Triumphs galore

Top 10 stories of 2021

Second of a two-part series

5. Boxers deliver big punches

A crunching left hook to his opponent’s body was all Nonito Donaire Jr. needed to remind the boxing world that he’s here to stay.

At 39, fit and strong, the “Filipino Flash” once again proved that he’s a star in the 118-pound class.

His fourth-round stoppage of compatriot Raymart Gaballo in Carson City last Dec. 11 made sure the WBC bantamweight crown remained in Donaire’s hands. Last May, he won the title with a similar fourth-round knockout of Frenchman Nordine Oubaali, also in California.

Now, he’s hoping and praying that a rematch with Japanese monster Naoya Inoue, the WBA and IBF champion who won a hard-fought battle against the Filipino in 2019, takes place.

Elsewhere, Filipino fighters had a roller-coaster ride in 2021.

IBF super-flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas retained his title for the ninth time with a unanimous decision against Jonathan Rodriguez of Mexico in Connecticut in April.

But as he prepared for a New Year’s Eve showdown with Kazuto Ioka in Japan, the COVID-19 surge stood in the way, with the Japanese government suspending the entry of foreign nationals.

The fight was called off, and Ancajas is still in the United States, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

Johnriel Casimero, the flamboyant WBO bantamweight king, outpointed Cuba’s two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux last August but nearly lost his crown for missing the official weigh-in for a title fight against Paul Butler of the United Kingdom in Dubai last Dec. 11.

Reports hinted that Casimero had great difficulty making weight and had to be rushed to the hospital due to dehydration. But his handlers said otherwise, claiming the 32-year-old champion was a victim of viral gastritis.

The WBO bought his story and declared that Casimero remains the champion but is mandated to fight Butler as soon as possible.

Vic Saludar became two-time world champion when he won the vacant WBA minimumweight title with a split decision over unbeaten countryman Robert Paradero in Biñan, Laguna last February.

Then he traveled to the Dominican Republic in December only to drop the crown, losing on points against hometown bet Erick Rosa and judges from Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the host country.

Worse, the 31-year-old Saludar came home holding an empty bag, still waiting for the $22,000 balance from his $35,000 purse.

On a bright note, Jonas Sultan doused cold water on previously unbeaten Carlos Caraballo of Puerto Rico, sending the latter down four times for a unanimous decision at the Madison Square Garden in New York last October.

Sultan, 30, stunned his opponent, who was trumpeted by his American promoters as their next superstar. Instead, the Filipino brought home the WBO Intercontinental bantamweight crown.

6. Obiena rips Asian mark

Filipino pole vault ace EJ Obiena had an up-and-down journey in 2021.

The 24-year-old Obiena started with a forgettable performance in the Tokyo Olympics where he finished 11th.

But Obiena was quick to make up for it by breaking not just the national record he owns but also the Asian mark of 5.92 meters set by Kazakhstan’s Igor Potapovich 23 years ago. The Pinoy ace cleared 5.93m in the Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria in September.

Then he got embroiled in a controversy with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), accusing him of allegedly falsifying liquidations concerning payments to his Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov.

Obiena denied it.

The mess resulted in the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) getting involved with the former declaring PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico persona non grata for his alleged harassment of Obiena.

The issue has taken its toll on Obiena, whose training has been stalled.

7. Biado rules US Open

Four years after rising as the Philippines’ newest world pool champion, Carlo Biado re-emerged and delivered a major triumph.

Biado, the world 9-ball kingpin in 2017, brought out his golden sticks again to rule the US Open last September in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The 37-year-old pool star pulled off an epic fightback from a 3-8 deficit before sealing his triumph worth  $50,000 (around P2.5 million) via a 13-8 verdict over Aloysius Yapp of Singapore.

Biado hoisted the championship and wore the symbolic green blazer 27 years after the great Efren “Bata” Reyes gave the country its last US Open triumph.

It was not exactly a smooth ride all throughout for Biado, who even had to work his way back up from the losers’ bracket.

In the semis, the player nicknamed “Black Tiger” needed to overcome a 4-8 disadvantage before scraping past Japanese Naoyoki Oi, 11-9. It was basically the same story in the finals against Yapp, where Biado strung up 10 straight racks to get back and ultimately prevail.

After his US conquest, Biado annexed the title in the Abu Dhabi Open 9-Ball Championship over at the United Arab Emirates in November, capping an unbeaten run with a 13-6 romp over compatriot Jordan Banares.

8. Eala reigns

Another grand slam crown, a maiden professional title, career-high rankings and a bevy of gallant finishes against seasoned opponents. Name it and Alex Eala achieved it all in one of the most successful runs of her young career.

The 16-year-old Filipina sensation started 2021 with a bang as she bagged her first pro championship in January in the W15 Manacor in Spain to ignite a sizzling year.

In June, the tennis protégé added another grand slam to her growing collection following a conquest of the French Open girls doubles with Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva a year after ruling the Australian Open doubles with Indonesian Priska Madelyn Nugroho.

Eala clinched a twin-title a month later in Italy after reigning supreme in the JA Milan girls singles play and doubles event with American Madison Sieg.

The left-handed wunderkind also stood her ground in two more grand slam tournaments with a second-round finish in the Wimbledon in July and a US Open quarterfinal stint in September.

In between those majors were Eala’s solid trips in Madrid, Switzerland, Romania, Czech Republic and Miami.

Her stellar campaign catapulted her to career-high rankings both in the International Tennis Federation juniors and Women’s Tennis Association list.

A scholar of the Rafael Nadal Academy, Eala became the world junior No. 2 player in July and rose to 505th in the women’s pro circuit in August after starting the year at No. 1651.

9. TNT ends drought

After falling short in the 2020 Philippine Cup bubble in Clark, TNT decided the best course of action was to regroup under Chot Reyes, who came out of a nine-year sabbatical in the PBA for the Tropang Giga’s return-to-the-top plans.

“It’s exciting but we want to temper it by just making sure we’re realistic in terms of the expectations,” Reyes said upon taking over from coach Bong Ravena and consultant Mark Dickel.

“This is not an instant thing. Simply changing the coach is not a magic formula,” stressed the mentor, who in his previous tour-of-duty with the franchise, steered TNT to four titles, including the 2012 All-Filipino.

It actually turned out to be instant and magical.

Through hard work, resilience and adaptability to the challenges of pandemic play, the Tropang Giga hit paydirt right away in the 2021 Philippine Cup in Bacolor and ended six years of futility.

On the way to the summit, Reyes’ brave crew dismantled three powerhouse opponents one after the other – holder Barangay Ginebra in the quarterfinals, powerhouse San Miguel Beer in the semis and tough Magnolia in the finals.

“It’s been a long journey but I’m very, very proud of the way these guys played,” Reyes said after TNT captured its first crown since the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup with a 94-79 Game Five clincher over the Hotshots in October.

TNT won its eighth PBA championship overall and broke the stranglehold of the SMC squads on the PBA’s centerpiece competition over the last eight years.

Reyes, meanwhile, hiked his personal collection to nine while the veteran core of Jayson Castro, Ryan Reyes and Kelly Williams enjoyed being champs again after a while and young guns RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Poy Erram as well as super rookie Mickey Williams scored their breakthrough triumph in the pro league.

10. Gilas sends shockwaves

Gilas Pilipinas’ youth brigade left little doubt there’s a bright future ahead with its jaw-dropping play in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers bubble in Clark last June.

Beefed up by debuting teen sensation Kai Sotto and new naturalized player Angelo Kouame, Gilas sent shockwaves to the basketball world as it not only broke the dreaded “Korean curse” but also started a new two-game streak against their bitter rivals.

SJ Belangel fired the game-winning trey at the buzzer as the host Filipinos rallied from 16 points down to end a five-game skid against Korea over the last seven years, 81-78.

“I don’t think there’s any question that these young guys are going to compete,” said Gilas coach Tab Baldwin.

“There’s always gonna be a question about: Can our talent stand up to the opponent’s talent? Or can our lack of experience stand up to the experience of others? But not their heart and not their desire to fight.”

The youngsters proved it was no fluke when they repeated against the Ra Gun Ah-led Koreans a couple of days later, 82-77, behind Dwight Ramos’ hot outing.

In-between, Gilas crushed Lester Prosper and Indonesia, 76-51, to complete a sweet sweep of Group A.

Gilas’ young guns then headed to the ultra-tough FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, where they put up a brave stand before bowing to world No. 5 Serbia, 83-76, and 19th-ranked the Dominican Republic, 94-67.

“I think our program is heading in the right direction and we’re blessed with really good young players who unfortunately have a lot to learn or maybe fortunately because they have a great attitude about learning,” said Baldwin.

The long game, of course, is the FIBA World Cup in 2023 to be held on Philippine soil.