Josef Ramos

CARLOS “CALOY” YULO has parted ways with Munehiro Kugiyama, his long-time Japanese coach and trainer who’s principally responsible for honing the Filipino gymnast to two world championships titles, a stint in the Tokyo Olympics and 15 gold medals in various international competitions.

RAIN OR SHINE delivered big man 6-foot-6 rookie Henry Galinato plus another veteran big Jewel Ponferada to reigning champion TNT Tropang Giga on Thursday to clear some space to its line-up prior to the opening of Philippine Basketball Association Season 48 in November.

ROOKIE coach Rensy Bajar of reigning champion Colegio de San Juan de Letran expects a strong opposition every game as the Season 99 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) senior basketball tournament starts on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

THE Philippine men’s volleyball team powered by Bryan Bagunas and Steve Rotter displayed athleticism to sweep Afghanistan, 25-23, 25-16, 25-12, on Wednesday for a historic win in the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games at the Deqing Sports Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.

BASKETBALL chief Al S. Panlilio vowed to send a fighting national team to the 19th Asian Games despite difficulties in convincing the Hangzhou organizers that the country is fielding players with legitimate credentials.

THE cash bonus for a gold medal winner will breach P3 million in total and world No. 2 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and Olympic skateboarder Margilyn Didal are the country’s flag-bearers in the 19th Asian Games that start with the opening ceremony this Saturday.

ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA is back in Eugene, Oregon, for Monday’s final of the Wanda Diamond League where he’ll be up against a star-studded field of only seven of the world’s elite pole vaulters led by Swede wonder Armand Duplantis.

JERWIN “THE PRETTY BOY” ANCAJAS gets a chance to become world champion again when he fights World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue of Japan on November 15.

IT took 12 years at the least before Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo won for the country its first Olympic gold medal. It won’t take 24 months for her to summon the same strength in a heavier weight category to excel as she did in Tokyo.

JUSTIN BROWNLEE takes his turn to anchor the men’s national team in the Hangzhou Asian Games and, man, he’s all fired up.

ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA is on a roll following his gold medal conquest at the NetAachen Domspringen on Friday in Katschhof in Aacehn in Germany.

HIDILYN DIAZ-NARANJO competes on Saturday at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Riyadh with a modest goal of improving her world rankings—the Olympic champion is currently ranked No. 7 in women’s 59 kgs class.

PROSPECTS Rosegie Ramos and Lovely Inan kick off the country’s in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships on Tuesday at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

HEAD coach Chot Reyes was seen clutching the game ball moments after the Philippines’ amazing and pride-saving victory—a 96-75 thrashing of bitter Asian rival China—on Saturday night at the FIBA World Cup.

MANNY PACQUIAO’S desire to box in next year’s Olympics has drawn excitement and awe although qualifying for Paris remains a decision of the International Olympic Committee and the Games’ organizers.