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ear 2023 was a banner year for Philippine sports.
It was the year when national athletes set golden milestones, historic feats and heartwarming victories that made the nation proud.
Sure, it wasn’t as glamorous as 2021 in which Hidilyn Diaz rose to become the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist, but the year that passed still gave birth to Filipino sports heroes like EJ Obiena, Alex Eala, Eumir Marcial, Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez as well as those from the men’s basketball and women’s football teams.
But everything wasn’t rosy.
There were heartbreaking setbacks as well like the flunking of naturalized player Justin Brownlee in the post-Asian Games doping test and the departure of fencing ace Maxine Esteban to compete in Ivory Coast.
Some sports icons also departed like former Philippine Basketball Association stars Boybits Victoria and Samboy Lim as well as longtime boxing official Ed Picson.
Truly, the year 2023 was one of a kind — and Daily Tribune reported all these developments and stayed at the ringside as Philippine sports history unfolds.
As we turn over a new leaf, let us take a look back at some of the biggest stories in the year that passed:
JANUARY
Just a few days into 2023, Ernest John Obiena already made his presence felt as he cleared 5.82 meters to win the gold medal in the Perche En Or tournament in Roubaix, France.
Aside from improving his 5.72-meter performance in the International Jump Meeting Cottbus in Germany, Obiena also clinched the crown that set the tone for yet another dominant season.
Over at the Philippine Basketball Association, Barangay Ginebra kicked off the year with a bang as it slayed the Dragons from Bay Area to secure the Commissioner’s Cup crown.
A record of 54,589 spectators showed up to witness the Kings’ title-clinching 114-99 victory in Game 7 of their best-of-seven series at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, proving that Filipinos are still going crazy over basketball.
Also posting victories were Marvin Jerusalem and ECHO.
Jerusalem notched a second-round technical knockout win over Matsaka Taniguchi in Osaka to bag the World Boxing Organization minimumweight title while ECHO beat Blacklist International to rule the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M4 World Championships in Jakarta.
FEBRUARY
Love was in the air and so was Obiena.
After a victorious performance in France, Obiena was back in action, this time in Poland, in which he posted 5.77 meters to win the gold medal in the Orlen Cup in Lodz and 5.87 meters to capture the crown in the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun.
Eumir Marcial was also back in action, defeating Ricardo Villalba of Argentina via a second-round technical knockout to remain undefeated in the professional arena in four matches while Daniel Quizon emerged as a Grandmaster after posting an impressive win over International Master Rolando Nolte to rule the ASEAN Chess Championship.
Carlos Yulo was also impressive as he secured the bronze medal in the first leg of the FIG World Cup in Cottbus, Germany while the national bowling squad bagged three gold and two bronze medals in the 14th Asian Bowls Championships in Ipoh, Malaysia.
MARCH
The month of fire was sizzling hot with Yulo, Miguel Tabuena and Creamline posting crucial wins in various fronts.
Yulo displayed his dominance in the next two legs of the FIG World Cup after winning the floor exercise in Doha before adding two more gold medals from parallel bars and vault in Baku.
The 23-year-old gymnast from Manila wrapped up his World Cup stint with three gold medals and a silver before opting to skip the fourth and final leg in Cairo due to an ankle injury.
The Cool Smashers were hot as well as they beat Petro Gazz, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15, in Game 3 of their Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference best-of-three title series.
With superstar Alyssa Valdez sidelined by an injury, Tots Carlos picked up the offensive cudgels to lead the Cool Smashers to victory before more than 12,000 spectators.
Carlos emerged as the Most Valuable Player and 1st Best Outside Spiker.
Tabuena, for his part, nailed his third Asian Tour title after ruling the DGC Open in New Delhi.
Also emerging successful in March were the national junior weightlifting squad that collected seven golds, four silvers and a bronze medal in the Youth World Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania as well as the national hockey squad that swept the 2023 IIHF World Championship Division IV title in Ulaanbaatar.
The month, however, ended on a sad note as former PBA star Victoria passed away due to a lingering illness. He was 50.
APRIL
The local sports community was still grieving over the death of Victoria, a former PBA Rookie of the Year, when another sad news unwrapped with the death of longtime boxing official Ed Picson.
Picson, who started his career as a PBA broadcaster before becoming the president of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines, passed away on 19 April due to lingering illness. He was 69.
Meanwhile, Marlon Tapales stole the thunder when he beat Murodjon Akhmadaliev of Uzbekistan via split decision to bag the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association super-bantamweight titles.
Aside from improving his record to 37-3 and dealing Akhmadaliev his first setback, Tapales also earned a shot at challenging Japanese powerhouse Naoya Inoue for a historic undisputed title.
Over at softball, the Blu Girls gained a wildcard slot to the Women’s Softball World Cup after finishing fourth in the 2023 Women’s Softball Asia Cup in Incheon, South Korea.
In the PBA, Mikey Williams and the TNT Tropang Giga stripped Ginebra of its Governor’s Cup crown following a thrilling victory in their best-of-seven finals.
Williams emerged as Most Valuable Player while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson clinched the Best Import honors.
MAY
The month of May belonged to the national squad.
Team Philippines had a successful participation in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games as it finished with 58 gold, 85 silver and 117 bronze medals to emerge fifth in the overall medal tally.
The Philippine Olympic Committee considered their finish as a success as it surpassed the 52-70-105 finish in the previous edition of the biennial meet in Hanoi.
Yulo was the toast of the Games as he finished with two gold and two silver medals in men’s artistic gymnastics while Gilas Pilipinas completed its redemption tour after beating the import-studded Cambodian squad in the gold medal match of the men’s basketball event.
Unfortunately, the Philippines lost an ace when international campaigner Maxine Esteban walked away to join Ivory Coast after her federation dropped her from the national roster.
Also emerging victorious was Kaya FC-Iloilo, which bagged its first ever Philippine Football League title while racer Bianca Bustamante earned her first win after dominating the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, Valencian Community in Spain, a race that is part of the 2023 F1 Academy Season.
De La Salle University and College of Saint Benilde were also impressive as they nailed the women’s volleyball titles of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association, respectively.
JUNE
Obiena made the country proud anew when he finally cleared the six-meter barrier in the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway.
Obiena’s feat was celebrated by Filipinos back home as he emerged as the lone Asian out of the 27 pole vaulters in the world to surpass the six-meter clearance.
Not to be outdone, Yulo again carried the torch when he bagged three gold medals from floor exercise, parallel bars and vault in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore.
The national para athletes also shone, collecting 33 gold, 33 silver and 50 bronze medals for a fifth-place finish in the ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia while bowler Zach Ramin won the 53rd Singapore International Open after beating Thailand’s Yannaphon Larpapharat in two games, 189-183, 229-212, in the men’s open division grand finals.
Quizon was also impressive as he dominated the standard and blitz events in the premier U20 division of the ASEAN Age Group Championships in Thailand while Jerwin Ancajas delivered a fifth-round knockout of Wilner Soto of Colombia in their bantamweight duel at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The month of June also saw the rise of Alex Eala, who won her third professional singles title after a 6-3, 7-5 win over Valentina Ryser in the final of the W25 Yecla women’s tournament.
JULY
Obiena was far from done as he continued his dominance in the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand.
The 28-year-old vaulter set a new meet record of 5.91 meters en route to winning the title in the prestigious Asian event.
Also making her presence felt was Filipino-American Robyn Brown who won the gold medal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles to earn a ticket to the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
But the biggest win happened in New Zealand.
The national women’s football team made history when it pulled off a historic 1-0 win over the home team in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Forward Sarina Bolden scored a goal in the 23rd minute against New Zealand’s Victoria Esson while Olivia McDaniel made clutch saves to secure the win.
Also winning in a world-class event were Johann Chua and James Aranas, who tallied an 11-7 win in the final over Joshua Filler and Mauritz Neuhausen of Germany to rule the World Cup of Pool 9-Ball Championship.
Angeline Colonia also bagged three gold medals in the youth women’s 45-kilogram event in the 2023 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in New Delhi.
Also making a splash was Rosegie Ramos, who bagged three gold medals in the junior women’s 49-kg event.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PSC-POC Media Pool
GILAS Pilipinas is the toast of Asian basketball in 2023.
AUGUST
The month of August belonged to Gilas Pilipinas.
With the entire nation rallying behind them, the Filipino cagers booked an impressive 96-75 win over China to cap their very successful hosting of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Together with Indonesia and Japan, the country hosted the world’s biggest and most prestigious basketball event for the first time since 1978.
Aside from the world’s brightest basketball stars like Luka Doncic of Slovenia, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, Austin Reeves of the United States and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Dominican Republic, other basketball luminaries like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki and Luis Scola also descended on Manila for two magical week of basketball. Carlos Loyzaga was also posthumously feted as he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Germany ruled the tournament after beating Serbia in the gold-medal match, but the basketball-loving Filipinos emerged as the biggest winners as they got a chance to experience this once-in-a-lifetime affair.
Away from the bright lights of the basketball court, Obiena duplicated his 6.0-meter performance with a silver medal finish in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest while Alex Eala collected her second title of the year following a 6-2, 6-3 win over Arina Rodionova of Australia in the final of the W25 Roehampton.
SEPTEMBER
Shortly after that memorable hosting of the World Cup, the Filipinos were in mood to celebrate anew as Gilas Pilipinas ended a long 61-year wait when it ruled the men’s basketball event of the 19th Asian Games.
Brownlee, the country’s naturalized player, was the star of the show, leading the Filipinos to an incredible 77-76 win over China in the semifinal before booking an easy 70-60 victory over Jordan in the gold medal match to secure their first cage title since the 1962 edition of the Asiad in Jakarta.
Other Filipino athletes delivered as well.
Eala finally broke the country’s 17-year medal drought in the lawn tennis competition of the Asian Games when she claimed the bronze in the women’s singles event. Few days later, she conspired with Francis Casey Alcantara to bag the silver in the mixed doubles event.
Marcial shone as well as he picked up a silver medal in the men’s light heavyweight event to book a ticket to the Paris Olympics.
Obiena, for his part, played like a rockstar, soaring through the skies of Hangzhou to record-breaking 5.90 meters to win the gold medal in the men’s pole vault event.
Before the Asiad came to a close, jiu-jitsu bets Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez contributed to the country’s medal haul as they won the gold medals in the women’s 48-kilogram and 57-kilogram classes, respectively.
All in all, the Filipinos emerged with four gold, two silver and 12 bronze medals for a strong finish at the 17th place.
Over in Doha, Batang Gilas secured a fourth place finish in the FIBA U16 Asian Championships and booked a slot in the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.
Kieffer Alas, a De La Salle-Zobel standout, was named as one of the members of the All-Star Five of the tournament.
OCTOBER
Frustration marred the month of October as Brownlee flunked the doping test conducted by the Swiss-based International Testing Agency in the aftermath of Gilas Pilipinas’ historic win in the 19th Asian Games.
The ITA, an independent testing firm contracted by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, found traces of Carboxy-THC, which is being linked to marijuana, in the urine sample of the beloved naturalized player.
Although the gold medal remains secured, Brownlee is facing sanctions from the International Basketball Federation, barring him from seeing action in the PBA.
On a happy note, Chezka Centeno ruled the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship in Klagenfurt, Austria after posting a 9-5 over Han Yu of China in the final.
With the win, the Zamboanga City native took home a purse of $50,000.
The Philippines also delivered three gold, five silver and five bronze medals in the 2023 World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia while the national para athletes secured 10 golds, four silvers and five bronzes in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
Before the month ended, Yulo and Aleah Finnegan booked their tickets to the Paris Olympics after their respective performances in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp.
Yulo entered the Summer Games after being the highest eligible gymnast in the men’s floor exercise while Finnegan was one of the 14 highest eligible gymnasts in the women’s individual all-around.
NOVEMBER
Philippine sports suffered another setback as the national football team failed to win a single game in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Under returning mentor Hans Michael Weiss, the Azkals suffered a 0-2 loss in Vietnam before forging a 1-1 draw with Indonesia.
On the contrary, Kaya clinched the PFF Women’s League crown after a 1-0 win over Manilla Digger FC.
Bannered by Filipinas members Hali Long and Inna Palacios, Kaya became the first club team to win the trophy.
Still in football, the Philippine Football Federation elected Bukidnon Football Association general secretary John Gutierrez as its new president.
Gutierrez replaced former Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, who led the federation for 13 years and was instrumental to the rise of the Philippine Azkals and the Filipinas.
Also elected was Philippine Squash Academy president Robert Bachmann as president of the Southeast Asian Squash Federation.
It’s going to be a fresh new term for Bachmann after being the SEASF chief from 2021 to 2023.
DECEMBER
The most wonderful time of the year was supposed to be merry but sad news surfaced two days before Christmas.
Lim, one of the greatest Filipino basketball players being a nine-time PBA champion and former national team member, passed away due to lingering illness. He was 61.
The entire sports community wept over Lim’s demise as he is not just a basketball player but also a father to Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Jamie Lim.
Still, Lim’s passing didn’t overshadow the joy that the green and red brought to Philippine sports when the De La Salle Green Archers and the San Beda Red Lions ruled the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association, respectively.
The Green Archers banked on the heroics of Kevin Quiambao in Game 3 of their best-of-three title series against powerhouse University of the Philippines while the Red Lions leaned on Jacob Cortez in beating Mapua University in the finals.
Few days later, Creamline raised the PVL All-Filipino Conference trophy after beating Choco Mucho in the finals.
Baguio City also made heads turn when it ruled Batang Pinoy while Pasig bagged the overall title of the Philippine National Games, which the Philippine Sports Commission staged just before the year ended. AP Bren was also the flavor of the month for Esports enthusiasts after ruling the M5 World Championship that Manila hosted.
Barely a week before the New Year celebrations, southpaw Marlon Tapales crumbled in defeat to Naoya Inoue at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo in a failed bid to become the first Filipino boxer to win an undisputed title.
