Jun Lomibao

THE Philippines winning its first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020 in 2021 and the men’s basketball team bringing back home the Asian Games crown after 61 long years.

AS a kid, my very first bike was a cross between the utility bicycle of the 1970s used by its rider to deliver newspapers or sell pandesal and those called “easy riders” complete with tussles and a back rest—the handle bars were also unique with their U-shaped designs.

HANGZHOU—The 19th Asian Games ended with a romantic and touching closing ceremony on Sunday evening with Team Philippines going home with four gold medals—each of them representative of the Filipino athletes’ resilience in a continental multi-sport event that boasts of a semblance with the Olympic Games themselves.

HANGZHOU—China couldn’t be denied in claiming an 11th consecutive overall championship in the 19th Asian Games which ended on Sunday with a runaway harvest of 201 gold medals.

HANGZHOU—Junna Tsukii exited early in women’s -50 kgs of kumite in karate as the Philippines lost its last hope for a medal in the 19th Asian Games on Sunday morning.

HANGZHOU—Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino declared war against the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) accusing the government sports arm for coining a new meaning for teamwork.

HANGZHOU—A professional even when he’s fighting as an amateur.

HANGZHOU—The Philippines goes for one more victory to bring home that most precious basketball gold medal from the Asian Games.

HANGZHOU—Eumir Felix Marcial was a beast atop the ring and knocked out Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon one minute and 11 seconds into the second round on Wednesday afternoon at the Hangzhou Gymnasium.

HANGZHOU—Ronald Oranza, Jonel Carcueva and Joshua Pascual, who have racked thousands of kilometers at home but who are racing for the first time on the Asian Games stage, embark on their medal bid in cycling’s men’s road race on Thursday in Chung’an.

HANGZHOU—Carlo Paalam yielded to a taller and more calculated opponent from Uzbekistan in the men’s 57-kg quarterfinals of boxing on Tuesday night, leaving Eumir Felix Marcial as the remaining gold medal hopeful for Team Philippines in the 19^th Asian Games.

HANGZHOU—The Philippines survived a major, major scare from Iran to escape with an 84-83 victory in men’s 5×5 basketball action on Tuesday in the 19th Asian Games at the Zhejiang University Gymnasium.

HANGZHOU—Eumir Felix Marcial squares off with a brawler from Syria hoping to nail a victory that won’t only guarantee him a 19th Asian Games silver medal but as importantly a return ticket to the Olympics in Paris in 2024.

HANGZHOU—The Philippines advanced to the final of the men’s 4×400 meters relay in the 18th Asian Games behind the son of a local athletics and a new Filipino-heritage runner on Tuesday.

HANGZHOU—Elreen Ann Ando saved the Philippine campaign on Monday with a bronze medal in women’s 64 kgs of weightlifting in the 19^th Asian Games.

HANGZHOU—Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo didn’t make the podium but got what she wanted at the 19th Asian Games that aren’t even a qualifier for her ultimate goal—return to Paris for her fifth straight Olympics.

HANGZHOU—Calvin Oftana and CJ Perez waxed hot in the first half as the Philippines crushed Qatar, 80-41, on Monday to set up a blockbuster quarterfinal clash with Iran in the 19th Asian Games at the Zhejiang University Zijingang Gymnasium.

HANGZHOU—Patrick Coo clinched bronze on Sunday in Chun’an as the Philippines extended a tradition of clinching a medal in cycling’s BMX racing to a third consecutive Asian Games.

HANGZHOU—Clyde Mondilla tied for 10th in men’s action and Rianne Malixi was joint 11th in the women’s contest and the Philippines goes home without a medal in golf from the 19th Asian Games.