February 16 - 28, 2019
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
The Philippines will be seeing
action in the International
Basketball Federation (FIBA)
World Cup for the sixth time when
the quadrennial conclave opens
its 18th edition on August 31 to
September 15 in four Chinese
Cities of Beijing, Shanghai,
Dongguan and Guangzhou.
It will actually be the country’s
second straight stint in the
world’s basketball championship
following the Filipino basketball
players appearance in 2014 in
Spain.
The Filipinos, once Asia’s
kingpins sport their countrymen’s
favorite pastime, first took part in
the tournament’s second edition
in 1954 Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
where the country fashioned
out its best finish at third that,
up to the present time, remains
unequalled by any country outside
of the Americas and Europe.
It was in Rio were our own
Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga, local
basketball’s “Big Difference,” was
named to the world’s mythical
selection, a first, too, for an Asian
that would’ve merited him a place
SPORTS
The Philippines’
finest moment in
FIBA World Cup
in FIBA’s Hall of Fame;
Skippered by Lauro The Fox”
Mumar, the team was made\ up of
six Olympians, amd six standouts
from the commercial (MICAA)
and school leadues (NCAA and
UAAP.)
The Olympkians -- Loyzaga,
Florentnki Bajtita, Pons Saldana,
Mariano
Tolentino,
Antonio
Genato (Helsinki 1952) and Mmar
(London 1948.
Joining them were Ben
Francisco (PAL), Rafael Barredo
(San Miguel-San Beda), Frankie
Rabat (Ateneo), Bayani Amador
(FEU), Ramon Manulat, Nap
Flores (UST).
A formidable lineup considered
by many as the finest team formed
and described as relatively tall
in those times averaging six-feet
and young having an average age
23 with Mumar the oldest at 29
and Rabat the youngest at 18.
Except for Francisco, the team
was practically the same that won
the First Asian Games basketball
tournament held in Manila in 1954.
Fransicso substituted for Asiad
team captain Rafael Hechanova,
who begged off to marry.
Coach was Herminio “Herr”
Silva, then also the mentor of
UST in the UAAP cage war.
Loyzaga and company lost to
Brazil, 62-99 in the elimination
round but made it to the final with
a 54-53 clobbering Paraguay.
The Filipinos drew the eventual
champion U.S. in the opening of
the eight-team championship
round, 45-56, but in a replay of
the Asiad gold medal play beat
Formosa (now Taiwan), 48-38,
coming from a precarious 21-all
stalemate at halftime.
A string of three victories over
Israel, 90-58; Canada, 83-76; and
France, 66-60, sealed third place
and the bronze medal for coach
Silva’s boys despite losing anew
to Brazil, 47-51, although they
still edged Uruguay, 67-63, in
their last outing they needed not
win.
The Philippines ended up
compiling a 6-3 win-loss record.
That bronze medal finish
of Loyzaga and teammates
surpassed the fifth-place wind up
fashioned out by a National Five
29
during the 1936 Berlin Olympic
Games that could have been
a silver medal had it not for the
quirk format implemented in the
sport being played for the first
time in the quadrennial meet.
That 1938 Olympic squad,
captained
by
senator-to-be
Ambrosio Padilla was made
up of Charles Borck, Jacinto
Ciria Cruz, Franco Marquicias,
Primitivo Martinez, Jesus Marzan,
Amador Obordo, Bibiano Ouano,
John Worrell, Fortunato Yambao
and alternates Miguel Pardo and
Antonio Carillo.
Coached by Dionisio “Chito
Calvo, the Filipino Olympians lost
only one game to eventual winner
Americans, but until today, it
cannot be explained how they
landed fifth.
Canada also finished with
three win and a loss but was
awarded the silver medal, while
Mexico, 3-2 was third. Poland, 1-
2 was fourth.
That fifth placed finish,
though, was still the best among
countries outside the Americas,
Europe and Oceania.
Didal among recipients of PSA’s Athlete of the Year
ollie her way to another.
The 19-year-old Didal, however,
has to qualify for the Olympics
first before anything else, which is
something she believes she’d be able
to do.
“I’m 100 percent confident
because I have the full support of my
friends, family and sponsors,” said the
Margielyn Didal on Tuesday was
one of five Filipina Asian Games gold
medalists bestowed with the highest
honor as Athlete of the Year by the
Philippine Sportswriters Association
during its annual PSA Awards Night at
Manila Hotel.
“Unexpected,” Didal said of her
recognition. “Unexpected because
before, people don’t give any attention
to skateboarders but now, they’re not
only giving us attention but also an
award.”
“I’m very grateful for the honor to
be awarded as Athlete of the Year.”
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and golfers
Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and
Lois Kaye Go were the other four
given the Athlete of the Year award.
It was only in August when Didal
bagged the gold in the women’s street
skate event and pocketed P6 million
as cash incentive for her feat.
From skating in the streets of
Cebu to the grand stage of the Asian
Games in Jakarta, where she came
out of nowhere to snag the gold
medal just six months ago, and now
the red carpet, Margielyn Didal is still
trying to wrap her head around the
whirlwind of events that completely
changed her life.
Winning in the Asian Games was
no doubt her biggest accomplishment
to date and she’s more than ready to
bubbly Didal. “I have been getting a
lot of support.”
Didal is preparing for her next
Olympic qualifying tournament which
fires off three months from now in
London.
She said most of her training is
done in Hong Kong where there’s an
abundance of skateparks. (Inq.net)
By: Julian Ray Fortaleza
Answers from last week’s issue:
1. Rose Namajunas is 26 years old.
2. The Rumble in the Jungle happened in 1974.
3. Badou Jack was the fighter that was cut.
New Questions:
1. Who is the youngest active champion in boxing
2. What year did Andrew Golota tight Riddick Bowe
3. Where will Mickey Garcia and Errol Spence Jr take place?
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