Diminutive Carlos Yulo stands tallest for PH sports in 2024

Philippines’ Carlos Edriel Yulo (gold) poses during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics men’s vault event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on August 4, 2024. | Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP

MANILA – Carlos Yulo was beyond doubt the giant man for the Philippines when it comes to sports in 2024. The Philippine News Agency picked five sports achievements that stood out among several other feats last year.

5. Meralco finally wins it all

After years of heartbreak, Meralco finally won that coveted Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) championship, beating San Miguel for the Philippine Cup title.

All it took was an iconic mid-range jumper from Chris Newsome for the Bolts to finally break the ice.

“It’s surreal for us,” coach Luigi Trillo said during that fateful night of June 16 at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

In the ongoing 2024-2025 PBA season, Meralco remains a title contender even as the team is now in contention of making the East Asia Super League semifinals.

A new championship contender could spark a breath of fresh air for the pro league.

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4. Mapua returns to NCAA apex

A 33-year wait for a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title finally came to an end for Mapua as the team finally finished the story after three tries in the last four seasons.

From being the surprise package during the Season 97 bubble, the Cardinals are champs again in Season 100.

This time, there was no need for a Benny Cheng-esque game-winner as Mapua swept College of St. Benilde in the best-of-three finals with both games ending up in blowout wins.

Clint Escamis proved to be the missing link for the Cardinals to return to glory as he deservingly won the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy.

It was also a full-circle moment for coach Randy Alcantara, who was Cheng’s teammate during Mapua’s last championship run in 1991, as he won it all for his alma mater both as a player and a mentor.

3. Fnatic Onic PH’s domination

Fnatic Onic Philippines (FNOP) had a late case for being a top sports story for 2024, thanks to an impressive run in the past six months.

FNOP’s prominence began when they won the first 13 matches of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League Philippines Season 14, setting a new league record for the longest winning streak ever.

Their dominance continued to the playoffs, and after a hard-fought championship battle against rookie team Aurora, FNOP finally raised the MPL Philippines championship trophy.

Earning direct qualification for the M6 World Championship, FNOP was not done yet and swept the entire tournament, only the second team to do so after Evos Legends in M1, en route to winning the world title and assuring that the M Series crown remains in the Philippines for the fifth straight edition.

“There’s really just organization doon sa madness na nakikita natin kung paano maglaro ‘yung mga player. It’s very calculated (on how the players perform in the madness that we are seeing) and we pride ourselves in that fact. Gusto ko lang kasi talaga ma-highlight kung gaano katalino ‘yung mga players and gaano sila kagaling mechanically, and ‘yun ang nangyari (I just want to highlight how intelligent and mechanically good the players are, and that’s what happened),” FNOP head coach Tony Senedrin told the Philippine News Agency.

2. Creamline grand slam

Creamline stomped its dominance as the top team in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) by becoming the first team to achieve a grand slam.

The Cool Smashers began their domination by beating sister team Choco Mucho Flying Titans for the All-Filipino Conference title.

Creamline then smashed Akari in the Reinforced Conference finals before completing the season treble by beating Cignal in the Invitational Conference finals.

Considering that their superstar Alyssa Valdez missed a good bunch of games due to an injury, other Cool Smashers stepped up, like Jema Galanza, Bernadeth Pons, Michele Gumabao and Kyle Negrito, earning themselves MVP honors either for a championship series or an entire conference.

With Alas Pilipinas becoming busy in the coming days, the 2025 PVL season already began in November in alignment with the International Volleyball Federation calendar.

Once again, Creamline is deemed the team to beat.

1. Caloy’s two golds

The hands-down top sports story of the year is gymnast Carlos “Caloy” Yulo’s twin golds in the Paris Olympics.

This news bit needs no further elaboration because winning an Olympic gold is already remarkable, more so doing it twice in the same edition.

Although it unraveled some family issues, there is no reason Carlos Yulo’s double golds will not be the headliner of 2024 in Philippine sports.

The Paris stint also saw female boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas bring home a bronze each.

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OF GOLDS AND A NASTY BLACK EYE

In 2025, the country will host for the first time the FIVB Men’s World Championship, featuring the world’s top 32 teams, on Sept. 12 to 28 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon Suzara assured that all athletes, coaches, delegates and fans will “feel at home.”

National athletes will also see action in the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China on Feb. 7-14; Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (dates to be announced); and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in December. (PNA)