By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
When weightlifting diva Hidilyn Diaz delivered the country’s historic Olympic gold medal in Tokyo three years ago, it laid the foundation of what will eventually be the golden era of Philippine sports.
Gymnastics ace Carlos Yulo validated that with a pair of gold medals in the Paris Games, making the year 2024 or exactly 100 years since the country first participated in the world’s greatest sporting event very rewarding.
His golden feats in the lovely French capital reverberated back home in this tiny Southeast Asian nation of roughly 108 million people.
Truly, the country’s “Golden Era” has arrived.
And it was because of this pocket-sized wonder from Leveriza in Manila. And that was because he dared to dream. And he’s still dreaming big.
Yulo did not only just replicate Diaz’s Tokyo feat, he eclipsed it with two electrifying performances that made the country the top performer among the Southeast Asian nations.
He first dominated his pet event, the floor exercise, before returning 24 hours later and ruling the vault to carve his name in the history books.
Putting an icing to Yulo’s immortalization was a pair of bronze medals that boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas produced much to the delight a nation looking for more heroes.
And the two courageous fighters vstood proudly at the podium of the historic Stade Roland Garros – home to French Open – one of four Grand Slam events in tennis.
Their bronze medal finishes were no small feats either.
They cut to size their seeded rivals along the way en route to joining the pantheon of boxing heroes – they are now 10.
It was very special for Petecio as she became only third Filipino Olympic to win medals in two successive Olympics.
She joined an joined elite club that have Diaz (silver in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games) and gold in the Tokyo Games) and swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso (bronze medal winner in both the 1928 and 1932 Games) as members.
Apart from Villanueva, Petecio and Villegas, other boxing winners were Villanueva’s son Anthony in 1964, followed by Leopoldo Serrantes (1988), Roel Velasco (1992), Onyok Velasco (1996), Carlo Paalam (silver, 2020) and Eumir Marcial (2020).
Golfer Rianne Malixi also made history after winning both the US Girls; Junior and the US Women’s Amateur in the same year, becoming only the second player to accomplish that feat after Eun Jeong Seong in 2016.
Other notable achievers were two veteran billiards players in Carlo Biado, who won the World 10-Ball Championship against Japan’s Naoyuki Oki last March, and Rubilen Amit, who finally captured the WPA Women’s
World 9-Ball title at the expense of China’s Chen Siming in September.
The year also saw Daniel Quizon become the newest Filipino Grandmaster, acquiring it during his stint with the national team in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary last September.
Quizon, 20, is the 17th Filipino to achieve this status and first since Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon earned the feat 13 years ago.
Also rising to the challenge was taekwondo jin Tachiana Mangin who brought the country back on the top of the world by winning a gold in the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, South Korea.
Pro boxer Melvin Jesuralem also did his share in making PH sports in the year about to end worth remembering by defending his WBC strawweight title with a lopsided unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Luis Castillo of Mexico.
And basketball?
Well, it’s was no brainer as San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo extended his record by winning his 8th Most
Valuable Player award in the PBA.
Not only in the PBA did Fajardo shine.
He was also a vital cog in the country’s sterling in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.
He also did well in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao was also the hands down choice as Mr. Amateur.
He is easily the new force in PH basketball after leading the Green Archers back on top of UAAP – no doubt the country’s most prestigious collegiate league.
Not only that, he also won the MVP award despite his duty to Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and in FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
Rising stars in volleyball are growing in numbers, but setter par excellence Jia Morado-De Guzman has remained the most enduring one.
Her presence was strongly felt when she led Alas Pilipinas to a bronze-medal finishes in the 2024 SEA Women’s V. League series. She also stood tallest when she claimed the Best Setter honors in this circuit and in the Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup.Other Filipino athletes also triumphed in other international stages. But whether it was big or small, indeed, the country is seeing the best years in sports.
