Change of pace for power-spiking mother-to-be Dindin Manabat

Dindin Santiago-Manabat has been playing the active lifestyle for almost half her 22-year life, but with a baby coming her way the 6-foot-2 middle blocker is taking a little break from volleyball. She played her last volleyball early in December on Game 3 of the Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix finals where her Petron Blaze Spikers lost to her sister Jaja’s Foton Tornadoes and she’s ready to move on from the sport—temporarily at least. With...

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Rio-bound swimmer Ernie Gawilan wins second gold medal in Asean Para Games

THERE is no stopping Ernie Gawilan, the first Pinoy para swimmer to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics.On Tuesday night, the 23-year old Dabawenyo born with underdeveloped extremities and orphaned at an early age, won the gold medal in the men’s 200-meter individual medley S8 event in another record-shattering performance in the 8th Singapore Para Games. Gawilan, who also broke the 400-m freestyle event record on the wy to a gold medal on Monday,...

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Azkals drop two notches in FIFA rankings

photo © Interaksyon.com Following their recent loss to Yemen, the Philippine Azkals dropped from 137 to 139 in the latest FIFA rankings. The team’s regional rank¬ings in the ASEAN Football Federation also dropped two notches, from No.1 to No.3 in Southeast Asia. Australia and Thailand now occupy the first and second places, respectively. The Azkals remain No.19 in the whole of Asia. After playing six matches in the second round of the joint...

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Spain ends Philippines' hopes, slams door on host country in Spike for Peace

photo © Jerome Ascano THE country’s final hope in the 2015 Spike for Peace International Beach Volleyball Tournament went down on Tuesday as Philippines-A was eliminated following a 21-14, 21-10 loss to Spain at the Philsports Arena. The tandem of Amaranta Fernandez and Ester Ribera blasted the Filipina pair of Charo Soriano and Alexa Micek in just 29 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals. As easy as it looked, Fernandez, who finished with...

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8th ASEAN Para Games List of Athletes

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PH karate team wins 9 medals in Turkey tilt

photo (c) Jacque Manabat - ABS-CBN News The national karatedo team reaped three gold, one silver and five bronze medals in the 2015 International Karate Championship – The Marmara Cup held at the Bagcilar Olympic Hall in Istanbul, Turkey. Veteran campaigner Ali Parvinfar delivered two gold medals in the men’s Masters 35-45 Division 1 category of the tournament participated by 21 countries. Parvinfar topped the kata event by subduing his Bugarian...

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PH paralympian shines in table tennis

Paralympian Josephine Medina reigned supreme in the women’s singles class 6-8 event of the Copa Tango Table Tennis Tournament held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Medina, a fourth placer in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, blasted Elena Livinenko of Russia in the finals via an 11-7 11-5, 13-15, 11-7 decision. “It was a really tough match, I´m very happy because it´s my second time here and I was able to win the gold medal once again. Elena was a very strong opponent, she is a very attack minded player; I was very focused, I tried to keep the...

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RP Blu Girls set sights on Tokyo Olympics

Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) President Jean Henri Lhuillier welcomed the news that women’s softball has been included on the shortlist of additional sports being evaluated by Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games organizers for potential inclusion at the 2020 Games. The news was relayed to him by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). WBSC was among 26 international sports federations to have submitted their bids to Tokyo 2020 organizers earlier this month. “This is a welcome development for Philippine Sports. Our...

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PH wins 8 medals in 2016 International Martial Arts Festival

The Philippines bagged four gold and four silver medals in the tae kwon do event of the 2016 International Martial Arts Festival held at the ESPN World Wide Sports Complex Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida. Veteran jin Andrew Asis bannered the squad by capturing two gold medals in the poomsae and breaking events. while international campaigner Michael Bugarin added one gold (poomsae) and one silver (breaking). Mikey Rojas delivered the fourth gold in breaking and chipped in one silver in poomsae while Brianna Asis got two silvers in the...

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Philippine Super Liga to send team to tournament in Thailand

THE Philippine Superliga has been invited by the Volleyball Thailand League to compete in a three-nation club tournament in Bangkok next year. The PSL has confirmed participation in the tournament set March 22 to 28 but has yet to decide whether to send its champion team or a selection. Among those being considered are Rachel Anne Daquis, Dindin Manabat and Aby Marano of Petron, Jaja Santiago of Foton, Cha Cruz of Meralco, Maika Ortiz of RC...

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Filipino Nestor Colonia gives Olympic bid a lift with bronze medal finish in world weightlifting

NESTOR Colonia boosted his bid of gaining a slot in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics after bagging a bronze medal in the clean-and-jerk 56 kg. division of the 2015 World Weighlifting Championship in Houston, Texas. Colonia lifted 158 kg in the clean and jerk, good enough to place third in the category behind London Olympics gold medalist Om Yun-Chol of North Korea and Wu Jingbiao of China. The 23-year-old Zamboanga native fell short of a second medal after finishing fourth in the total with 282 kg behind Thach Kim Tuan of Vietnam with 287 kg. Om...

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Hidilyn Diaz cops three bronze medals in world tilt, keeps pace of earning Olympic berth

HIDILYN Diaz completed a three bronze sweep in the 2015 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Weightlifting Championship in Houston, Texas to boost her chances of gaining an Olympic berth. Diaz won the bronze in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total category of the women’s 53kg division to finish behind a China and Chinese Taipei lifter. She also become the first-ever Filipina to win a medal in the history of the competition and boosted her bid to claim a seat in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics. Diaz, who competed in the 2012...

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Centeno pockets World Jr 9-ball Championship in China

MANILA, Philippines -- Chezka Centeno capped off an amazing year by winning the 2015 World Junior 9-Ball Championship in Shanghai, China defeating Xia Yuying of host China, 9-3, in the finals. Centeno won over Xia’s compatriots Wang Xiaoting, 9-2, in the quarterfinals, and blanked Teng Jiang in the semifinals on her way to the finals.  Her latest title romp came a few days after her father celebrated his birthday. The Zamboanga City teenager...

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PH’s Wally, Mandal bag world wushu golds

Filipino fighters Divine Wally and Arnel Mandal proved their mettle in the international arena by seizing gold medals in the 13th World Wushu Championships in Jakarta. The 19-year-old Wally, pride of Baguio City, trounced Vietnamese Luan Thi Hoang in the 48 kg final while Mandal, a 20-year-old prized find from Iloilo City, stunned Indian Uchit Sharma in the 52 kg title duel. Showing no fear against her more experienced rivals, Wally improved...

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Centeno, Chua hold future of PH billiards

Rising cue artists Chezka Centeno and Johann Chua have earned their spurs to lead the next generation of Filipino pool stars. Only 16 years old, Centeno made history recently by becoming the first Filipino to win the 2015 World Junior 9-Ball Championship in Shanghai while Chua topped the 48th All-Japan Championship in Amagasaki Prefecture. Centeno demolished Xia Yuying of China, 9-3, in the title match to punctuate a marvelous year for the...

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PH to compete in first World Beach Games in California

photo (c) stokedinc.com.ph What was considered before as a simple of fun and games in some of the most pristine beaches in the continent has transformed into a competitive worldwide meet. Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. said the inaugural World Beach Games in 2017 would be held in San Diego, California where top Filipino athletes would seriously aim for medals. Cojuangco said the POC would immediately form a committee...

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POC pushes for more Olympic-bound athletes

MANILA, Philippines - POC first vice president Joey Romasanta said the other day he’s optimistic that the Philippines will send anywhere between eight to 12 athletes to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next year through either competition or invitation with the POC promising to support National Sports Associations (NSAs) in the hunt for qualifiers. Romasanta, the country’s chef de mission in the coming Olympics, said POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr....

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2017 SEA Games Logo, Theme and Mascot Unveiled

Logo and Theme  The theme of the Games is "Rising Together", signifying the coming of age for Southeast Asia as a community. The region has come a long way in making its mark on the global stage and this is a time for us to come together to write the next chapter in our collective journey of peace, progress, and prosperity. With Kuala Lumpur 2017 being the first SEA Games after the formation of the ASEAN Community, sports will play a big...

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PH lone Asian bid for Rio qualifier

BASKETBALL godfather Manny V. Pangilinan said that he is “happy and relieved” to learn that the Philippines is the only Asian country bidding to host one of three wildcard legs the Fiba will be staging in July next year for berths in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The chair of the governing Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Pangilinan initially didn’t know that Iran had dropped out of the race and that only six countries are now left to slug it...

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Aquino signs new nat’l athletes’ incentive plan

President Aquino gave Filipino athletes more reason to get motivated in future international competitions. Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia said Aquino signed on Friday a new incentives scheme for medal-winning athletes and coaches where they could earn at least twice the cash bonuses they’ve been receiving from the government. Garcia said differently-abled athletes were also included in the new bonus plan. He added these...

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SMB pair June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter confirm attendance in first Gilas pool practice

JUNE Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter have confirmed their attendance in the first practice of the new Gilas Pilipinas pool on Monday night, guaranteeing national coach Tab Baldwin a full complement of players when the team begins preparation for the Olympic wildcard qualifiers. Gilas team manager Butch Antonio told Spin.ph on Sunday he has gotten in touch with touch with the help of PBA president and CEO Chito Salud and SMB governor...

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Batang Gilas salvages fifth place in Fiba Asia U16 with victory over Lebanon

photo (c) FIBA.com BATANG Gilas salvaged some measure of pride, claiming fifth place in the Fiba Asia Under 16 Championship with an 89-74 victory over Lebanon on Saturday at the Arena Britama in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jonas Tibayan scored 16 points as Batang Gilas wound up with a six wins in eight games played. The young Filipino cagers wind up several slots off the second place finish of the 2013 Batang Gilas squad, and misses out on the Fiba...

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Amit enters World 9-Ball KO stage

photo (c) news.xinhua.net Former world champion Rubilen Amit scored two straight victories to advance to the knockout stage of the 2015 Women’s World 9-Ball Championship being held at the Guilin Museum in Guilin, China. The 33-year-old Amit outclassed American Sara Miller in her first assignment, 7-1, then followed it up with a close 7-6 win over Taiwanese Kuo Szu-Ting in Group 6. Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Iris Ranola also had a good...

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Lito Ramirez emerges from grassroots program to become first homegrown member of PH Volcanoes

LITO Ramirez has made history by becoming the first homegrown player to make the roster of the Philippine Volcanoes coming out of the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) grassroots program. And his first formal stint with the team comes this weekend when the Volcanoes take part in the Asian Rugby 7s Qualifiers in Hong Kong for next year’s Rio De Janeiro Olympics. Ramirez was only 13 when he was first introduced to the sport and honed his...

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Tab Baldwin wants fierce competition for places as Gilas pool gathers for first practice

WHEN members of the new Gilas Pilipinas pool gather for the first time on Monday at the Meralco gym, they better not expect a picnic outside of the pre-practice niceties. Tab Baldwin isn't. The national coach wants to hit the ground running when Gilas begins its preparations for the Olympic wildcard qualifiers in July, setting the tone for the Monday-only, once-a-week practices spread over seven months by saying he expects each one of the players...

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