Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times
Photo by Joseph Beck/USGA

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Yuka Saso, Alex Eala lead PH sports achievers so far in 2021


It is just halfway through 2021, and yet Philippine sports are already teeming with top achievers.

The month of June alone saw a number of Filipino athletes proudly wave the country’s tricolors on the international stage, with a pair of lady teeners showing the way.

Golfer Yuka Saso displayed steely nerves in beating Nasa Hataoka in a three-hole playoff to win the US Women’s Open. She is the first-ever Filipino golfer in history to become a major winner.

At 19, the double-gold medalist in the 2018 Asian Games tied South Korean Park Inbee as the youngest champion in the tournament.

The historic feat of Saso put her in a strong position for the Athlete of the Year honor and other recognitions handed out by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) at year’s end.

Everything snowballed after Saso’s triumph.

2021-French-Open-Alex-Eala-champion Yuka Saso, Alex Eala lead PH sports achievers so far in 2021 2020 Tokyo Olympics 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Basketball ESports Football Gilas Pilipinas Mobile Legends MPL-PH News Para Sports Philippine Malditas POC/PSC Shooting Skateboarding Swimming Tennis Track & Field Weightlifting  - philippine sports news

Photo from FFTA

Rising 16-year-old netter Alex Eala won the French Open girls’ doubles title with Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva. They beat eighth seeds Russian Maria Bondarenko and Hungarian Amarissa Kiaratoh in straight sets, 6-0, 7-5 at Roland Garros in Paris.

It was the second Grand Slam doubles title for the Filipina scholar of the Rafael Nadal Academy. She earlier bagged the Australian girls crown in 2020.

Pole vaulter and Olympic-bound EJ Obiena also had his share of the limelight. He won a number of gold medals, including a record-breaking performance in the Jump and Fly International Athletics in Mossingen, Germany. There he established a new national record of 5.85 meters.

He has since surpassed the mark by soaring to 5.87 meters. His record netted him a silver in the World Athletics Continental Tour in Poland.

#ReadMore  Lady Bulldogs upset shorthanded Tigress for second win

In the same month, more Filipinos also clinched berths in the Tokyo Olympics including golfers Juvic Pagunsan, Bianca Pagdanganan, and Saso; along with skateboarder Margielyn Didal; judoka Kiyomi Watanabe; shooter Jayson Valdez; sprinter Kristina Knott; weightlifter Elreen Ando; swimmers Remedy Rule, and Luke Gebbie. Para-athlete jin Allain Ganapin also secured a berth in the Tokyo Paralympics.

In all, 19 athletes will represent the country in the Olympiad that gets going on July 23.

Gilas Pilipinas and the Philippine Azkals also made good accounts of their respective international campaigns.

Meanwhile, the men’s basketball team coached by Tab Baldwin formally clinched a berth in the FIBA Asia Cup. They scored a three-game sweep of its schedule in the final window of the qualifier in Clark, Pampanga — including back-to-back victories over regional rival South Korea.

The Filipinos later gave world no. 5 Serbia a big scare then no. 19 Dominican Republic a run for its money. This, despite losing to both teams in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.

The Azkals meanwhile, fell short of reaching the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Still, they managed to earn a berth in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

In esports, Execration made short work of Blacklist International, 4-1, to win the Mobile Legends Southeast Asia Cup 2021 in an all-Filipino grand finals.

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

During the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao — two players seen as key pillars of the Gilas Pilipinas program...

Basketball

Gilas Pilipinas opens its FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Chinese-Taipei on Wednesday, August 6 (Philippine time), looking to make a strong statement in...

Basketball

As Gilas Pilipinas braces for the grueling journey toward the 2027 FIBA World Cup, the potential return of 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto looms large...

Basketball

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone knows that tournament draws — like lotteries — are unpredictable and completely out of anyone’s control. And on...

Basketball

To say that Gilas Pilipinas faces a tall order in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers could be more than just an...

Basketball

Fans will have to wait for a couple more months before seeing the new Gilas Pilipinas jerseys, to be made by adidas, in all...

Basketball

The University Athletic Association of the Philippines is finding ways to help the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas address its manpower problems for the 33rd...

Basketball

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is expecting Justin Brownlee to reinforce Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in August. SBP executive director...

Advertisement