by James De VeraChina crushed all their challengers at the 2016 Rio Olympics Table Tennis in rout to their 4-gold medal domination in Riocentro – Pavillion 3, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Dragons went unstoppable from the get go of the tourney as they continue to rule Ping-Pong in the biggest sporting event on Earth. In Men’s Singles, two Chinese players faced off in the finals with world number 1 Ma Long crushing 2012 London Olympics gold medallist Zhang Jike, four sets to none (14-12, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4) . Women’s Singles saw the same feat with both finalists also coming from China. Five-time world champions Ding Ning ousted her compatriot Li Xiaoxia in an intensely thrilling game, 4-3 (11-9, 5-11, 14-12, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7). China also exhibited their supremacy in the Team Category. The Chinese Men’s team stunned their Asian rivals Japan with a 3-1 victory (3-0, 2-3, 3-1, 3-0) while China dismantled the Germans 3-0 (3-0, 3-0, 3-1) in the Women’s Team Final. People’s Republic of China has now won 28 of the 32 total gold medals in table tennis since its debut in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
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by James De VeraHeavyweight match ups await as global powerhouses collide for basketball supremacy in the semi-finals of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics Men’s Basketball on Saturday. The stage is set for what is promised to be a blockbuster battle of hardcourt monarchs.
USA versus Spain Team USA hasn’t been as impressive as most of us thought they’d be in the group stages of the Rio Olympics. After dominating China (119-62) and Venezuela (113-69) in their first two games, the star studded American team had a hard time in finishing their next assignments. USA had to dig deep in their victories against Australia (98-88), France (100-97) and Serbia (94-91)before crushing Argentina in the quarterfinals, 105-78, to stay unbeaten in the Olympics. Meanwhile, the Spaniards started their campaign with back-to-back heartbreaks after dropping their first two tasks to Croatia (70-72) and Brazil (65-66). Since then Spain has transformed into a dominant force beating Nigeria (96-87), Lithuania (109-59), Argentina (92-73) and their European rivals France, 92-67, in the quarters. With the gold medal at stake, expect the world’s top two teams to give their all in their do-or-die semifinals game on Saturday, 2:30 a.m. PST. Serbia versus Australia Though winning only two matches in the preliminaries, Serbia proved that they should not be treated as an underdog. The FIBA World Cup 2014 runner-up eliminated a young Croatian team in a very thrilling quarterfinal battle, 86-83. The Orlovis (Eagles), captained by their prolific point guard Milos Teodosic, started their campaign with a win against Venezuela (86-62) before losing their next three games to Australia (80-95), France (75-76) and United States (91-94). Serbia bounced back from their losing streak by winning against China, 94-60, in their last match of the group stages. Australia on the other hand has been a big revelation in this Olympic Games. Led by their NBA calibre guards Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova, the Aussies shocked the basketball world by stunning four of their five preliminary group opponents. The team ousted France (87-66), Serbia (95-80), China (93-68) and Venezuela (81-56) before shutting down the world number four Lithuania in a 90-64 quarterfinals win. Their only loss came from the Americans, 88-98. The intensity of this battle should be at full flow as both nations aim to capture their first Olympic gold in Men’s Basketball on Saturday, 6 a.m. PST. by James De VeraAfter a gallant first round performance, PH hurdler Eric Cray faced elimination after falling short in the semi-finals of the 400m Men’s Hurdles Event in the 2016 Rio Olympics on Wednesday, August 17. Cray's semifinal record of 49.37 seconds wasn't enough to bring him into the finals. He finished 17th over-all in the semifinals in which only top eight hurdlers advances to the medal round.
The three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist slowed down a bit in the semis after getting a time of 49.05 seconds in the first round. The Filipino-American athlete also failed to break his career best record of 48.98 seconds which he hoped to surpass on this year’s competition. With the athletic team out of medal contention, the Philippines now has only one Olympian left standing. Filipina Taekwondo Jin Kirstie Alora will be facing Mexico’s Maria Espinoza in the Round of 16 of Taekwondo Women’s over 67 kg event on August 20. by James De Vera Spain proved their doubters wrong, crushing Lithuania by 50 points, 109-59, in their fourth game in Group B of the Rio Olympics Basketball Competition today in the Carioca Arena 1, Rio de Janeiro. The Spaniards had to bounce back after a series of heartbreaks against Croatia, 70-72, and to hosts Brazil, 65-66. The team responded by beating an athletic Nigerian team 96-87 and winning big in this match against the Lithuanians. Spain started hot from the field, outscoring Lithuania, 26-11, in the first quarter. They continue to take charge in the second quarter denying their opponents for a comeback, 48-33.
The Spanish dominance was in full flow in the third, scoring 36 points against only 16 from the Lithuanians. The Baltic Giants never recovered in this game as they suffer their first defeat in the tourney, 109-59. Veteran Pau Gasol led the mighty Spaniards finishing with 23 points, 5 rebounds,and 5 assists while MindaugasKuzminskas, topped the losing side with 17 points and 4 rebounds. Spain improved their record to 2-2 to boost their quarterfinal hopes while Lithuania dropped to 3-1 in the Group B standing. Both teams will be playing on Tuesday with the Spaniards facing Argentina at 6:00 a.m. while Lithuania clashes with Croatia at 9:30 a.m., all in Philippine Standard Time. by James De VeraPhilippines’ Olympic medal drought in boxing continues as Charly Suarez and Rogen Ladon both failed in their mission for gold in the Rio Olympics 2016.
European Champion Joseph Cordina of Great Britain ousted Suarez in the first round of the lightweight division. The Filipino fighter kept it close in the first two rounds but it was the British boxer’s efficiency in the third that win him a split decision 29-28, 28-29, 30-27. PH light fly weight contender Rogen Ladon suffered the same faith as he loses to Columbian prospect, Yuberjen Martinez in the Round of 16. Martinez’ dominance was eminent in this game as he beat Ladon by means of a unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27, 29-28. This exit in Rio extended the country’s 20 year Olympic boxing medal drought to four more years. Philippines had never won an Olympic gold medal in boxing but has managed to capture 2 silvers and 3 bronzes. The nation will have to wait again until the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 as the Philippines continue to struggle for boxing supremacy. by James De VeraNew bloods of Philippine basketball are set to represent the country in the upcoming FIBA Asia Challenge in Iran as part of the rebuilding process of Gilas Pilipinas.
After a disappointing campaign in the Olympic Qualifiers last month in Manila, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) eyed its best young players to be trained and wear the colors of the national team. A mix of collegiate standouts and young pros are selected in the 24-man pool submitted to FIBA for the tournament. Among of those who are tapped are big names like NBA D-League guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr., UAAP superstar Kiefer Ravena, Gilas veteran Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and reigning ABL Most Valuable Player Matthew Wright. Elite forward Mac Belo, Cebuano wingman Roger Pogoy and dynamic point guard Jio Jalalon are some of the gold medalists in this year’s Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Championship that also made the cut in the preliminary roster. Long-time Gilas assistant coach, Josh Reyes will be heading the team in this tournament which will be running from September 9 to 18 in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Here is the complete 24-man line-up:
by James De VeraPhilippine Azkals will have to be at best form in this year’s ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup, also known as the AFF Championships, as they are grouped together with regional powers Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia in Group A at last Tuesday's draw in Yangon.
The country will be hosting the preliminary round of the championships for the first time in history together with Myanmar in Group B. Having the home court advantage on their side, expect massive number of "Azkaleros" (Azkals fans and supporters) to hype up their team's confidence and performance in this year's tournament. The games will take place in the Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan which can hold up to 20,000 fans while Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila will serve as the other venue for the final simultaneous group match. Key players like Phil Youngusband, Stephen Shrock and Neil Etherige needs to be at full strength and health to give the team a bigger chance of advancing deeper in the tournament. The Azkals have reached the semi finals of the Suzuki Cup for three consecutive times but failed to win one. They lost 2-0 to Indonesia in 2010, 1-0 to Singapore in 2012, and 3-0 to Thailand in 2014, all in aggregate. by James De VeraTeam USA made easy work of Nigeria 110-66 in their final exhibition game before the 2016 Rio Olympics last Monday at the Toyota Center in Houston. USA Basketball concluded their preparations undefeated at 5-0, making them the favourites to win this year’s gold medal in men’s basketball. NBA elite forward Carmelo Anthony led the talented USA team with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Golden State Warriors superstars, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant also impressed in the game hitting eight of the team’s 13 three pointers. The 14-time gold medallists dominated early in the game leading the Nigerians 2 in the first quarter 27-14 highlighted by a spectacular alley-hoop from Kyle Lowry to the towering DeAndre Jordan.
Nigeria has no answer to USA’s efficient offense in the second quarter as they trail 54-30 to the Americans led by Klay Thompson scoring 11 of his 17 points in the first half. Despite efforts to cut the lead, Nigeria just couldn’t stop USA’s firepower in the third period leaving them in the dust 84-45. Until the buzzer, team USA maintained their prolific showcasing of discipline, teamwork and talent completing rout over Nigerians 110-66. Former PBA import Chamberlain Oguchi scored team-high 21 points for Nigeria while Alade Aminu, Ike Diogu and Benjamin Uzoh also reached double figures scoring 13, 10 and 10 respectively. Kyrie Irving and Paul George did not see action in this game because of some minor injuries but are expected to make a huge impact in the upcoming games. Despite the absence of two of the NBA’s best players LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Team USA proves they are is still a force to reckon on. Their dominance was also shown in their other exhibition matches clubbering Argentina 111-74, China 106-57 and 107-57, and Venezuela 80-45. USA will be facing China and Venezuela again with heavyweights France, Serbia and Australia completing the cast in Group A in the Rio Olympics Men’s Basketball tournament. by James De VeraNovak Djokovic will have all the momentum he need in his bid for Olympic gold as he defeat Japanese superstar Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 in this year's finals of the Rogers Cup, also known as the ATP Toronto Masters, last Sunday. With this victory, the Serbian got his seventh title for this year and 67th in his fascinating career. Djokovic had a great start, scoring in every way and repelling every challenge from the Japanese. The first set ended with the Serbian on top 6-3.
In the second set, the world number 6 responded with more efficiency and accuracy, playing nose to nose against the best ranked player in the world. However, “King Novak” was just too hot to handle as he outlasts Nishikori 7-5 to win his fourth Rogers Cup Title. "I've raised the level of my game as the tournament went on and the best two performances came in the right time last night in semis and today in the finals. I'm just very pleased with the way I played and with the way I feel, so hopefully I can carry that in Rio " the champ stated in an interview. Djokovic extended his winning streak against Nishikori to nine games with an 11-2 overall head-to-head record. Both superstars will look to capture their first Olympic gold medals as they represent their respective countries in the 2016 Rio Olympics. by James De VeraToo big, too strong, too good. Qatar boys showed the Philippines why they are the world champions as they win, 21-9, in tonight’s finals of the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 Asian Championships in Malaysia. The Philippines failed to retain their title while Qatar made history by winning their first gold medal in this tournament. Batang Gilas struggled to get their offense going from the start, only scoring nine points in the game which is their lowest scoring output in this year’s tournament. Qatar on the other hand used their huge height advantage to create more scoring opportunities from all sides of the court. Before facing the eventual champion of this tourney, the young Filipinos faced tough challenge from fellow Southeast Asian teams. Batang Gilas survives a gritty Indonesian side in the Quarterfinals 21-16 and avoided an upset to a talented Malaysian team, coming back from a 9-point deficit in the Semi-finals winning it by a solitary point, 21-20. |
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