PHL PARA ATHLETES SHINE

THE Philippines closed out its campaign in the 12th Asean Para Games in Phnom Penh on Friday with 34 gold medals— surpassing the 28-gold performance in Indonesia last year.

up to the selection of the Final 12. National Basketball Association star Jordan Clarkson and Southeast Asian Games sensation Justin Brownlee headline the Gilas pool made up of local and international pro league royalty, led by Philippine Basketball Association MVPs June Mar Fajardo and Scottie Thompson and 7-foot-3 phenom Kai Sotto.

From this list, national coach Chot Reyes and his staff will prune it down to 12, finalizing the roster shortly before Gilas debuts against fellow Group A entry and FIBA Americas qualifier Dominican Republic at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The national team takes on FIBA Africa qualifier Angola next at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, then wraps up the first round of the Group Phase against world No. 10 and two-time FIBA EuroBasket champion Italy also at the Big Dome.

Two wins will send Gilas to the second round against top qualifiers from Group B, made up of South Sudan, world No. 6 Serbia, China and Puerto Rico. Designated as third venue in the FIBAWC is SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, which will house the Final Phase of the tournament.

Comprising the bulk of the Gilas pool are Chris Newsome, Kiefer Ravena, CJ Perez, Rhenz Abando, Jordan Heading, Dwight Ramos, Jamie Malonzo, Thirdy Ravena, Japeth Aguilar, JP Erram, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu and Anj Kouame.

A lso included but recovering from recent injuries are Roger Pogoy (finger fracture), Ray Parks (muscle strain) and Calvin Oftana.

The WBA, through committee chairman Carlos Chavez, said that “the rematch is not feasible to do so at this time.”

Tapales (37-3 win-loss with 19 knockouts) and his camp earlier requested the WBA for a fight against either Fulton (21-0 with eight knockouts) or Inoue (24-0 with 21 knockouts) on July 25.

This bout would be a unification of the WBA, IBF, WBC [World Boxing Council] and WBO titles which is a powerful reason to admit it for the sake of boxing,” the WBA statement said.

Fulton holds the WBO and WBC super bantamweight belts, while Inoue vacated all of the bantamweight belts—IBF, WBO, WBC and WBA—to test the super bantamweight division.

Gibbons said that the champion from Lanao del Norte’s unification bout against either Fulton or Inoue could be held later this year or early next year. Josef Ramos

We are thrilled to finally be a part of the PVL. We have organized and participated in several leagues to qualify for the opportunity to compete in the PVL, which we believe is the most prestigious league in the country. Being a part of the PVL is already an honor and accomplishment for our volleyball club,” said Defenders team manager Jordan Tolentino.

A ll 11 local teams will be split into two groups—Group A will be composed of defending champion Creamline, Chery Tiggo, PLDT, Akari and Gerflor, and Group B will consist of Petro Gazz, F2 Logistics, Choco Mucho, Cignal, Farm Fresh and Foton.

The top two teams in each pool will advance to the round-robin semifinals, along with the two foreign teams. Teams from the same pool will carry over their head-to-head record into the second round.

The top two teams will advance to the winner-take-all final, while the third and fourth-ranked teams will compete for the bronze medal.

Th anks to Darry Bernardo, Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza and Sander Severino, who won two gold medals each at the Royal University on Thursday, Team Philippines was a significant hit in the games staged at the Cambodian capital.

B ernardo, who is visually impaired, won the men’s individual B2-B3 and team with Arman Subaste and Menandro Redor.

Mendoza, a lawyer, ruled the women’s individual blitz PI and team with Cheryl Angot and Jean-Lee Nacita.

The wheelchair-bound Severino, a former world champion, topped the men’s individual and team with Felix Aguilera and Henry Lopez.

The James Infiesto-coached chess team had a total of 13 golds, improving its 10-gold harvest last year.

The team also produced the top two most successful athletes in the Philippine contingent with Bernardo pocketing six golds and Mendoza contributing five.

A ngel Mae Otom secured four gold medals for the swimming squad, which bagged 10 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals to finish sixth, behind Thailand (34-29-33), Vietnam (28-19-26), Indonesia (27-37-24), Malaysia (26-12-10) and Singapore (11-10-8).

W ith its 34-gold, 33-silver and 50-bronze output, Team Philippines duplicated its fifth-place finish in Surakarta, Indonesia.

I am honored and overjoyed to congratulate our athletes for their remarkable performances and astounding achievements in the 12th ASEAN Para Games,” Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)

DARRY BERNARDO is the most successful Filipino para athlete with six gold medals.

Commissioner and Team Philippines chef-de-mission Walter Francis Torres. “These achievements have not only brought glory once again to the Philippines but also serve as inspirations and motivations to future generations of para-athletes.”

I ndonesia has collected 153 golds, 141 silvers and 93 bronzes to capture its third consecutive title. Th ailand, which will host the 2025 edition in Korat, settled for second place with 123 golds, 107 silvers and 92 bronzes, followed by Vietnam (66-56-78) and Malaysia (47-38-35).

Olongapo City bets Raagas, Bada seek top honors in Subic Ironkids

CELINDA RAAGAS and Darell Bada set out against a strong field of youngsters who take the spotlight ahead of the elite of endurance racing in the Ironkids Triathlon reeling off Saturday in Subic Bay.

Raagas topped the 13-15 division of the last tri-race event at Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus City last October while fellow Olongapo City native Bada placed second to absentee Peter del Rosario in their side of the duel in the premier division of the event long considered as the spawning ground of triathlon talents and which drew a cast of 178 from various age-group divisions.

T he 13-15 age titles will be disputed over 250-meter swim, 6-km bike and 2-km run distance with participants already winners in more ways than just emerging victorious from the event ushering in a weekend of racing to be highlighted by the Century Tuna full Ironman and Subic Ironman 70.3 Sunday.

B ut Raagas expects to face a stern test against the likes of Jaden Khongkun, Clarissa Saludes, Zabelle

Eugenio, Princess Ilio, Thara Salazar, Jayda Gumaya, Chantelle Coleman, Chelsea Borja and Kyrene Benzon, while Bada will have his hands full against Red Reyes, Jacob Catambay, Sean Julian, Edcarl Moreno, Chadwick Baday and Nathan Ramos, among others.

T he 6-8 years old bracket will clash over the 100-meter swim, 2-km bike and 1-km run distance, while the 9-10 crowns will be contested over the 150-meter swim, 4-km bike and 1.5-km run stretch.

The 11-12 division is set over the 200-m, 4-km bike and 1.5-km span with Evan Ramos from Antipolo, Rizal and Noah Maliwat from Pasig City and Dominique Aragones and Sara Santiago headlining the rosters in the two sides.

A lso on tap are two events in relay category, according to the organizing The Ironman Group/ Sunrise Events Inc. It features the mixed team for 6-10 made up of the 100-m swim, 2-km bike and 1-km run race, and for 11-15 bracket set over 200-m swim, 4-km bike and 1.5-km run distance.