Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Still, Obiena, Gilas Pilipinas, and Filipinas already occupy special spots in the upper echelon of Philippine sports history.
The year has yet to end, but some quarters already claim that 2023 is the “Golden Age” of Philippine sports.
Well, the claim has a rock-solid basis. The year 2023 has seen the rise of many sports heroes like EJ Obiena of athletics, the Gilas Pilipinas team of men’s basketball, and the Filipinas of women’s football.
There is no doubt that Obiena is the star of this golden generation.
The 27-year-old athlete from Tondo rose to become one of the best pole vaulters in the world after soaring past the six-meter barrier to reset the Asian record in a prestigious event in Norway.
Only 28 athletes in the history of world athletics have surpassed the six-meter mark, with the legendary Sergey Bubka of Ukraine becoming the first when he posted 6.0 meters in 1985.
As if that historic feat wasn’t enough, Obiena beat the reigning king of the sport — Armand Duplantis of Sweden — when he cleared 5.91 meters in the Wanda Diamond League in Belgium.
He also emerged as the first Filipino to pocket a silver medal in the World Athletics Championships before capping his season with a gold medal in the 19th Asian Games in record-breaking fashion.
Not to be outdone was Gilas Pilipinas.
After dropping the Southeast Asian Games crown in 2021, the Filipino cagers, bannered by naturalized player Justin Brownlee, bounced back, and redeemed their shattered pride by winning the gold medal in the 32nd edition of the meet in Phnom Penh.
With the SEA Games gold safely back in its vault, Gilas Pilipinas, headed by Jordan Clarkson, capped its stint in the FIBA Basketball World Cup with a sweet 96-75 win over China.
Three weeks later, Brownlee was back at the helm to power Gilas in the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Despite the odds stacked against them for being assembled at the last minute, the Filipinos refused to lose hope and turned adversity into motivation.
Gilas eked out a slim 84-83 win over Iran in the quarterfinals before dethroning China in its territory, 77-76, off the heroics of Brownlee, who fired back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute.
Then, they sealed their campaign with a 70-60 win over Jordan in the final to claim the country’s first Asian Games gold medal in 61 years.
The Filipinas also shook Philippine sports to its foundation.
The Filipina booters completed their date with destiny when Sarina Bolden delivered a goal in the 24th minute to shock host New Zealand and give the Philippines its first-ever victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
With these fantastic achievements in 11 months, is it safe to say that we are indeed in the golden age of Philippine sports?
Are their feats better than Hidilyn Diaz’s performance in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she clinched the country’s first Olympic gold medal, or when Manny Pacquiao reduced a boxing legend in Oscar De La Hoya into a bloody pulp in 2008?
How about when the late Lydia de Vega-Mercado engaged with hometown hero P.T. Usha in a heart-stopping battle of sprinting prowess in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi or when Carlos Loyzaga powered the Filipino cagers to the bronze medal of the FIBA World Championships in 1954?
Philippine sports history is indeed dotted with a lot of memorable achievements. Branding 2023 as the “Golden Age” will definitely stir a debate, especially among old-timers who have witnessed the superhuman feats performed by the legends of the game like Paeng Nepomuceno, Efren “Bata” Reyes, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco and, of course, Diaz, Pacquiao, De Vega-Mercado and Loyzaga.
Still, Obiena, Gilas Pilipinas, and Filipinas already occupy special spots in the upper echelon of Philippine sports history. Whatever happens, their legacy is secure.
Soon, they will be remembered not for the color of the medals they won or the amount of financial rewards they received but for the number of lives they touched and the young people they inspired.
After all, sports heroes do not train just to win. They work hard to serve as role models and inspiration for the next generation of stars.
*****
Credit belongs to: tribune.net.ph
