Petro Gazz overpowered Akari in straight sets, 28-26, 29-27, 25-18, to claim its third win in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Thursday, December 5, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.Brooke van Sickle and Myla Pablo joined forces to edge the Chargers with the Filipino-American hitter hammering 19 points built on 15 attacks including 13 excellent digs, while Pablo added 15 markers off 13 kills, a block, and an ace.Van Sickle gave captain Remy Palma credit for the victory, stating that her leadership helped Petro Gazz get through the tense first few sets and win the straight-setter.“Coming off our rest, we haven’t played in a while so to be able to come out and stay focused in those tight matches was awesome,” said Van Sickle.“I’m super proud of everyone, I feel like Rem [Palma] did a very good job collecting all the girls while we’re on the court and just to slow us down because I feel like at times we we’re like ‘ahhh’ and she’s like ‘calm down, it’s okay, take a breath and just play our volleyball,’” added the reigning conference MVP.

Kyle Nathan Fabian and Lediviere Joy Hebron captured six gold medals on the first day of the 2024 Palarong Pambansa games at GMall Atrium on Thursday, July 11.The Zamboanga Peninsula dancesport duo dominated the Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep and the 5-Dance categories.“It is our first time at the Palaro, and winning gold is an incredible feeling,” Fabian told the Manila Times in an interview.Hebron shared that their journey to the Palarong Pambansa was marked by rigorous training.“We trained five times a week,” she said.The pair made history as the first-ever dancesport medalists of the Palarong Pambansa in the juvenile or elementary category, a significant milestone for Region IX and their school, Montessori De Zamboanga.This year marks the debut of dancesport as a regular medal event in the Palarong Pambansa, making it one of the most anticipated competitions at the annual multi-sport event.

The youngest Olympian of the Philippine delegation in the Paris Games, Levi Jung-Ruivivar, assured everyone that she is now 100 percent safe and healthy after experiencing a health scare.The 18-year-old Filipina gymnast suffered a "severe allergic reaction" while having an evening walk in the Olympic Village last Monday, July 22.Ruivivar shared on her Instagram the medical incident that happened, detailing what went down in a shocking health scare ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. While doing her evening walk, the 18-year-old said she began to feel some anaphylactic reaction, and although she admitted having a tree nut allergy, she insisted she did not ingest the allergen.Levi became aware that it was anaphylaxis—a severe allergic reaction that can be traced when a person has been exposed to something allergic like peanuts or bee stings.Ruivivar quickly returned to her room and called her parents, while her roommate and fellow Olympian Aleah Finnegan went out in search of the Olympic Village emergency clinic.She had to overcome “some initial difficulties” to reach the hospital with the help of her coach, Finnegan, and other staff members. 

Filipino netters Bambi Zoleta and Princess Catindig failed to advance in the medal round of the women’s singles of the 17th World Soft Tennis Championships in Anseong, Korea, early Thursday, September 6.Both netters lost in the quarterfinals as Zoleta bowed, 2-4, against Chiang Min-Yu of Chinese Taipei while Catindig was ruled by Fu Xiao Chen of China with 1-4. Despite the upset in the women’s singles, the Philippines will carry on its bid for a medal in the World Championship following Zoleta and Patrick Mendoza’s superb performance of defeating Slovakia, 4-0, in the Mixed Doubles Round of 64.Meanwhile, Bien Zoleta-Mañalac and Dheo Talatayod won against Cambodia, 4-1, in the Round of 32.The last time the Philippine Soft Tennis set foot in the medal round was in the 2015 World Championships in New Delhi, India where Zoleta-Mañalac nabbed a bronze in women’s singles.

Reigning UAAP MVP Kevin Quimbao leads the De La Salle Green Archers to defeat the National University Bulldogs in their toe-to-toe battle, 78-75 in the opening game of the UAAP Season 87 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.The Green Archers superstar scored nine of his 22 points in the clutch including the winning triple with 9.8 seconds left that basically ended the game.

Alec Stockton, Bryan Santos, and Schonny Winston pulled out the trigger in the end game to give Converge a 107-99 win over NorthPort on Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The FiberXers led by the trio came out in a big 18-3 run late in the game to gain the victory and cut the team’s three-game slump. They are now tied with Batang Pier at fourth place in Group A with 3-4 identical records.Stockton produced 21 points including a three-point play in the dying minutes of the game, while Santos finished with 15 markers including two crucial back-to-back triples that brought them back to the game, and Winston added 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds.Converge coach Franco Atienza said that they started well at the first half of play but struggled in the third period when NorthPort tied the game at the end of it after posting a 16-point second quarter lead.

University of Santo Tomas regained its winning ways, pulling away from De La Salle University with a 76-68 victory in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament on Sunday, September 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.The Growling Tigresses relied on veteran Kent Patrana and Karylle Sierba as they opened the fourth period with an 11-0 run, strengthening their hold of solo second in the standings with a 4-1 record.Pastrana finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks, while Sierba significantly delivered 16 markers, six boards, and three assists as the Tigresses bounced back from a tough first loss to last year’s runner up National University last week.Brigette Santos also contributed with 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals but Growling Tigresses head coach Haydee Ong was not pleased with their win despite managing to force 38 turnovers and having 21 steals.

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..

Creamline prevailed in the highly anticipated rematch of last season’s conference, trouncing Akari in straight sets, 26-24, 25-17, 25-16, to secure its second consecutive victory in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Candon City Arena on Saturday, November 23.The Cool Smashers were boosted by the return of three-time MVP Tots Carlos, who made her first appearance since missing the import-laden event and Invitational Conference due to a knee injury.Creamline took a 16-10 lead in the third set thanks to a 7-2 run led by Jema Galanza and Bernadeth Pons, who each had three and two points.Bea de Leon would help the Cool Smashers gain ground, and Pau Soriano, a substitute, would kill block Faith Nisperos to complete the victory.

The Hong Kong Eastern squad will juggle its assignments in three different leagues back in the country to continue their PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup campaign.They are looking forward to getting their third straight win when they face Rain or Shine on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The Hong Kong-based squad already established their own identity after being compared to the former guest team Bay Area Dragons when they defeated the Phoenix Fuel Masters in their opening game, 102-87, and followed it up with another convincing win against Converge, 117-106.

Jamie Danielle Nirza clinched gold in the advanced women’s individual kata at the 2024 Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games on Wednesday, December 5, at the NCCC Mall in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.The 18-year-old Nirza, who is representing Philippines Team A, exhibited her outstanding skills to earn 36.5 total points, defeating Malaysia’ A Anisa Aira Nur who logged 36.2 for silver medal.Malaysia B’s Ameera Liew and Brunei’s Nasir Abdul completed the podium to bag the bronze medal.

Akari won three straight sets after dropping the first one to overcome Chery Tiggo, 22-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-20, on Tuesday night, December 10,  at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.The Chargers squandered a 19-11 lead in the first set to give it away to the Crossovers, but they never looked back after that and took the next three frames.Akari's victory put them back in the win column after dropping their past three games. The Chargers now have a 3-3 record in the team standings.

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 Oklahoma City Thunder started and finished strong to secure a 120-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their best-of-seven finals series on Tuesday, June 17 (PH time).

The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses remained unstoppable in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament after a resounding 104–54 victory over the University of the Philippines on Wednesday, November 5, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.With the win, UST improved to 10-0, solidifying its hold atop the eight-team standings while maintaining a remarkable 32.8-point average winning margin.“Our mentality remains the same — take it one game at a time, stay consistent, and improve every game,” said head coach Haydee Ong. “Of course, our last two games are tough ones against Ateneo and NU, but on Sunday we’ll prepare for FEU.”The Tigresses dominated from start to finish, opening with a 31-9 first quarter before taking a 55-27 halftime lead. Their advantage ballooned to as much as 53 points, 98-45, midway through the fourth quarter after a Breanna Pineda basket.Kent Pastrana led the charge with 25 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block, finishing with a game-high plus-48 efficiency rating in just 20 minutes and 19 seconds on the court.“I think this is Kent’s best game. A 48 efficiency rating in 20 minutes with 25 points — I hope she can keep up those magical numbers,” Ong added.Rachelle Ambos chipped in 19 markers and nine boards, while Oma Onianwa tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds, recording a team-best plus-51 in just over 20 minutes of play.The loss was UP’s eighth straight, dropping them to 2-8 after a 2-0 start. Despite their slump, the Fighting Maroons still have a slim shot at the Final Four with Adamson, De La Salle, and FEU all tied at 4-6.Camille Nolasco paced UP with 17 markers and four boards, while Achrissa Maw added 10 points, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.Last season’s Mythical Team member Louna Ozar struggled once again, shooting 2-of-13 for six points, alongside five rebounds, four assists, and two steals, but also committing five turnovers.UST will look to extend its perfect run when it faces Far Eastern University on Sunday, November 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, while UP aims to snap its skid against University of the East on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

When the PBA Season 49 opens on August 18, a combination of familiar and new imports will be paraded in the season-opening conference, Governor’s Cup.Among the familiar reinforcements is the six-time PBA champion and three-time best import awardee, Justin Brownlee of Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel.Brownlee brought the Gin Kings to the promised land four times in the 2016, 2017, 2019 & 2021 editions of the said conference in. He also won championships with the crowd-favorite team in the 2018 & 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup. He went 6-0 in all those finals that made him tie the record of Sean Chambers, another import who played for Coach Tim Cone during Alaska’s reign in the 90’s.During the 2023 edition of the Governor’s Cup, JB tried to win another title for the Kings, etched a 7-0 legacy in a championship series, and immortalized himself as the PBA’s winningest import but they lost to TNT Tropang Giga in six games. TNT was led by former NBA player, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and interim Coach Jojo Lastimosa who won his first PBA title as head coach.The Ginebra’s resident import will have another chance to win his 7th ring but he has to face a mixture of familiar foes and new oppositions.In spite of the obstacles he needs to go through, Brownlee still has the edge against all of them by being the most experienced and successful. And that makes him still the standard amongst imports.

Brooke Van Sickle and Wilma Salas joined forces to power the Petro Gazz Angels past the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles in 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference held at PhilSports Arena on Thursday, July 18.The Angels moved past newcomer Thunderbelles securing a spot in the win column of Pool B with a 25-16, 25-21, 25-21 victory to open Day 2 of the tournament.Sickle, last conference’s MVP, took charge after tallying 22 points on 18 attacks, three aces, and a block to go along with 11 excellent digs and six receptions.“I am excited to be back. It is the beginning of the season. It is super exciting. It was a great game,” Van Sickled told reporters after the game.Petro Gazz import Wilma Salas backstopped the winning cause with 15 markers. Chie Saet also made the plays, registering 12 astounding sets.This conference, the Angels are honoring Janisa Johnson with an angel wing placed beside her No. 10 on their kits. Johnson, a late import who alongside Salas led the team to the 2019 championship, passed away on May 24 after battling colon cancer. She was 32.“I am sad because of Janisa’s passing. I am dedicating this conference to her, so every point, every decision we make as a team, we can think about Janisa,” said Salas.Meanwhile, Japanese import Asaka Tamaru stepped up for the Thunderbelles netting 17 markers, eight receptions, and five digs. Michelle Gamit and Jade Gentapa supported her with seven points apiece.Petro Gazz will face Capital1 on Tuesday, July 23, while ZUS Coffee aims for their first win against Cignal on the same day, both at the PhilSports Arena.

National University added another diadem in their growing treasure chest by escaping Far Eastern University to capture a finals sweep in the Game 2 of the best-of-three series of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals on Tuesday, July 16, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Alas Pilipinas stars Bella Belen and Arah Panique carried the Lady Bulldogs’ 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-10 conquest before flying to Japan for their national team duties.Panique topscored for the reigning UAAP Season 86 champions with a game-high 27 points on 17 attacks, while Belen sustained her fine form after hammering 23 markers of 25 attacks, while Kaye Bombita added 11 points for the Lady Bulldogs.Gerzel Petallo registered 20 points as FEU’s leading scorer, while Chennie Tagaod produced 18 points in the team’s first runner-up placing.Meanwhile, College of Saint Benilde captured the bronze medal over Colegio de San Juan de Letran in a nerve-wracking five-set victory, 23-25, 25-14, 19-25, 25-20, 17-15.Rhea Densing led the charge for the Lady Blazers with 24 markers, 20 coming off attacks, while Wielyn Estoque chipped in 18 points.Gia Maquilang paced Letran with 22 points highlighted by 19 kills, Nizelle Martin scored 15, while Judiel Nitura and Royce dela Cruz chipped in 10 each.The event concluded with the awarding of attendees.Belen, the reigning UAAP Season 86 Most Valuable Player, also bagged the tournament MVP and 1st Best Outside Spiker honor.The 2nd Best Outside Spiker was awarded to Wielyn Estoque from St. Benilde. The 1st and 2nd Best Middle Blocker were given to Zamantha Nolasco (St. Benilde) and Jean Asis (FEU), respectively.Marie Nitura from Colegio de San Juan de Letran took home the Best Opposite Spiker, while Shaira Jardio was given the Best Libero title and Camilla Lamina got the Best Setter award, both players hailing from National University.