ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider 2024: Year of excellence for Philippine sports

2024: Year of excellence for Philippine sports

Published Dec 12, 2024 11:56 pm

EDITORS DESK

Ramon Bonilla.jpg

What a year it has been for Philippine sports. Truly the best season in history.


Carlos Yulo is definitely the star of a splendid 2024 for our national athletes who came and conquered international competitions, with the Filipino sportsmen breaking barriers and smashing records in fields that gathered the best of the world.


The four-foot-11 dynamo out of Leveriza, Manila delivered the biggest news when he topped the floor exercise and vault events of the Paris Olympics last August. He became the country’s first double gold winner in the quadrennial meet to instantly crown himself the winningest Filipino in the history of the Games.


Despite the highly publicized split with his Japanese coach who was one of the pillars of his gymnastics career, Yulo soldiered on and trained under immense pressure to erase the bad memory of his 2021 Tokyo Olympics showing.


With Hidilyn Diaz’s victory in the Japanese capital serving as everyone’s guiding light in the French city, Yulo displayed grace and technical prowess in ruling the two competitions in successive days. When he returned home, the gymnast was treated like a king and was showered with monetary rewards that breached the ₱100-million mark, a condominium unit, and a brand-new car.


Of course, our national boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas took podium finishes after winning bronze in Paris to complete the Philippines’ best result in the Olympics.


Who would forget Gilas Pilipinas’ triumph over the mighty Latvians in the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament in Riga? The Filipino dribblers showed pure heart and determination against the tall Europeans and scored a stunning 89-80 win over the hosts. Ranked No. 37, it marked the basketball team’s most impressive showing in foreign shores after they defeated the world No. 6 squad.


Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit shone brightly after they bagged the world 10-ball and women’s 9-ball titles, respectively, in rousing fashions.
Biado became the first Filipino to win the 10-ball event to add to his collection of the US Open, world 9-ball, and world mixed teams crowns. Amit was also the first Filipina to win the world 9-ball tournament after a superb play that also bolstered her long list of achievements in the women’s side.
Our very own spikers also made it to the headlines with a scintillating performance in the AVC Women’s Challenge Cup where the lady tossers snagged bronze which was the country’s first medal in the history of the tournament in 63 years of participation.


The men’s team, meanwhile, gave a strong message ahead of the world championships happening in Manila next year. The players plucked two bronze medals in the Southeast Asia V.League Legs 1 and 2, keeping their morale high and the preparations going with the Philippines hosting the biggest stage for the male spikers in September 2025.


Then, there’s teen sensation Alex Eala who won two titles in the International Tennis Federation W100 tournament in Spain, clinching both the singles and doubles crown last July to hike her 2024 haul that included two doubles titles in India and France earlier this year.


Bianca Bustamante also made waves after joining McLaren. The 19-year-old driver has an outstanding portfolio that boasts victories in Asia and Europe. She is currently competing in the F1 Academy under the British motor racing team.


Chess standout Daniel Quizon earned his grandmaster title after a long wait for Filipino woodpushers since Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon claimed their respective ranks in 2011.


Just recently, Manny Pacquiao was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame after a decorated career that saw him win eight divisions and multiple Fighter of the Year awards in a four-decade campaign.


Year 2024 is one unforgettable season for Filipino athletes who continue to aspire and reach unprecedented heights and inspire the younger generation to work harder for their dreams. If there is any indication of growth and sustained excellence in Philippine sports, 2024 is a strong proof. Mabuhay ang mga atleta!

 

(Ramon Rafael Bonilla is the Sports Editor of Manila Bulletin)

Related Tags

ramon bonilla EDITORS DESK
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.