Finnegan tallied 50.498.Jung-Ruivivar, the youngest member of Team Philippines at 18 years old and who recently anaphylactic shock caused by her allergies just days before the competition, posted 13.600 in vault, 13.200 in uneven bars, 12.433 in floor exercise, and 11.866 in balance beam.On the other hand, Malabuyo netted 13.266 points in vault, 13.100 in floor exercise, 12.500 in uneven bars, and 12.233 in balance beam, while Finnegan averaged 13.387 in vault and scored 12.733 in floor exercise, 12.566 in uneven bars, and 11.466 in balance beam.Despite being eliminated early, the trio still showed gallant effort and made history for the country as the Philippines waited for 60 years for a female gymnast to see action in the Olympics once again. Maria Luisa Flora and Evelyn Magluyan represented the Philippine team in the 1964 Tokyo Games.With the three booted out of the competition already, the task of winning the Philippines’ first Olympic medal in gymnastics fell on the shoulders of Carlos Yulo, who advanced to the men’s all-around, floor exercise and vault finals.The debuting trio however are still optimistic to do better in their craft and look forward to another Olympic stint in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.

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."

No amount of preparedness can muster the lionhearted when competing in an arena where the best and the most formidable in the world have gathered to display their exemplary skills and brilliance while aiming to seize the glorious prize in the world’s biggest sporting stage.That is what the two Filipina fencers endured when they were unable to deflect the puncture of reality when they both bowed out in the Table of 32, ending their dream run in the Olympics.Samantha Catantan and Maxine Esteban made history when they both qualified for the Summer Games as the Philippines’ first fencing representative since 1992 and the first homegrown Filipina to qualify for the Olympics, respectively.With a rivalry to be settled in the Fencing events and an Olympic medal at stake, the odds of Catantan and Esteban facing off in the Olympic fencing stage is if they both reach the semifinals.But the encounter was foiled at the Grand Palais where both fencers were ousted from the Paris Games in the early stages of the women’s individual foil competition.

After crashing out of the W100 Landisville quarterfinals, Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala bounced back from her loss rather quickly after outplaying Julia Riera of Argentina in the first round of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W100 Tournament in Cary, North Carolina on Monday, August 12.At the women’s singles Round of 32, the 147th ranked Eala overpowered the world No. 119 and eighth seeded Riera, 6-3, 6-1, in a 58-minutes match to move to the Round of 16.The 19-year-old Eala was fresh off a loss from the 2024 Kewer Jewelers Tennis Challenge in Landisville, Pennsylvania over the weekend, losing to Olivia Galecki of Australia in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 0-6, 6-3.Eala is either going to face Hina Inoue of the United States or her former doubles partner Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia in the next round. The tournament serves as Eala’s final build up for the US Open Qualifiers set August 20 to 24 in New York.

The Philippine women’s football team will commence a six-day training camp beginning this Saturday, August 17, at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.Coach Mark Torcaso will stage the camp from August 17 to 23 aimed at tapping more local-based players to its talent pool.About 30 players will be invited to the camp and it is the first activity of the Filipinas since the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) took over the role of managing the national women’s side.

In a battle of two teams with contrasting playstyles, TNT Tropang Giga prevailed against Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, 88-82 on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.TNT emerged victorious behind the near triple-double performance of import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who contributed 32 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.Hollis-Jefferson's performance was highlighted by his three-pointer and a breakaway dunk from a steal in the homestretch of the game to help TNT bounce back from their sorry loss from their last game against Converge and regained the lead in Group A with a 3-1 record.Jayson Castro and Poy Erram joined RHJ in a 10-0 run that pushed the Tropang Giga to an 88-80 lead, after finding themselves trailing by two points going to the final four minutes of play.Using TNT’s signature threes to its advantage, Rondae knocked down one from beyond the arc to recapture the lead, 81-80, then stole Magnolia’s defensive identity when he closed the game with a winning fast break slam after deflecting the pass of Glenn Robinson III with 31.4 seconds remaining.

Adamson University clinched two wins in a row after outclassing De La Salle University, 65-54, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, September 11, at the Araneta Coliseum.The Lady Archers bounced back in the third frame after falling behind 19-33 in the second, forcing a 35-all deadlock with 6:07 to go on an Arabell Bacierto triple.However, the Lady Falcons reinstated its advantage as Elaine Etang, Jam Meniano, and Brianna Bajo led a strong finish in the third quarter for an 11-point lead heading in the fourth, 48-37.Etang, who was part of Gilas Women’s 3x3 roster that competed in the FIBA 3x3 Nations League, paced the team with 15 points, five rebounds, and five steals.

TNT narrowly defeated Rain or Shine, 81-79, to have a commanding 3-1 lead in their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semi-finals series.Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made the final basket of the game with a slam dunk with 37.3 seconds remaining on the game clock.Hollis-Jefferson also led TNT with his 23 points, 19 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and five blocks.

San Miguel’s teamwork made wonders for the Beermen as they defeated Ginebra, 131-121, last night, October 16, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum to tie their PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinals series.The eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo led the pack with his 29 points, 16 rebounds and three assists performance.SMB import EJ Anosike supplemented him with 27 markers, while CJ Perez added 20. Marcio Lassiter and Don Trollano contributed 15 points each to help the Beermen’s campaign.Coach Jorge Gallent said that he was happy that his players responded to his call of playing hard, putting more effort and bringing a lot of energy in order for them to win the game.

June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beermen added another accolade in his collection when he received his unprecedented 11th Best of the Conference Plum, while TNT Tropang Giga's reinforcement Rondae-Hollis Jefferson was once again named Best import.The awards were given before Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT Tropang Giga.Fajardo became the first player in PBA history to win the BIC award 11 times, making it the most in the league.The eight-time MVP surpassed his teammate CJay Perez, Ginebra stars Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson. He also topped Alvin Tolentino of Northport and Robert Bolick of NLEX to win the individual recognition. 'The Kraken' collected a total of 980 points (465 statistical points, 476 media votes, and 48 player votes), while Aguilar had 664 and Thompson 465.According to Fajardo, he didn't expect that he would win another recognition but he's thankful for the blessings that he received.

Chezka Centeno surrendered her World 10-Ball women’s title in the semifinals of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 10-Ball Women’s Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Centeno fell 0-2 behind familiar South Korean opponent Seo Seoa on Saturday, November 16, in the round of four, triumphed in the third frame but was outplayed again 1-4 in the succeeding match.Seo then lost 1-4, 4-3, 3-4, 4-3, 4-0 to eventual champion Kristina Tkach of Russia, ultimately settling for second place.

Filipino tanker Phillip Adrian Sahagun bagged the first overall gold medal at the 2024 Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games on Monday, December 2, at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.The 21-year-old Sahagun breezed past his rivals and won by a hair as he clocked in 2 minutes and 13.52 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer in Indonesia’s Hidayatullah Aril who registered 2:13.83 in the boys’ 200-meter individual medley (IM).Rodolfo Apilado III, another Philippine swimmer, finished with 2:20.82 to capture the bronze medal, completing the podium of the first event of the entire tournament."I didn't expect to win, because two weeks ago I just got back from the UAAP and I didn't have [enough] time to prepare for this because I also want to be able to rest. I had no training for one week at all," said the third-year BS Entrepreneurship student of De La Salle University."But my mindset is swim for the Philippines," he added. "During the last lap, I felt a little pain in my body but I saw my opponent chasing so I pushed.  I was there at first so I said I will not give up the gold."

Rain or Shine gave the guest team from Hong Kong an Elasto Painters rough welcome, giving Eastern their first taste of defeat in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, 99-81, on December 4 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Debuting RoS import Deon Thompson led coach Yeng Guiao's wards with his allaround performance producing 21 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.

Meralco blew a double-digit lead against the Busan KCC Egis, 68-72, in the continuation of the East Asia Super League (EASL) home-and-away season on Wednesday, December 18, at the Busan Sajik Gymnasium. The Bolts appeared to be headed for their third EASL victory and a trip to the Final Four.With 4:02 remaining, the Bolts appeared to be in control, 66-53, but their 13-point advantage was erased by Heo Ung, headlining the comeback with four consecutive three-pointers to reduce the deficit to just one.The 31-year-old Ung scored an easy layup to give Busan the lead after Chris Newsome missed a layup. The Bolts turned to the returning Akil Mitchell with four seconds remaining in the game, but he made a poor turn-around jumper that missed the basket.Ung finished with a game-high 31 points, 17 of which came in the final four minutes of the game. Deonte Burton contributed 26 markers, 14 rebounds, and five assists in the come-from-behind win. 

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters clinched their fifth win against Blackwater Bossing, 122-106, in their match last night, January 8, at the Philsports Arena in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.With the win, Elasto Painters now have a 5-1 win-loss record, while Black Water Bossing has a 1-6 win-loss in the team standings.The Elasto Painters immediately took off after posting a 23-point lead, 39-16 in the second quarter, where in the third quarter, Adrian Nocum and Caelan Tiongson scored points, and they were able to extend the lead against Bossing, 87-70 in the last three minutes of the third quarter, until the Elasto Painters did not give up their advantage in the fourth quarter after Thompson scored a goal in the last 1:37 minutes, causing the Elasto Painters to further extend their lead over the opponent, 118-101.Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao admitted that he was worried because his team had almost a three-week break from the holiday break last year, although they did not neglect their practice.“My primary concern at the beginning was how sharp are the guys going to be coming off almost a three-week break. We had good practices, but iba pa rin 'pag makikita mo sa laro,” Guiao said.Guiao also said that at the beginning of the match, they had a difficult time against their opponent, but the team did not allow the victory to slip away from them. He added that what is important for them right now is to advance to the next round of the game, and they need to secure seven wins to secure a spot in the playoffs.“This is our first game in the new year, medyo concerned ako kung paano nila lalaruin 'yung first game namin. Sa amin ang importante makarating ng next round, Ang tingin namin seven wins will assure you of a slot in the playoffs. So we have five wins now,”  Guiao added.Meanwhile, Rain or Shine was led by Deon Thompson, who scored 25 points, while Adrian Nocum, Leonard Santillan, Anton Asistio and Caelan Tiongson each scored 22, 20, 18, and 11 points.On Saturday, January 11, Rain or Shine will again try to win against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, while Black Water Bossing will try to get a win against Barangay Ginebra on Sunday, January 12.

De La Salle University asserted its dominance in UAAP Season 87 volleyball, securing victories in both the men’s and women’s divisions against archrival Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday, March 12, at the SM Mall of Asia.In the women’s match, Shevana Laput delivered a career-high performance, scoring 25 points to lead the Lady Spikers to a 25-15, 25-14, 20-25, 25-19 victory.With 19 attacks, three blocks, and three aces, Laput spearheaded La Salle’s third consecutive win, improving their record to 4-2. Angel Canino contributed 17 markers, while rookie setter Mikole Reyes recorded 20 excellent sets.Despite Ateneo taking the third set and an early 8-4 lead in the fourth, La Salle regained control behind Laput’s explosive plays, sealing the win after two hours and 14 minutes. The victory marked the Lady Spikers’ 15th straight win over Ateneo since the Season 79 Finals in 2017.

There’s no secret formula behind Czechia’s improbable march to the semifinals of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship. Just determination, untapped potential, and belief—qualities that came to life in their four-set triumph over Iran, 22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-21, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.Not widely considered contenders in a group that featured powerhouse Brazil, Czechia has defied expectations with steady play and resilience. Now, they find themselves just two wins away from a historic championship run.“I don’t really know [what makes this team unique],” admitted head coach Jiri Novak. “I knew that in this team, I had players with big, big potential. I saw a lot of positive things during practices.”The Czech squad is riding a three-match winning streak and will now face surging Bulgaria, which shocked world No. 4 USA in a thrilling five-set comeback, in the semifinals.“We will play against one of two big teams, Bulgaria or the USA. We will see, we will see,” Novak said before the Bulgaria-USA clash. “Bulgaria is a young team, and the USA also, because they are preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games. We will see.”The semifinals concluded last Saturday, September 27, at the MOA Arena, with Poland, the world’s top-ranked squad, taking on defending champion Italy in the other pairing. The gold and bronze medal matches are scheduled for Sunday, September 28, at the same venue.From underdogs to semifinalists, Czechia’s rise is shaping up to be one of the biggest stories of this year’s World Championship—a reminder that in volleyball, belief and teamwork can sometimes topple tradition and reputation.

Defending champion National University (NU) displayed its trademark dominance once again, defeating Adamson University, 69–51, for its second consecutive victory in the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.Coming off a commanding 95–58 rout of the UP Fighting Maroons last weekend, the Lady Bulldogs carried that same momentum into this matchup, seizing control early and never looking back.The duo of Karl Ann Pingol and Tin Cayabyab set the tone for NU’s offensive rhythm, combining for efficient scoring that helped the team establish a 43–23 halftime advantage. The Lady Falcons, despite showing spurts of fight, struggled to recover from the early onslaught. 

Filipino-American Muay Thai rising star Sean Climaco hopes for his second straight win in ONE when he takes on Colombian fighter Johan “Panda Kick” Estupiñan at ONE 168: Denver inside Ball Arena on September 7.Climaco’s debut was a remarkable one when he knocked out Josue Cruz at ONE Fight Night 22 in May, engraving his name into the loaded flyweight Muay Thai division currently ruled by Rodtang Jitmunangon.Estupiñan, meanwhile, scored a first-round KO in his debut at ONE Friday Fights 64 when he knocked out Kouta Omori, before piling on his win count by trouncing Zafer Sayik at One 167 via decision in their clash last June.A win for either of the two could see them move up the flyweight division, which includes the likes of ONE Flyweight Kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9, Denis Puric, and Dedduanglek TDed99.At ONE 168: Denver, the pair will join the best Muay Thai strikers in the world. Two-sport world champion Jonathan Haggerty will look to defend his bantamweight Muay Thai title against the previously mentioned Superlek.Also on the card is the long-awaited clash between two Muay Thai legends, Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kuanmuang, who will meet in a 140-pound catchweight match.

The Women’s Grandmaster title journey continues for chess prodigy Ruelle Canino after setting herself on board for a European trip as part of her preparations for the World Chess Olympiad in September.The 16-year-old reigning champion of the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championships will be tested as she is expected to battle top woodpushers to boost her bid for Woman Grandmaster status.The Far Eastern University standout will jumpstart her European campaign in the HZ University of Applied Sciences Chess Tournament slated August 3-10 in Vlissingen, the Netherlands.She will then go to Germany for the Dortmund Open scheduled on August 10 to 18, followed by the Open Internacional d’escacs Sants-Ciutat de Barcelona on August 23 until September 1.It will also serve as part of her preparation for the Asian Indoor and Martial Games booked this November in Thailand and the FIDE World Chess Olympiad set on September 10 to 23 in Budapest, Hungry.In Vlissingen, Canino will join fellow national team mainstays Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and Woman International Master Jan Jodilyn Fronda, who left the country recently for a tournament in Switzerland.The trip is funded by the Philippine Sports Commission and backed by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and Philippine Olympic Committee.The Philippine contingent will return to the country on September 3 then set to leave after a few days with the male woodpushers, coached by Grandmaster Eugene Torre, before they fly to Budapest where they will battle the world’s best.