By NICK GIONGCO

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU, Poland—The Philippines’ own concentration camp in Capas town in Tarlac and the notorious POW camp here that saw the deaths of a reported 1.1 million Jews during World War 2 share something in common.

They were the venues where sportsmen from all over either came to realize one horrific thing: that life is cruel and not even a celebrity status stemming from sporting excellence is enough to save one from the atrocities of war.

The most famous athlete internee here at Auschwitz, the epicenter of the Holocaust, was a Jewish French-Tunisian world champion boxer Victor Young Perez, who was deported from Paris when a collaborator blew the whistle on him.

Perez, who reigned as world flyweight king from 1931-32, was shot to death in 1945 after an 18-month stint as a POW.

Perez wasn’t the only athlete of note who perished during the war but he was the most recognizable name who, at one time, spent their days at Auschwitz.

The Philippines’ own version of the Holocaust in Pacific, though not as documented, took place in Tarlac where box cars similar to the ones that criss-crossed Germany and Poland, France, Hungary, Bulgaria and as far as Italy and Greece—but much smaller—traveled for over 50 kilometers from San Fernando in Pampanga to Capas, loaded with Filipino and US prisoners from Bataan.

All in all, there were eight top Filipino athletes, mostly veterans of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, who died during WW2.

Swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, bronze medal winner in the 1928 Amsterdam and 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, was the biggest casualty as he died in the Capas concentration camp more than two months after the Philippines surrendered in June 1942.

Another Olympic medalist, Filipino-American hurdler Miguel White, bronze medalist in Berlin, who served in the Philippine Scouts, followed two months later.

Other members of the Philippine team to the Berlin Games, swimmer Ali Abdurahman, cagers Jacinto Ciria Cruz and Amador Onordo, both part of the fifth-placer team, sprinter Nemesio De Guzman, shooter Otoniel Gonzaga and wrestler Enrique Jurado, also died in action or simply didn’t survive the war.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Tim Cone offered congratulatory words to Japeth Aguilar after Barangay Ginebra San Miguel escaped with a 91-87 victory over Meralco in Game 1 of a PBA Governors’ Cup Finals opener that may not be too pleasing to the eyes but had plenty of drama in the end.

“Hell of a block,” Cone told Aguilar, who arrived in the middle of the postgame interview inside the Smart Araneta Coliseum press room. “Wow, game-saving. Awesome.”

Aguilar had just saved Ginebra from being forced into overtime, blocking Allen Durham’s drive in the dying seconds. The defensive play capped off the needed contributions from the locals, who in the first three quarters struggled to piggyback Justin Brownlee’s offensive outburst.

“It’s just one win,” Aguilar told his coach.

“Yeah, just one win,” Cone responded. “But that was a big one. Big block for us.”

Ginebra was forced to play Meralco’s slow tempo right from the onset, resulting in a 10-point deficit in the third and long faces from most of the 10,708 fans at the Big Dome.

Brownlee kept Ginebra as close as possible with mid-range and three-point shots, giving him 34 points through three quarters while none of his teammates in double figures.

“Kaya naman nandito sa amin si Justin kasi yun ang dapat na ginagawa niya for us,” said LA Tenorio. “But again, we cannot rely for the whole series on Justin doing that every game.”

Tenorio and Aguilar may have figured out what to do late in the third when they helped trim Ginebra’s deficit from 61-51 to 71-68 entering the fourth.

Flashing the form that enabled him to win three Finals Most Valuable Player awards, Tenorio scored six in the final 12 minutes, converted through layups at a difficult degree. Aguilar made half of his 16 points in the same period before coming through with the block on Durham.

“I think that’s just what’s expected out of them,” said Brownlee, who wound up with 38 points after scoring his last four from the foul line. “I think if those guys continue to be aggressive and read the defense and take the opportunity, I think they’re gonna be great all series long.

“Both of those players got a great skill set. Japeth is very athletic. LA can drive and shoot and set the team up, you know, that what’s expected of them to play well.”

What’s expected from Tenorio, Aguilar and the rest of the crew is to be more productive come Game 2 when the series shifts to the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City for a chance at a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“Sana ma-sustain namin yung defensive energy. Kung di lang masustain, sana mahigitan pa namin,” said Aguilar.

“It’s a long series at yun ang mentality namin. We’re glad nakuha namin yung game na to. So for us, it’s just three more games.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

After shooting bricks in Game 1 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Tuesday, Meralco forward Allein Maliksi, who went 0-of-5 from the field, has vowed to keep his finger on the trigger going to Game 2 against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

“Mga open shots naman halos lahat, hindi lang talaga pumapasok,” said Maliksi, 4 of whose misses came from beyond the arc. “Pero para sa akin, tuloy lang namin kung ano yung ginagawa namin, tira pa din kami outside.”

This is no time to be faint of heart, said Maliksi.

“May mga game talaga na you have an off-night… nangyari sa amin sa Game 1. Adjustment konti, confident pa din dapat sa tira. Hindi dapat na ma-down kami after that loss; importante na makabawi kami.”

Brought to Meralco via a trade with Blackwater during the elimination round, Maliksi actually played well for coach Norman Black during the semifinal series against TNT KaTropa. Against Ginebra, however, Maliksi lost his touch.

He wasn’t alone with cold hands that night for the Bolts.

Chris Newsome collected 24 points but was 3-of-10 on his three-point attempts, while import Allen Durham, who led Meralco with 25 points, missed all his four attempts from trifecta.

Raymond Almazan, a 6-foot-9 center who developed his shooting abilities as a member of Rain or Shine, had a better shooting from the arc as he connected two on three tries, while the usually prolific shooters Baser Amer and rookie Bong Quinto shot a combined 2-of-10.

As a whole, the Bolts shot 7-of-32 from three-point range in Game 1, or just 21 percent, which is far from their second-best ranking this conference of almost 37 percent behind the 38 percent of the Kings.

“We didn’t shoot the ball very well particularly from three-point land,” said Black. “Ginebra does a good job of clogging the paint defensively. They want you to shoot from the outside.”

“Normally… we do a good job of shooting at a high percentage but tonight we did not. Even if we had open looks, we just couldn’t make it.”

In comparison, the Kings also struggled from the three-point territory, just a bit better than the Bolts as they converted 25 percent (7-of-28). Import Justin Brownlee shot 5-of-13, while new recruit Stanley Pringle made 1-of-5.

Black expects improvement in Game 2 set Friday in Lucena City, particularly from their lead point guard in Amer, who scored just nine points with three rebounds in almost 29 minutes of action.

“We have to find a way for Baser to breakthrough,” said Black, pointing to the struggles Amer had since the first two finals in this same conference against Ginebra in 2016 and 2017.

“He just have to dig deep and breakthrough and have a great game,” added Black.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Amid reports that a mysterious illness has sprung up in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the Philippine boxing team remains neck-deep in training and focused on its mission of securing slots to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines secretary general Ed Picson said no advisory has been sent by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) whether the Olympic qualifying tournament for Asia-Oceania in Wuhan scheduled Feb. 3-Feb. 14 will be canceled.

The IOC had formed a task force that will handle boxing after it suspended the AIBA for corruption but with four weeks remaining, there seems to be no Plan B in sight.

Wuhan is one of five continental Olympic qualifying meets on tap with Buenos Aires assigned for the Americas, London for Europe and Dakar in Senegal for Africa.

The final chance to qualify takes place in Paris in May in what has been dubbed as the World Qualifiers.

So far, 59 people have shown signs of the pneumonia-like virus that has put seven on intensive care.

Picson said that while awaiting for an advisory from the IOC, the boxers will continue to train. The women’s team will camp out in Baguio City while the men’s will reside and train at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The Tokyo Olympics is set July 24-Aug. 9.

Boxing remains the most productive in the Philippines’ small harvest of Olympic medals, winning five of the Philippines’ grand total of ten, two silver and three bronze medals.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova said it was “very special” after being handed an Australian Open wildcard Wednesday as she attempts to resurrect her career after an injury-plagued 2019.

The 32-year-old, who won the tournament in 2008, has slipped down the rankings to 147, outside automatic qualification, and was bounced out of the Brisbane International this week in the first round.

But the Russian remains a big name and she will line up at Melbourne Park for a 16th time since her debut in 2003.

“To be in the draw of the Australian Open is incredible,” Sharapova said.

“I’ve had wonderful experiences there, from holding the championship trophy to losing some very tough finals as well — there’s been a lot of ups and downs in Australia.

“So to have another chance, another opportunity, to compete on all those courts is very special.”

She reached the fourth last year, upsetting defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in an epic third round win.

Until Brisbane, Sharapova had not played since a first-round loss to career-long rival Serena Williams at the US Open in August, with her season ruined by a shoulder injury.

“It was a long match. I think this is going to be a good test for my shoulder, not so much right now, but maybe tomorrow and the day after to see how I feel,” she said after her Brisbane defeat on Tuesday.

“I definitely lost speed on it and strength toward the end of the match, but that comes with time. I have to be patient with that.”

Sharapova also revealed she had been battling a virus “where I just couldn’t keep anything in”.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki prolonged their one-time-only doubles partnership Wednesday when they won through to the semifinals of the ASB Classic.

Playing in combination for the first time in their careers, Williams and Wozniacki beat top-seeded Johanna Larsson of Sweden and Caroline Dolehide of the United States 6-2, 6-1 after beating Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya of Japan in their opening match.

The pair will not play together at the Australian Open, which will be Wozniacki’s final Grand Slam tournament before retirement, but for an exhibition against Williams in Copenhagen in May.

For that reason, the Auckland tournament offers the only chance for fans to savor the sight of two former world singles No. 1s playing as a partnership.

The match against Larsson and Dolehide, both accomplished doubles partnerships, was the toughest test of their partnership. Larsson has 13 doubles titles and Dolehide has been a U.S. Open doubles semifinalist.

Williams was a driving force in their win Wednesday, dominating the court, though she paid tribute to Wozniacki who, she said, “never missed.”

Wozniacki will play Lauren Davis in the second round of singles Thursday while Williams will play fellow American Christina McHale.

Eugenie Bouchard came into the tournament as a wild-card entry after a difficult 2019 season and progressed to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over eighth-seeded Caroline Garcia.

Bouchard, who has been as high as No. 5 in singles, dropped out of the top 200 last year, at one stage losing 12 straight first-round matches. The 25-year-old Canadian showed signs of a return to form as she beat Garcia in 88 minutes.

She incurred a time violation at set point in the first set but held serve, then closed out the match at her first opportunity.

World No. 15 Petra Marcic, the No. 2 seed, lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to France’s Alize Cornet, who finished 2019 outside the top 50 for the first time in eight years. Cornet sealed the match after 2 hours, 16 minutes with three consecutive aces.

“It just happened to be the best time to do my first aces of the match and three in a row, come on! I don’t even know how that happened,” she said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PERTH, Australia — Spain advanced to the quarterfinals of the ATP Cup even before Rafael Nadal stepped on to the court Wednesday at the Perth Arena.

Spain, which won the Davis Cup in Madrid with a victory in the final over Canada, stayed in the hunt for its second international team victory in seven weeks when Roberto Bautista Agut beat Japan’s Go Soeda 6-2, 6-4.

Japan needed to beat Spain 3-0 in order for the Nadal-led team not to advance to the Final Eight in Sydney beginning Thursday. Nadal later had a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over world No. 72 Yoshihito Nishioka, committing 36 unforced errors.

“I always enjoy sharing important moments with friends, and we had a lot of success during our entire careers playing for our country in Davis Cup,” Nadal said. “So for us it’s a good start, to be able to be qualified for Sydney already. The conditions will be different, and a three-hour time (difference). There’s a lot of things we need to adjust to, and the period of time to make it happen is very short.”

Spain, Serbia, Australia, and Russia all enter the knockout stages unbeaten as group winners. Australia face Britain in Thursday’s opening quarterfinal at Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre, before Russia takes on Croatia, which progressed as Group E winners on Wednesday without even hitting a ball.

Previously winless Poland’s surprise victory over Austria eliminated world No. 4 Dominic Thiem’s lineup. Hubert Hurkacz’s 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Thiem sealed Austria’s fate after Kacper Zuk beat Dennis Novak 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the opening match in Sydney.

In other matches on the final day of group play, Serbia, which had already qualified for the quarterfinals, beat Chile in Group A. Dusan Lajovic beat Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 7-6 (3) before Novak Djokovic defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-3.

The six group winners and two best second-place finishers advance to the finals in Sydney.

The remaining three quarterfinalists will be decided on Wednesday night, with six countries still in the running. Two of those quarterfinalists will be the best two pool runners-up. South Africa and France meet in Brisbane trying to finish second behind Serbia in Group A.

Belgium and Canada, both with 2-1 round-robin records, could also qualify for the last eight teams.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

LOS ANGELES  — Anthony Davis left in the third quarter after bruising his lower back on a painful fall during the Los Angeles Lakers’ sixth straight victory, 117-87 over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Davis bruised his sacrum — the bottom part of his spine above the tailbone — when he attempted to block Julius Randle’s driving shot. He got knocked off balance and fell awkwardly to the court, landing hard on his back with 2:45 left in the third.

The six-time All-Star pounded the court in pain and stayed down for roughly two minutes, but eventually rose with his teammates’ help and then slowly walked off unaided.

X-rays were negative, but Davis didn’t return to the game. His agent, Rich Paul, said his client felt extremely sore.

LeBron James scored 31 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15, but the Lakers (30-7) didn’t exactly celebrate becoming the second team to win 30 games this season.

R.J. Barrett scored 19 points for the Knicks, and Randle had 15 points and 10 rebounds against his former team. New York dropped to 0-3 on its four-game West Coast trip.

TORONTO — Carmelo Anthony made the winning basket with four seconds remaining and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 101-99 Tuesday night.

Anthony scored 28 points, Damian Lillard had 20 and Hassan Whiteside added 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who snapped a four-game losing streak in Toronto and won for the second time in 10 meetings with the Raptors.

Anfernee Simons scored 12 points and C.J. McCollum had 10 after sitting out Sunday’s loss in Miami because of an upper-respiratory infection.

Portland had lost six of seven overall.

Kyle Lowry had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the injury-ravaged Raptors lost for just the second time in 16 games against opponents with losing records. Toronto’s only other loss to a sub-.500 team came against Boston in the second game of the season.

Oshae Brisett scored a career-high 12 points for Toronto. and Chris Boucher also had 12, including 10 straight Raptors points in the fourth.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet sat out because of a strained right hamstring, joining a group of injured Toronto starters that includes Norman Powell (left shoulder), Marc Gasol (left hamstring) and Pascal Siakam (groin).

KINGS 114, SUNS 103

PHOENIX — De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points, Nemanja Bjelica added 19 and Sacramento rallied from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Phoenix.

The Kings — who have won three of their last four — got big contributions from bench players Dewayne Dedmon and Trevor Ariza. Dedmon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Ariza — who played for Phoenix part of last season — added 15 points.

The Suns were led by Devin Booker, who scored 34 points and had seven assists. It was Booker’s seventh straight game with at least 30 points, which extends his franchise record.

Deandre Ayton added 21 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points.

PISTONS 115, CAVALIERS 113

CLEVELAND — Derrick Rose hit a 15-footer with 27 seconds left and Detroit rallied past Cleveland.

Rose, who scored 24 points, scored on a runner in the lane to give Detroit a 114-113 lead and cap a comeback that began with the Pistons trailing 110-91 early in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland set up for a go-ahead shot, but Collin Sexton was called for stepping out of bounds with seven seconds left.

The ruling was overturned, but Sexton’s shot in the lane didn’t hit the rim and Detroit was awarded possession on a shot-clock violation.

Andre Drummond finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds, the 38th time in his career he has hit the 20-mark in both categories.

Kevin Love matched a season high with 30 points, but Cleveland lost its fifth straight and went winless on its four-game homestand.

THUNDER 111, NETS 103, OT

NEW YORK  — Chris Paul scored 20 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading Oklahoma City past Brooklyn.

The game was tied at 103 before Paul made consecutive jumpers and the Nets never scored again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander closed out the scoring with four free throws, after making a jumper to open OT.

Gilgeous-Alexander added 22 points for the Thunder, who bounced back from a loss Monday in Philadelphia to win for the sixth time in seven games. Steven Adams had 10 points and 18 rebounds as Oklahoma City won without Danilo Gallinari, who rested a calf injury.

Taurean Prince scored 21 points and Caris LeVert had 20 in his second game back from right thumb surgery, but the Nets dropped their seventh straight. Spencer Dinwiddie had 14 points, but he struggled early and late in a 6 for 21 night.

GRIZZLIES 119, TIMBERWOLVES 112

MEMPHIS, Tenn.— Dillon Brooks scored 28 points, Ja Morant added 25 and Memphis rallied in the fourth quarter for a victory over Minnesota.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 21 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in fourth. Jae Crowder finished with 14 points and eight rebounds as Memphis won its third straight.

Rookie Jarrett Culver led the Timberwolves with a career-high 24 points, converting 8 of 11 shots, including 3 of 5 from outside the arc. Jeff Teague scored 18 points and handed out six assists for Minnesota, while Robert Covington scored 17 points. Andrew Wiggins had 15 points.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

LOS ANGELES  — Anthony Davis has left the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the New York Knicks in the third quarter after landing painfully on his tailbone and back.

Davis was injured Tuesday night when he fell awkwardly while trying to block the shot of New York’s Julius Randle.

Davis pounded the court in obvious pain after his hard landing, and he stayed down for about two minutes in a hushed Staples Center.

Davis eventually rose with help from his teammates, and he walked to the Lakers’ dressing room slowly, but under his own power.

Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, emerged from the Lakers’ locker room after the injury and said X-rays on Davis’ back were negative, but the superstar is feeling sore. The Lakers described the injury as a bruised sacrum — the lower part of the spine near the tailbone.

Davis, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is the primary reason behind Los Angeles’ swift rise to the top of the Western Conference.

The six-time All-Star is averaging 27.7 points and 9.5 rebounds in his first season after the Lakers traded most of their young core to New Orleans for him.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By the Associated Press

PHOENIX — De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points, Nemanja Bjelica added 19 and the Sacramento Kings rallied from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the Phoenix Suns 114-103 on Tuesday night.

The Kings trailed 83-62 with 4:25 remaining in the third but recovered in a hurry, rallying to take a 92-91 lead on Bjelica’s dunk with about eight minutes left. The game was tight for the next several minutes but Fox hit a 3-pointer and then another jumper to push the Kings ahead 107-100 with 2:29 left.

The Kings — who have won three of their last four — got big contributions from bench players Dewayne Dedmon and Trevor Ariza. Dedmon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Ariza — who played for Phoenix part of last season — added 15 points.

The Suns were led by Devin Booker, who scored 34 points and had seven assists. It was Booker’s seventh straight game with at least 30 points, which extends his franchise record. The performance didn’t stop the Suns from coughing up the big lead and losing their second straight game at home.

Deandre Ayton added 21 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17 points.

The game was tied at 53 at halftime but the Suns started the second half on an 18-2 run and pushed their advantage to 21 points before settling for an 87-78 lead after three quarters.

The Kings were playing the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Warriors 111-98 on Monday.

Source: Manila Bulletin