Philippines 5 back in promised land; night to remember also marked by Jiu-Jitsu gold, bronze
HANGZHOU — At long last, the gold in men’s basketball.
And for the millions of basketball-crazy Filipinos, as far as the Asian Games is concerned, it’s the one that matters.
It’s the sport they really love, and the gold that they really longed for.
“Six decades,” Gilas coach Tim Cone, almost hoarse, said as he hurriedly walked past a row of reporters heading to the Philippine dugout.
It’s where the celebration would continue after the Philippine basketball team, denied of the Asian Games gold since 1962, nailed it more than a thousand miles away from home.
It came in the form of a 70-60 win over Jordan in the finale that lacked the excitement the Filipinos, and their fans, enjoyed after they beat host and 2018 champion China in the semifinals two nights ago.
The gold medal came exactly 61 years after the great Caloy Loyzaga steered the Philippines to victory in Jakarta where they went undefeated in seven games.
That was the last time Filipinos came home from the Asian Games with gold medals around their necks. From thereon, the gold proved elusive, and the Philippines could only show a silver in 1990 and a couple of bronzes in 1986 and 1998.
In 1962, there were Loyzaga, Bachmann, Arazas, Bernardo, Cruz, Jocson, Marquez, Nadurata, Pacheco, Ramas, Reynoso, Roque.
And now, there were Newsome, Alas, Thompson, Tolentino, Ross, Lassiter, Fajardo, Perez, Oftana, Aguilar, Kouame and Brownlee.
It’s an entirely different bunch of players. But now they have something in common. They are champions in the Asian Games.
Then there’s Cone, who just a week or two ago, wasn’t even sure if he could field a full lineup to this Asian Games. But they managed, and with some players who weren’t even supposed to be here, won it all.
Filipino supporters up in the stands started to celebrate after Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jordan’s main man, missed a basket with 55 seconds left.
Gilas team manager Alfrancis Chua faced the Pinoy supporters and danced. The players on the bench began exchanging high fives.
It took a while before they let it all out inside the court. It was a victory they will never forget the rest of their lives. It was a night to remember.
The Philippines was in control from start to finish and led by 13 points in the second quarter, then by 10 at the end of the third. But the gold was really in the bag only in the final minute, when they held on to a 66-55 lead.
Jordan, which defeated the Philippines by 25 points in the group stage, was off the mark. In the end, the team that had never tasted the championship in the Asian Games, settled for the silver.
“We caught Jordan on an off shooting night,” said Cone.
The Filipinos tried to get off to a fast start against the Jordanians, knowing how important it was, and were quite successful, taking an early 8-5 lead then 11-5.
But the Jordanians, trying hard to lure the crowd on their side, made a quick run and narrowed the gap to 14-12. A triple by Brownlee, for his seventh point of the opening period, gave Gilas a 17-12 lead.
In the second quarter, Brownlee faked RHJ off and hit another triple from the left flank to open up a 24-15 advantage for the Philippines. Jordan had back-to-back turnovers and at the 5:00 mark was looking at a 13-point deficit, 15-28.
Gilas could have taken a 15-point lead but Japeth Aguilar muffed a one-handed dunk. Jordan cashed in on that miscue and dropped a heavy 11-0 bomb to make it 26-28.
A split by Brownlee from the stripe and an RHJ three-pointer tied the game at 29-29. In a short span, it was back to square one.
Jordan took the lead at 31-29 on a basket by 6-foot-10 John Bohannon. The first half ended at 31-31 after a tip-in by Jordan did not beat the game clock.
Gilas committed nine turnovers in the first half against the seven of Jordan.
The third quarter was a slow one highlighted by triples from Newsome, Thompson and Oftana and three free throws from Brownlee, who was fouled while taking a three.
The crowd started to get into the picture and started booing the Filipinos each time they went to the stripe.
Gilas broke loose from a 37-37 count with a 14-4 run for a 10-point lead entering the last quarter.
Ramirez gold winner, too
Jiu-jitsu star Annie Ramirez of the Philippines swept Galina Duvanova of Kazakhstan off her feet to win her first Asian Games gold medal over at the Xiaoshan Gymnasium.
The 32-year-old Ramirez gave Team Philippines its third precious gold at the 19th Asian Games, and the Jiu-jitsu squad its second after Meggie Ochoa won her own just the other day.
Team Philippines plucked a couple of bronze medals as well – one from Kaila Napolis, also of Jiu-jitsu, and another from sepak takraw (men’s regu), to improve its total haul to three golds, two silvers and a dozen bronzes.
Ramirez has three gold medals in the Asian Championships (2017 and 2023) and another gold in the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games (2017) under her belt.
But this one is the sweetest.
“Mas mabigat ito kasi nga hirap tayo manalo ng gold dito,” said Ramirez, a brown-skinned fighter who at 5-foot-3 gave up four inches in height against the 24-year-old Kazakh.
Duvanova is also a three-time gold winner in the Asian Championships. She stood over Ramirez 90 percent of the bout but did not have enough grip to win the ne-waza gold on this cool, cloudy day.
It was scoreless until the final 20 seconds when Ramirez swept her opponent from the bottom to earn two points.
That was the key.
“Okay lang naman na siya ang nasa taas basta ako ang may control. Hindi naman siya gumagalaw. Hinintay ko lang siya mawalan ng balance. Then na-sweep -gold,” she said.
Ramirez flashed a big smile as she received her gold at the podium, and stood still as the Philippine national athem was played for only the third time in this Games, after EJ Obiena’s victory in men’s pole vault and Ochoa’s in the women’s 48kg.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino came in rushing from another event but just in time to witness Ramirez´golden moment.
“Apat na sana ‘yan,” said Tolentino, who cried foul over the officiating which in his eyes cost boxer Eumir Marcial the gold in his 80kg final bout against a boxer from the host country last Thursday.
Ramirez’ coach, nine-time SEA Games judo champion John Baylon, said he never lost hope on his ward pulling it off in the end.
“Nag-focus lang si Annie. Mas matangkad ‘yung kalaban pero kilala namin. Walang pang-finish,” said Baylon, who represented the country in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.
It was the fourth meeting between Ramirez and Duvanova, with the Filipina ahead with three victories.
At 32, Ramirez may be older than most competitors – but definitely wiser.
Napolis, gold medalist in the last Asian Championships in Thailand, took the long route to the podium. She defeated rivals from Kazakhstan and South Korea before bowing to Asma Alhosani of the United Arab Emirates to end up in the battle for the bronze against Hessa Alshamsi, also from the UAE.
The 27-year-old Napolis got off to a shaky start in the single-round, five-minute contest but found a way to level the count at 2-2 heading to the closing minute. It was where the two-time bronze medalist in the Asian Indoor Games delivered the marginal points.
In sepak takraw, over at the Jinjua Sports Centre Gymnasium, the men’s team of Jason Huerte, Mark Gonzales, Rheyjey Ortouste, Ronsited Gabayeron and Jom Lerry Rafael settled for the bronze medal after losing to their rivals from Malaysia, 15-21, 11-21.
It was the second bronze for the Philippine sepak takraw team following the same team’s podium finish in the men’s quadrant three days ago.
- Latest
- Trending
