2024: A Landmark Year for Philippine Sports

The year 2024 has been a remarkable and bountiful year for Philippine sports, showcasing the nation’s modest, yet significant gains on the international stage. From the country’s successful Olympic foray, to the victories against foreign teams in different ballgames, to individual achievements as well as local developments, the year has blessed us with numerous successes that has brought pride and honor to the land.

Leading the charge, diminutive gymnast Carlos Yulo captured the hearts of Filipinos with his twin triumphs at the Olympics, earning a first-ever 2-gold haul that highlighted his incredible talent and dedication.  Yulo won golds in the men’s floor exercise and the men’s vault, becoming the country’s first-ever Olympic double gold medalist. His double-gold win has become the new standard, bumping off weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’ 1 gold, 1 silver effort in the past. (Pls read: A Quick Look at Team Philippines’ Best-Ever Olympic Campaign. Just click on the title. )

Yulo’s triumphs helped the Philippines celebrate a historic Olympic haul, marking its best performance yet. Its 2 gold, 2 bronze take-home surpassed last Olympics’ record haul easily, providing inspiration to the future generation of Filipino athletes. Nesty Petecio and Aira Villegas bagged the 2 bronzes, both in women’s boxing, while there were several near-misses in Bianca Pagdanganan (Golf) and EJ Obiena (pole vault) who both settled for 4th; while Carlo Paalam (boxing) reached the quarterfinals, just 1 win away from a medal finish.

The Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team continued to shine, after a surprising the Asian Games gold last year. This year, they continued to amaze fans, securing significant victories against heavyweights Latvia and New Zealand in international competitions and solidifying their reputation as a force to reckon with in the sport. The main catalyst to the team’s positive trajectory has been the appointment of Tim Cone as coach of the Gilas team. His teams may not be as star-studded as the previous iteration of the national team, but the cohesion, the morale and the player development – not to mention the clear public support – have clearly provided the positive vibes to make the task easier, and the results better. Kai Sotto’s steady improvement, plus Coach Tim’s adherence to continuity, have been a blessing for a team hungry to bring the country more cage glory. (Pls read: Coach Tim Cone Wields His Magic Wand. Just click on the title.)

In volleyball, the women’s national team made notable strides, achieving commendable results in various tournaments and gaining recognition for their teamwork and flair. Led by that veteran setter Jia Morado De Guzman and that defense specialist Dawn Macandili Catindig, the Philippine National Volleyball Ladies Team, fondly called Alas Pilipinas, took the bronze medal in the 2024 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup held last May, to the pleasant surprise of hordes of volleyball fanatics at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. This is the first podium finish for a national volleyball squad since the early 2000s, after a decade of being sadly embroiled in sports politics. Leading this over-achieving team was the unassuming Brazilian coach, Jorge Souza De Brito, whose patience and dedication – despite numerous constraints – was key to the team’s cinderella finish. (Pls read: Alas Pilipinas Takes Bronze in AVC Challenge Cup 2024. Just Click on the title.) The Alas men’s spikers also made a historic first, landing a bronze in the SEA V League. Both teams are showing plenty of upside, as their successes have made the sport’s popularity soar to a higher plane. 

Our new generation Azkals gifted us with 2 mild shocks early this month, first with a stunning victory of heavy favorite Indonesia 1-0 to reach the semifinals in football’s ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup. Having reached the semifinals, they then upended the then-undefeated Thai ‘War Elephants’ squad 2-1, for the first time in 52 long years, to take the lead in their 2-game home-and-away ASEAN Cup semifinals. It took a thrilling header by Kike Linares in the last minute of extra time to eke out a Houdini-act win over the defending champs, and now they’re headed for Bangkok for the 2nd game. (Watch out for the second leg of the semis this 30 Dec in Bangkok.) Gone are the hallowed names of the dangerous Younghusband brothers, Phil and James; that wily winger Stefan Schrock, the maestro ‘Chieffy’ Caligdong, and that veteran goalie, Neil Etheridge. Instead, new names like Bjorn Martin Kristensen, Sandro Reyes and Enrique Linares have taken over center stage. This new generation is forging their own identity, stepping out of the shadows of their predecessors to light the way for the future of Philippine football.

The Meralco Bolts finally took a crown in the PBA, ending years of frustration for a team that used to be a powerhouse during the MICAA day in the 60s. And they took it from the clutches of the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen. Meralco, bannered in the 60s by the cage legend, Bobby Jaworski, annexed the Philippine Cup last August behind the heroics of Chris Newsome, an under-appreciated guard whose steady game has impressed no less than national coach Tim Cone himself.

In college basketball, the UP Fighting Maroons took the UAAP men’s basketball crown, after 2 frustrating years as the runners-up. Their best-of-three Finals series against the defending champs La Salle Green Archers was a classic, with the lead changing hands like crazy. The Mapua Cardinals took the NCAA men’s basketball title after 33 years of futile campaign, sweeping the Benilde Blazers emphatically. While in the women’s side, the NU Lady Bulldogs regained the crown it lost to UST in a fiercely-fought finals in the UAAP Women’s basketball.

The Creamline Cool Smashers stamped its class as the best of the best as it collected a grandslam in the Premiere Volleyball League (PVL) this year. Creamline has now acquired its 10th title in the PVL, making it the team with the most number of trophies in the history of women’s professional volleyball in the Philippines. (Pls read: Creamline Cool Smashers: The Most Dominant Force in the History of Philippine Women’s Volleyball. Just click on the title.)

NU reclaimed the UAAP Cheerdance title, capturing the title for the 8th time, tying UP and UST for the record. After surrendering the crown to FEU last year, the NU Pep Squad came back with a vengeance, providing high-risk, high-reward stunts that wowed an audience of 19 thousand screaming fans at the MOA Arena. That’s their 8th in the last 11 sorties. This Cheerdance team is truly world-class, I kid you not.

Overall, 2024 has proven to be an encouraging year for Philippine sports, with athletes across various disciplines making waves and setting new benchmarks, ultimately fostering a pride and nationalistic fervor that bodes well for our people. With these achievements, the future of Philippine sports looks brighter, paving the way for more and bigger successes in the years to come.

Cover pic courtesy of ABS-CBN. Other pics courtesy of GMA Network, GLAAD, Inquirer.net, Dugout Philippines, Context.ph, PhilStar, One Sports, the PVL, Tiebreaker Times, the Daily Guardian, Sportstar The Hindu, YouTube, ABS-CBN, Spin.ph, Instagram, The Summit Express and BusinessWorld Online. For a closer look, you can click on the pics.