Elite Filipino athletes carry PH flag on world stage

While athletic events in the Philippines came to a screeching halt because of the coronavirus pandemic, there were still Filipino athletes who soldiered on and carried the country’s flag in the international arena.

Not only did they represent the Philippines, they also fought and won against top-notch competition to give the country something to cheer about during these difficult times. (READ: Amid pandemic, elite PH athletes rise again)

Here are the valiant male athletes who carried the torch for flag and country:

EJ Obiena, athletics

In 2019, EJ Obiena was eyed as one of the country’s best bets to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. After an impressive string of podium finishes in 2020 where he went up against the world’s top pole vaulters, Obiena has emerged as a key Philippine contender for an Olympic medal.

In 8 events beginning August, Obiena placed 2nd twice and 3rd thrice. The highlight of his season was the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike Tournament in the Czech Republic, where he cleared 5.74 meters to win the gold. He defeated 2012 Olympic gold medalist Renaud Lavillenie of France, reigning world champion Sam Kendricks of the USA, and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz of Brazil.

Obiena has been training in Italy under the watchful eyes of Vitaly Petrov, the same coach who made world champions out of Sergey Bubka, Guiseppe Gibilisco, and Yelena Isinbayeva. The last time the Philippines bagged an Olympic medal in athletics was when Miguel White won a bronze in the 400-meter hurdles in 1936. Obiena is on course to end that drought.

Carlos Yulo, gymnastics

If Obiena is one of the Philippines’ best bets for an Olympic medal, Carlos Yulo is arguably the country’s best bet for a gold medal in Tokyo.

Yulo made history in 2019 when he became the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. 

In the latest world rankings released in December 2020 by the International Gymnastics Federation, Yulo earned the world No. 1 spot in the men’s floor exercise, tied with Rayderley Zapta of Spain.

The 20-year-old Yulo has been deep in training in Japan despite the pandemic. Last December 13, he won two bronze medals in the floor and vault events of the 2020 All-Japan Gymnastics Championships. He finished 8th overall in the all-around competition.

These impressive results showed a marked improvement from his performance last September in the 53rd All-Japan Senior Masters Gymnastics Championships. In what was Yulo’s first competition since the Southeast Asian Games, he bagged a bronze in the vault event but only placed 19th in his pet event, the floor exercise.

Johnriel Casimero and Reymart Gaballo, professional boxing

There were a number of impressive performances from Filipino boxers in recent months, but two fighters stood out as their bouts had world championship belts on the line.

Johnriel Casimero is probably the most colorful Filipino fighter at the moment, and he certainly isn’t afraid to show his confidence. But beneath the flamboyant exterior is a mean fighting machine who is as merciless as he is ruthless. Last September, Casimero retained his WBO world bantamweight belt by stopping Duke Micah of Ghana in the third round at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.

Casimero’s dominant win lined him up for a shot at Japanese champion Naoya Inoue, largely considered the top dog in the bantamweight division. 

Reymart Gaballo came in as a late replacement and made the most out of the opportunity given to him as he edged Puerto Rican Emmanuel Rodriguez via split decision last December 20 in the same venue Casimero defended his title. Gaballo not only improved his unblemished record to 24-0 (20 knockouts), but he also won the WBC interim bantamweight title.

James delos Santos, karate

When the world went on lockdown last March, James delos Santos embarked on a quest to become the best e-kata practitioner in the world. 

His medal haul is proof that he has accomplished what he has set out to do. Delos Santos has so far won 33 gold medals in international e-kata competitions since March. His latest triumph was a three-gold medal romp in the Athlete’s E-Tournament Series last December 21. Delos Santos defeated American Alfred Bustamante in the finals, 25.66 to 25.06. 

In early December, the 30-year-old Cebuano captured the gold in the 4th Katana International League. He upended Botond Nagy of Hungary, one of the top kata practitioners in the world and the Guinness World Record holder for fastest roundhouse kick in karate. 

Last October, Delos Santos overtook Portugal’s Eduardo Garcia in the rankings to become the world No. 1 in virtual kata.

Delos Santos looks to solidify his hold on the top ranking as he will be joining 3 more competitions before the end of 2020. – Rappler.com