By Waylon Galvez

John Fabuar Ceniza solidified his Tokyo Olympics bid after claiming a bronze medal in the men’s 61kg category of the Roma World Cup in Italy.

The 21-year-old Ceniza, who won a silver in the recent Southeast Asian Games, had a total lift of 269 kgs to earn a podium finish behind gold medalist Kim Tuan Thach of Vietnam and Shota Mishvelidge of Georgia.

Kim won with a total lift of 288 kgs while Mishvelidge settled for silver with 286 kgs.

Ceniza is hoping that his showing will give him enough points in order to compete in Olympics later this year.

He is one of eight Filipinos competing in the event, joining Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Kristel Macrohon, Elreen Ann Ando, Margaret Colonia, Mary Rose Diaz, and Nestor Colonia.

Diaz will compete in the women’s 65kg, SEAG gold medalist Macrohon in 71kg, Ando in 64kg, Margaret Colonia in 59kg and Diaz in 45kg.

The other men’s participant is Nestor Colonia, who is due to compete in the 67kg category.

Diaz has the best chance of making the Olympic grade for the second consecutive time since she is ranked fifth in the 55kg category of the International Weightlifting Federation.

She currently has 3.632.0672 points.

Leading the 55kg category are Chinese weightlifters Jiang Huihua (4,667.8878), Liao Qiuyun (4,288.9622), Zhang Wanqiong (4,212.6639) and Li Yajun (4,099.0223), while at No. 6 is Muattar Nabieva of Uzbekistan (3,519.9108),

Yenny Sinisterra of Colombia at No. 7 (3,432. 7232) and Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo at No. 8 (3,413.5078).

Diaz is scheduled to compete Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Manila).

Source: Manila Bulletin

Juan Gomez de Liaño and Thirdy Ravena finally made their presence felt as Mighty Sports-Creative Pacific rolled to its third straight win with an 84-66 win over Tunisia’s ES Rades in the 31st Dubai International Basketball Championship late Monday at the Shabab Al Ahli Club in the United Arab Emirates.

The former collegiate rivals combined for six triples with Gomez de Liaño of the University of the Philippines making 4-of-5 shots from the 3-point area for 12 points while Ravena, former Ateneo superstar, added eight points on 2-of-5 shooting from the same area aside from providing the intangibles to help the Mighty Sports-Creative Pacific post its first blowout win after two tough wins.

The PBA hopefuls struck hardest in the third that saw Mighty Sports-Creative Pacific post a 63-54 lead going into the payoff period.

Naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche and World Cup veteran Renaldo Balkman then took charge in the middle of the fourth to finally break the game wide apart to the delight of team owners Alexander Wongchuking and Bong Cuevas and hundreds of wildly-cheering Filipino fans.

“It’s a good win for us,” said coach Charles Tiu who immediately dedicated the win to NBA legend Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash Sunday in California.

“I’m happier this time coz two of our local standouts finally showed what they are capable of,” said Wongchuking.

For the third straight game, the 6-foot-10 Blatche tallied in double-double with 18 points and 13 boards apart from registering five assists while Balkman also finished with 18 points and six boads but turned the ball seven times for the team also backed by Go for Gold, Gatorade and Discovery Primea.

Tiu hopes to use the win as an added motivation when they battle last year’s runner-up Beirut Sports Club for Group B’s top seeding on Tuesday at 9 p.m. (1 a.m. Wednesday PH time).

Though already assured of a quarterfinals berth, Mighty Sports-Creative Pacific needs to prevail over the Lebanese squad to face the No. 4 team in Group A of 11-team tournament.

“We need to sweep our group elims for better chances in the semis,” said Wongchuking.

The scores:

MIGHTY SPORTS-CREATIVE 84 – Blatche 18, Balkman 18, Kendrick 13, Gomez de Liano 12, Ravena 8, Malonzo 4, Williams 3, Go 3.

ES RADES 66 – Grady 17, Qannouni 13, Dayfallah 9, Elahi 7, Tramesh 6, Alshanoufi 5, Okoroh 4, Buallaq 3, Rudsli 2.

Quarters: 19-18, 41-34, 63-54, 84-66.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Mika Reyes, one of the best middle blockers in the country, recently decided to join Sta. Lucia for the 2020 season of the Philippine Superliga.

Playing for Petron since 2017, the former De La Salle standout officially joined the Lady Realtors by inking a multi-year contract recently in the presence of team owner Michelle Robles-De Castro, team manager Rose Santos, and assistant team manager Von Mojado.

“I’m very excited na meron akong bagong team this year,” Reyes said. “It’s a new environment, new challenges and higit sa lahat, may mga bago akong teammates na makakasama.”

“I’m really happy na I took this opportunity and I’m grateful na kinuha rin ako ng Sta. Lucia.”

Reyes’ inclusion boosts Sta. Lucia’s chances of at least entering the semifinals of the upcoming Grand Prix conference with teammates Pam Lastimosa, MJ Phillips, Amy Ahomiro, Rubie De Leon, Andrea Marzan, Glaudine Troncoso and Alex Bollier, among others.

The team will also be parading with its new coach Eddieson Orcullo as part of its rebuilding program.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Reuters

Nike on Monday suspended the sale of Kobe Bryant merchandise on its online store, multiple outlets reported.

According to ESPN, a search for Kobe Bryant on the site takes a user instead to a page with a purple and gold Nike gift card sporting the Los Angeles Lakers logo. A search of the site for “Kobe Bryant” and related terms later Monday night resulted in a page with the statement Nike issued Sunday upon learning of Bryant’s death:

“Along with millions of athletes and fans throughout the world, we are devastated by today’s tragic news. We extend our deepest sympathies to those closest to Kobe and Gianna, especially their family and friends.

“As we are learning more details of the accident and the others who have tragically lost their lives, our heartfelt sympathies go out to everyone involved and impacted.

“Kobe was one of the greatest athletes of his generation and has had an immeasurable impact on the world of sport and the community of basketball. He was a beloved member of the Nike family. We will miss him greatly. Mamba forever.”

Bryant, 41, was one of nine people killed Sunday when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Calabasas, Calif. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, also was among those who perished.

According to TheStreet, Nike had not yet replied to a request for comment Monday night. But citing sources within the company, ESPN reported the decision to suspend the sales was to prevent resellers from stockpiling on Bryant gear and then selling the merchandise at elevated prices.

The report added that Nike is re-evaluating how it will release Bryant’s signature shoe series going forward.

According to ESPN, more than 100 NBA players have worn Bryant shoes this season.

Thousands of people reportedly stopped by and gathered throughout the day Monday at a 35-foot poster of Bryant at Nike World

Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. At Nike’s regional office in Los Angeles, employees gathered in the office’s auditorium, named “Kobe.”

Also on Monday, the NBA announced that the game between the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

Read more: NBA legend Kobe Bryant, daughter killed in helicopter crash, NBA postpones Tuesday’s Lakers game after Bryant’s death 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Philippines’ top junior netter Alex Eala kept her ambitious Grand Slam title campaign alive at the 2020 Australian Open Junior Championships on Tuesday after winning her singles and doubles matches in Melbourne.

Eala, 14, first recovered from a second-set stumble and bested Julie Belgraver of France 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 to barge into the singles third round.

The win came a day after she and Indonesian partner Priska Madelyn Nugroho survived a tough 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 victory over Elina Avanesyan of Russia and Liubov Kostenko of Ukraine in the girls doubles opening round.

Eala and Nugroho currently play Belgraver and Slovakia’s Pia Lovric in the second round at press time.

Eala’s singles victory, meanwhile, set her up a third-round match against Hong Kong’s Hong Yi Cody Wong, a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 winner over Kostenko.

It is Eala’s best performance at the Grand Slam so far, surpassing her debut appearance at the 2019 US Open where she only made it in the second round.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Game Tuesday
(Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo)
6 p.m. — FC Tokyo vs Ceres

Ceres-Negros coach Risto Vidakovic said his team will play with a nothing-to-lose attitude as it faces fancied FC Tokyo for a spot in the group stage of the AFC Champions League at the Ajinomoto Stadium in the Japanese capital.

The Busmen will enter the 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Philippine time) match as heavy underdogs against the home side favored to breeze through the main stage of Asia’s top-tier club competition.

Though acknowledging the heavy odds stacked against them, Vidakovic stressed that it’s a chance for Ceres to make a good impression.

“Obviously we are big underdogs. But for us, it’s a big honor to be here and we have nothing to lose here,” Vidakovic said in a pre-match press conference recording provided by the club. “We have to enjoy the atmosphere and just enjoy the game.”

Ceres made its way to this final round of qualifiers after posting contrasting wins against Southeast Asian counterparts.

The Busmen slipped past Myanmar’s Shan United at the Rizal Memorial Stadium before stunning Thailand’s Port FC last week in Bangkok.

FC Tokyo enters the contest determined to clinch its first Champions League group stage appearance in eight years.

The Gas Men last appeared in 2012 when their run ended with a loss to China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the round-of-16.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Tito S. Talao

DUBAI — Giant-slayers, three of them, in fact, are out to end San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo’s stranglehold of the Most Valuable Player award.

For sure, Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference Jayson Castro of TNT KaTropa, Governors’ Cup BPC choice Christian Standhardinger of NorthPort and top rookie CJ Perez of Columbian Dyip are welcome to try and deny the Big Fella.

The odds seem stacked against them though.

Owner of five MVPs in a row, the 6-foot-10 Fajardo, whose Grand Slam bid with the Beermen last season was torpedoed by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, again holds the inside track in the race, having won back-to-back championships in 2019, including the revered Philippine Cup where he won BPC honors and where prodigious imports are off-limits.

Numbers-wise, Fajardo and Perez lead the pack, with the SMB star putting together statistical points average of 39.6 and the Columbian neophyte coming through with 33.47 SPs per game.

Perez led all comers in scoring, emerging as the league’s new scoring champ with 20.8 points. Matthew Wright was a close second with 18.89 followed by Fajardo (18.87).

NorthPort’s Sean Anthony (33.46), Ginebra’s Stanley Pringle (31.8) and TNT’s RR Pogoy (31.7) finished third, fourth and fifth, putting themselves in good position to make the Mythical Selections.

Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar (29.9) came in at seventh, followed by Wright (29.0), Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang (28.7) and SMB’s Moala Tautuaa (27.5) to round out the Magic 10.

Others making the Top 25 are Troy Rosario (TNT), Scottie Thompson (Ginebra), Alex Cabagnot (SMB), Robert Bolick (NorthPort), Rashawn McCarthy (Columbian), Jeron Teng (Alaska), Chris Ross (SMB), Paul Lee (Magnolia), LA Tenorio (Ginebra), Poy Erram (NLEX), Chris Banchero (Magnolia), Arwind Santos (SMB) and Greg Slaughter (Ginebra).

As MVP contender, Perez is top favorite for the Rookie of the Year award, an achievement that would tie him with PBA great Benjie Paras who bagged both plums in 1989.

The Leo Awards, which also features the winners of the Most Improved Player, the Sportsmanship Award and All Defensive Team, will kick off the inaugural games on March 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (With reports from the PBA Media Bureau)

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

NBA superstar LeBron James said Monday he was “heartbroken and devastated” over the death of Kobe Bryant, vowing in an Instagram post to continue Bryant’s legacy with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion in 20 seasons with the Lakers, died Sunday at age 41 in a helicopter crash only hours after Lakers star James overtook him for third on the league’s all-time scoring list.

“I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother,” James posted. “Man I love you big bro.

“I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man! You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation and it’s my responsibility to put this shit on my back and keep it going!!

“Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here!”

Bryant retired in 2016, the same year James fulfilled his life dream of winning an NBA title with his hometown club, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James led the Cavaliers into the NBA Finals the next two seasons, losing each time to Golden State, and in 2018 opted to leave Cleveland and join the Lakers.

This season, the Lakers have the second-best record in the NBA at 36-10 to lead the Western Conference, with James averaging 25.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and a league-best 10.7 assists a game.

The NBA postponed Tuesday’s scheduled Lakers game against the Los Angeles Clippers in the wake of Bryant’s tragic death.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

An outpouring of grief over the death of Kobe Bryant continued on Monday as thousands of fans gathered by murals of the NBA legend’s face and brought tributes of basketballs, sneakers and candles to the arena where he made his name.

“Kobe, Kobe, Kobe!” chanted a crowd milling about in LA Live, an entertainment district next to the Staples Center, the home court of Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers.

“MVP, MVP, MVP!” people also shouted a day after the 41-year-old Bryant died in a helicopter crash along with seven other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

At noon, radio stations observed a minute and eight seconds of silence — eight for the jersey number he wore early in his career. Later it would be 24.

Hard work
At one corner of the plaza, people used chalk or markers to write tributes to Bryant, such as “Kobe forever”, right on the pavement.

Jonathan Arroyo, 23, arrived early in the morning and wrote MVP many times on the plaza grounds.

“He just meant the world to me. I wasn’t actually really into basketball until Kobe did his thing. Thank God I saw him play. He is my MVP until the day I die,” Arroyo said.

Anthony Jackson, 62, said Bryant, widely regarded as one of the sport’s best players ever, was all about hard work — with no bragging.

“What he achieved in life, didn’t take anything for granted, and he was just being a good person,” said Jackson, who also expressed hope that a memorial service will be held at the Staples Center.

Cynthia Graham, 48, said she used to make sacrifices to see Bryant play.

“I used to cut work just to go to a Lakers game and my check would get docked, but it was worth it. If I got my check docked to see a game, trust me, I’ll do it back again to get to his funeral,” said Graham.

There is still no word on funeral arrangements for Bryant and his daughter.

Fans also gathered at the Mamba Sports Academy, which Bryant founded in Thousand Oaks, an hour from the Staples Center. Its name plays on his nickname, the “Black Mamba”.

There, the scene was also one of tears, silence, flowers and candles.

Shain Hrehniy, who works in an Apple store, cried as he carried his son in his arms.

“I’m just heartbroken by what happened. Heartbroken for his family. I wanted to bring my son so that he can see his dad’s favorite basketball player,” said Hrehniy.

“The fact that Kobe Bryant was here and what he’s doing for the kids and the community. This is what this place is for. It’s because he was doing all the stuff he’s doing for the community,” said sound engineer Roscoe Gray.

“So I have to come here and just pay tribute and get the energy. I’m going to come here every day now. Just every day stop here to get that type of energy and remind myself — you can be whatever you want to be as long as you push yourself.”

Jose Garcia, a caregiver, said he got to see young Gianna Bryant play basketball a few times. Bryant himself used to say she showed much promise.

“Always thought that I would see her grow up. And actually, it was really inspiring to see her,” Garcia said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Police, firefighters, news channels and tourists: helicopters are a constant buzz in the Los Angeles skies, but only a few wealthy people like Kobe Bryant could afford to use them on a daily basis.

The expensive, rapid option is restricted to a handful of businessmen and celebrities — including the late basketball legend — seeking to avoid the Californian city’s notoriously clogged roads.

“Renting a machine like (Bryant’s Sikorsky S-76) is about $4,000 an hour, the pilot is earning at least $100,000 a year,” Philippe Lesourd, a helicopter pilot and instructor who has been flying in the state for 29 years, told AFP.

“It’s not within anyone’s reach.”

Beside Bryant, other celebrities who regularly use helicopters include the Kardashian family, said Lesourd, as well as businessmen who prefer an option “about five or six times faster than the road with traffic.”

Bryant started using private choppers around 2006.

After dropping his daughters at school by car in the morning, he would fly 40 miles north to the Lakers stadium in downtown LA for basketball training, and return to Newport Beach in time to collect them.

The journey took just 15 minutes by helicopter, compared to at least two hours by car during rush hour.

“I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but not compromise family time,” Bryant once said.

After retiring in 2016, the basketball titan — worth an estimated $600 million — continued to rent helicopters and pilots for his travels.

He was in his regular helicopter Sunday morning when it crashed into a hillside near Los Angeles.

Eight others were killed, including his 13-year-old daughter, whom Kobe was accompanying to a basketball game she was due to play in.

‘Unstable’
The causes of the disaster have not yet been determined, but the city was shrouded in a dense fog.

“He should have said to himself ‘Let’s take the car,’ or stopped somewhere and waited a couple of hours for the fog to lift,” said Lesourd.

According to Lesourd, the likeliest explanation is that the pilot suffered “spatial disorientation” after losing sight of the ground upon entering the clouds.

“A helicopter is unstable — not like a car or a plane. You constantly have to actively control its altitude,” he said.

“When you’re in the clouds, your brain doesn’t know which way is up and which is down, like when you’re scuba diving.”

Bryant’s pilot would have been highly experienced, because helicopters which transport individual passengers “on demand” require strict, airline-style permits to operate.

Such “air taxi” pilots — a minority of those flying helicopters — have to undergo regular training and drug testing checks, added Lesourd.

California is the US state with the highest number of helicopter accidents, with 177 recorded between 2007-2016, according to official statistics.

Helicopters were on average safer than airplanes in the US, with a fatality rate of 0.82 per 100,000 flying hours, including 55 deaths in 24 accidents last year.

But according to figures from a US helicopter safety group, private flights have the worst performance of any sector.

Over the past decade, they accounted for only three percent of flying hours, but 26 percent of fatal accidents.

Source: Manila Bulletin