Star shines brightly (Part 2)

In yesterday’s column, we listed 10 of the 30 significant milestones in Philippine sports history over the last 30 years in honor of The Philippine Star’s 30th anniversary. In this second instalment, we’re listing the next 10 milestones.

• The Philippines makes its mark in world billiards. In the men’s 9-ball event, there have been four world champions – Efren Reyes in 1999, Alex Pagulayan (a Filipino competing for Canada) in 2004, Ronnie Alcano in 2006 and Django Bustamante in 2010. In the men’s 8-ball event, Reyes was the king in 2004, Alcano in 2007 and Dennis Orcollo in 2011. Rubilen Amit was the world 10-ball queen in 2009 and 2013. Additionally, Chezka Centeno won the girls’ world 10-ball title last year.

• WBO lightflyweight champion Donnie Nietes is in the Philippine history books as the fighter with the longest interrupted reign as world champion bridging the 105 and 108-pound divisions. Nietes, 34, has been a world titleholder since claiming the WBO minimumweight crown in September 2007. He hasn’t lost in 30 bouts since dropping a disputed split decision to Angky Angkota in Jakarta in September 2004. Nietes is unbeaten in 15 world title fights, including three in Mexico. His record is 38-1-4, with 22 KOs.

• The Philippine Azkals football team has rekindled widespread interest in the sport throughout the country. Beefed up by Fil-foreigners from all over the world, the Azkals will compete in the third qualifying round of the prestigious Asian Cup in March next year and hope to take the Asean Football Federation crown late this year. The Azkals are coached by Thomas Dooley. Their rise in popularity has been a phenomenal success story of the new millennium.

• The PBA remains the longest-running sports entertainment vehicle in the country. Since its inception in 1975, the play-for-pay league has expanded to an all-time high of 12 teams. This season, the PBA has scheduled three conferences. The Philippine Cup was won by San Miguel Beer and the Commissioner’s Cup by Rain Or Shine. The Governors Cup is ongoing with teams given the option to recruit an Asian import of no more than 6-3 to play alongside a “regular” import.

• Paeng Nepomuceno, 59, is in the Guinness Book of World Records for three achievements with four World Cup titles (1976, 1980, 1992, 1996), being the youngest ever to win a World Cup at 19 and for winning the most bowling championships at over 130. Nepomuceno is the only bowler ever to receive the IOC President’s trophy even if bowling isn’t an Olympic sport and was named the greatest international bowler of all time by the Bowlers Journal International in 2003. Another bowler in the Guinness Book of World Records is Olivia (Bong) Coo, 68. She was named FIQ Women’s Bowler of the Year in 1992-93 and is a four-time world champion, a five-time Asian Games gold medalist and the winner of at least one Masters title in 28 straight years.

• Michael Martinez, 19, rewrites history by becoming the first Southeast Asian to qualify and compete in figure skating at the Winter Olympics. He finished 19th in his Olympic debut in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Martinez won the Asian Trophy in Bangkok last season and topped the Triglav Trophy in Slovenia in 2013-14 and 2014-15. In his first appearance at the World Championships, Martinez placed 21st. He improved to 19th in his second appearance this year. Martinez is ranked in the world’s top 30 by the International Skating Union.

• Volleyball enjoys a renaissance. In 1995, Manila hosted a leg of the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Grand Prix. Five years later, the Grand Prix was back in Manila. Late this year, Manila will stage the FIVB Women’s Club World Championships. In the collegiate level, crowds of over 20,000 are now not surprising. The popularity of the women’s game has created a mass market for the Shakey’s V-League, Philippine SuperLiga and the Beach Volleyball Republic. The recognition of the Larong Volleyball Sa Pilipinas, Inc. as the NSA for the sport by the POC led to the return of the Philippine men’s and women’s teams to the Southeast Asian Games after a four-edition absence last year. Volleyball is seriously challenging football as the country’s second most popular sport behind basketball.

• Wushu is a consistent medal mailman for the Philippines with over 100 gold delivered from international competitions. Since the 1997 World Wushu Championships in Rome, the Philippines has bagged 10 gold medals in the biennial event, including two in Jakarta last year with Divine Wally and Arnel Mandal. At the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, the Philippines collected three gold, three silver and two bronze medals in wushu. Last year, the tally was one gold, four silver and a bronze. Julian Camacho has been at the forefront of Philippine wushu since 1989, serving as chairman for eight years, president for another eight years and now as secretary-general. In 2008, Willy Wang took the gold in wushu at a side event during the Beijing Olympics but the effort was not reflected in the Olympic medal standings.

• Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski is elected as IOC member in 2013 to succeed Francisco Elizalde as Philippine representative. Elizalde, now 83, served as IOC member from 1985 and remains chairman of the Evaluation Commission and member of the Ethics Commission. Cojuangco-Jaworski, 42, clinched the gold in equestrian at the 2002 Busan Asian Games. SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan is another Filipino to receive recognition by an international sports body. Last year, MVP was appointed to the 26-strong FIBA Central Board. POC president Jose Cojuangco, Jr., the honorary life president of the Southeast Asian Games Federation, was named advisor to Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait last year. Cojuangco has been the POC president since 2004 and will run for a fourth four-year term in November.

• Two major sports arenas are constructed within two years of each other. The P3.6 Billion, 20,000-seat Mall of Asia Arena was inaugurated in 2012 while the P9.4 Billion, 55,000-seat Philippine Arena was opened in 2014. The MOA Arena was the site for the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships, the first-ever NBA preseason game to be played in the country with the Houston Rockets playing the Indiana Pacers in 2013, the International Premier Tennis League the last two years and the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. The Philippine Arena hosted the opening twinbill of the PBA 2014-15 season before 52,612 fans.

The last 10 milestones will be in Sunday’s column.