Maybe this time?

It’s almost a century since the Philippines joined the Olympics and we are still searching  for the elusive gold.  We came close in 1964, but boxer Anthony Villanueva lost a controversial decision to a Russian that would  have earned him the gold .  Another boxer Onyok Velasco also won silver in the  Atlanta Olympics and it took 20 years for weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz to win another medal, a silver  for the country. But things look different this year.  We have now an array to world-class athletes who coud win our  first gold.  My top four  choices are pole vaulter Ej Obiena, gymnast Caloy Yulo, US Women’s Open Golf champion Yuka Saso and Diaz.  Boxers Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno and Carlo Paalam might spring  some surprises too.  While we are still looking for our first gold medal our Southeast Asia neighbors   have already  won  several gilts. Thailand has a combined nine gold medals in boxing and weight lifting while Indonesian boasts of seven, all from badminton.  Tiny Singapore, a country of less than 6 million, has one  gold in swimming, courtesy of Joseph Schooling, a 13- year old kid who in 2008, had his picture taken with Phelps.  Schooling defeated his idol Phelps in the 100M butterfly in the 2016 Rio Olympics.  Malaysia like the Philippines, has not won a gold medal but has seven silvers compared to our three.  But with a talented contingent this year, the dream will no longer be impossible.

Did you know?

Three-peat and four-ward

When the  Los Angeles  Lakers  were seeking their third consecutive NBA title in 1989, their head coach Pat Riley (now president of the Miami Heat), formed a licensing company and copyright the phrase “three-peat”.  By 1993, Riley moved on to the New York Knicks , who lost in the Eastern Conference playoff to eventual champion, Chicago Bulls.  Riley was  dissapointed  by the debacle but it wasn’t a total loss.  The Bulls paid  Riley an estimated seven-figure royalty fee for use of his “three peat” on merchandise and licensed goods.  The following year, the Bulls did’nt win the title and Riley could have profited even more.  In 1989, he also copyrighted the phrase “four-ward”.  If Riley was around in the late Fifties, he could  have made a fortune if he offered the phrase to the Boston Celtics who won 8 straight championships starting in 1959 with Bill Russel at the paint.  Riley woud have probably coined it, “eight-peat”.

Giannis Antetokoummpo

While growling up in Athens, Greece, Giannis and his family- Charles his father, Veronica, his mother, along with his brothers, Thanasis, Andreas, Kostas  and Alexandros, lived in poverty.  He sold trinkets and anything he could get his hands on to pay the family bills.  Sometimes he didn’t sell anything, sometimes, the fridge was empty and the family was hungry. But everything’s different now, the Greek Freak is one of the highest-paid players