For 18-year-old Bianca Bustamante, nothing beats the joy of hearing “Lupang Hinirang” being played as she took the Philippines to the top step of the podium right after the conclusion of Race 2 of Round 2 at the F1 Academy held on May 6 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. “The anthem was...
Tag: sports
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LeBron, Kareem make indelible moments in NBA history
There are certain indelible moments in the history of the US National Basketball Association, whether you witnessed them first-hand or not. One such moment happened on April 5, 1984, during the match between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz in Las Vegas. The Lakers called a time-out with just under nine minutes left...
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Soviet ‘hypnotist’ and US ‘mystics’ in a 93-day chess duel to remember
Chess legend Anatoly Karpov has “many memories” of the Philippines, including what is regarded as the most entertaining, if not bizarre, World Chess Championship match in history that was held in Baguio City 45 years ago. The match that took three months—July 18-Oct. 18, 1978—was between Karpov, then the 27-year-old titleholder from the then Union...
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Messi powers Argentina past France in dramatic World Cup Final shootout
The 36-year wait for Argentina is finally over as the most coveted 18-carat gold trophy in the world of football is again in the hands of the Albicelestes after winning a nail-biting 4-2 penalty shootout against reigning champion France on Sunday night (Monday morning in the Philippines) at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar. Only...
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Croatia holds off Morocco, 2-1, gets World Cup bronze
Is there a more bittersweet match in the FIFA World Cup than playing for third place? The teams facing off lost in their respective semifinal: Croatia, 2018 World Cup finalist, were denied passage to the final by Argentina, who cruised past them, 3-0, while Morocco were beaten 0-2 by France, the 2018 World Cup champion....
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World Cup: Argentina in final as Messi’s last-dance dream stays alive
Lionel Messi’s Argentina is now a win away from its goal of World Cup glory after dismantling a weary-looking Croatia, 3-0, in the first semifinal match this morning (3 a.m., Dec. 14 in Manila) at Lusail Stadium. It is the sixth time Argentina reached the World Cup final, and they are now waiting for the...
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Hidilyn Diaz, aka ‘powerhouse’
Because she did it again, “powerhouse” may well be her middle name. Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Francisco Diaz-Naranjo, now 31, added three more gold medals to complete her collection and finally became a world champion at the ongoing IWF World Weightlifting Championships held in Bogota, Colombia, starting Dec. 5. Hidilyn reigned over Rosalba Morales of Colombia...
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Where we’re at in World Cup: 4 teams remain in thrilling tournament
Except for some shockers like powerhouses Argentina and Germany losing to unheralded opponents at the start of the Group Stage, the 22nd FIFA World Cup in Qatar began uneventfully. But as expected, the quadrennial event exploded into life with the semifinals set this week. Anxiety levels soared through the roof in this weekend’s quarterfinals, in...
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A muddled recollection (or did Sonny Padilla really influence a title fight?)
It was an interview Carlos “Sonny” Padilla Jr. should not have engaged in. For the few unaware, the name Sonny Padilla is synonymous with boxing not only in the Philippines but also in the United States. Last Aug. 8, he was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame (Class of 2020) along with Miguel...