Golden breakthrough

First of a series

The highest sports official of the land called it the golden year of Philippine sports, nothing more, nothing less.

Amidst pandemic, Filipino athletes braved the challenges, rose above adversity and waved the flag high in the biggest stages of various fronts and many disciplines.

A strongwoman from Zamboanga spearheaded an assault leading to a treasure chest of many “firsts” in the Olympics, a Fil-Japanese blossomed into full stardom in golf, and a gymnast made a big rebound from an Olympic slip to a vault to glory in the world championship.

The all-time Philippine boxing great called it a career but many other pugs stepped forward and earned laurels with victories in numerous world championship fights.

The nation also celebrated triumphs by Philippine bets in athletics, tennis, billiards and wushu, savored podium finishes in bowling and karate, and cheered the fighting showing by the beloved cage team.

Great milestones were achieved, and the achievers and their tales dominated The Philippine STAR’s Top 10 Stories of the Year.

1. New dawn in Philippine sports

In a year of big triumphs and major breakthroughs, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz delivered the biggest win of all.

As she steadied herself after a good clean then powered to a successful jerk of 127kgs, Diaz made history in finally ending the country’s long, long search for the first Olympic gold medal.

It’s the greatest first in Philippine sports history, touching off a treasure chest of many other “firsts.”

In a spectacle never before seen, boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial also came through with podium finishes, making it a four-medal haul for the 19-strong Phl contingent in the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo.

The four-time Olympian Diaz edged a formidable rival in reigning world champ Liao Qiuyun of China in a duel of strength, tack and wit, and gave the Philippines its first gold in 97 years of participation in the Games.

Carrying the hopes of the nation on her shoulders, Diaz didn’t disappoint, improving her silver-medal feat in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. She bagged the Holy Grail in the world’s biggest sporting showpiece at age 30.

“Grabe si God…Akala natin imposible. Akala ko din imposible,” Diaz said shortly after the awarding ceremony.

It’s a new dawn, new day in Philippine sports, with Diaz surpassing the silver-medal performances of boxer Anthony Villanueva in the previous Tokyo Games in 1964, another boxer Onyok Velasco in Atlanta in 1996 and her own feat in the previous games in Rio.

Petecio narrowly missed the gold in women’s featherweight, Paalam ended his magical ride also with a silver in men’s flyweight and Marcial took the bronze in men’s middleweight.

2. Yuka: So young, so amazing

Teenager Yuka Saso swung her way to international golf superstardom with her history-making stint at the 76th US Women’s Open in San Francisco last June.

Playing sans full LPGA membership, the Philippine pride stole the thunder from the big guns by laying claim to the coveted Harton S. Semple Trophy and doing it in spectacular fashion.

Saso sank a pressure-packed 12-foot birdie putt on the first sudden-death playoff hole at the Olympic Club’s Lake Course to beat Japanese ace Nasa Hataoka for the milestone triumph, which netted her a whopping $1 million and assured her place in the record books.

At 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, the Fil-Japanese joined Hall of Famer Inbee Park as the youngest champion in the prestigious US Women’s Open.  She also carved her name as the first golfer from the Philippines to win a golf major.

“I don’t know what’s happening in the Philippines right now but I’m just thankful that there’s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me,” said Saso.

The 2018 Asian Games double gold medalist showcased the trademark Filipino fighting spirit on her way to the top.

She started the final round with double bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3 but soldiered on and closed out with a 73 to tie Hataoka after 72 holes at 4-under 280.  The two fought on even terms in the two-hole aggregate playoff, submitting pars on Nos. 9 and 18, before Saso fired her winning birdie back on the ninth.

“I was actually a little upset (after the bad start) but my caddie talked to me and said just keep on going, there’s many more holes to play. And that’s what I did,” said Saso, who received raves for her stellar performance from even her idol, Rory McIlroy.

A Japan tour campaigner, Saso received her five-year LPGA card after her breakthrough at the Olympic Club. She rose to as high as No. 5 in the weekly world rankings and finished ninth in the Tokyo Olympics in a banner year.

Saso’s time as Philippine stalwart, however, is numbered, as she has already announced her decision to elect Japanese citizenship when she turns 22 in 2023.

3. Yulo vaults to history, glory

Olympian Caloy Yulo went to the 50th FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Kitakyushu, Japan seeking redemption for his Tokyo Games letdown. And Yulo achieved more than that.

The 21-year-old Yulo copped the vault gold and the parallel bars silver medals in the annual world tilt as he made up for his failed Olympic bid. He had a sorry showing in his pet event – floor exercise – where he was a heavy favorite being the world champ in 2019.

He again failed to medal in floor exercise in Kitakyushu, but performed above expectation to claim medals in vault and parallel bars.

Yulo bagged a gold and a silver in a follow-up to his feat in 2019 when he became the first gymnast from Southeast Asia to win a gold in the world event.

It was an unexpected vault triumph for Yulo as he came to the finals just with the third best score in the qualifiers.

But he came through with a winning vault in the final and thus joined a distinguished list of Filipino athletes who conquered the world stage this year.

Coming with the victory is a needed boost for the next Olympics.

“Next goal ko is to win a gold medal and make the finals of the individual all-around in the 2024 Paris Games,” said Yulo in an interview late October.

4. End of an era

It was a bit of a surprise to many that one quiet day in September, the greatest Filipino boxer ever broke the unhappy news that he’s had enough and done enough inside the ring.

“I just heard the final bell,” said Manny Pacquiao, facing the camera for an emotional 14-minute farewell speech.

Word on Pacquiao’s retirement spread as fast as the boxer from General Santos City once was. It wasn’t even difficult for his fans, millions of them scattered across the globe, to understand and accept the fact that yes, it’s over.

Just over a month before, on a hot and humid night in Las Vegas, boxing’s only eight-division champion was a shell of his old self in dropping a unanimous decision to 35-year-old Cuban Yordenis Ugas.

Pacquiao, then four months shy of his 43rd birthday, wasn’t even supposed to face the bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympics, who took an 11-day notice to replace the injured Errol Spence Jr.

But things happen for a reason, and in this case, it was to make Pacquiao realize that he has lost the battle against the unbeatable foe – Father Time.

“Tapos na ang boxing,” said the incumbent senator, who is leaving his fingerprints all over the brutal sport he once ruled with unbelievable speed and power fight fans had never seen before.

One can always look back at Pacquiao’s victories over Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Ricky Hatton, Oscar dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito or his brave stand against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and a few others, in a career that lasted 26 years, to be reminded of his greatness.

“It is difficult for me to accept that my time as a boxer is over,” said Pacquiao, whose rags-to-riches story is truly like no other.

“Thank you boxing, you changed my life,” added the religious and humble man, who as a boxer will forever be missed and remembered.

Now, Pacquiao is fearlessly facing the biggest battle in the political ring – the race for the presidency. That’s an entirely different story.

 (To be continued)