By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

AFTER long four weeks of respite, my fingers pushed me anew to start pressing the keyboard of my computer notebook to do my piece every week as usual. I’m sorry to you, my dearest readers here and abroad (via internet) who missed my sports chronicles and commentaries especially anent this year’s Tour de France (TdF) and the NBA finals that ended last month. As you must know by now, I never failed to follow the 1903-born TdF, acclaimed as the oldest, longest, toughest, richest and the most prestigious and well-liked multi-staged bicycle road race in the world. I never missed this annual road competition from my cycling heydays up to the present. Undeniably, this two-wheeled sport is my number one much-loved game in my life that paved me to fame and become a comfortable family man.

Yes, this year, despite being the defending champion but still rated underdog by the knowledgeable hombres, Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia surprised me and the world’s cycling community, particularly, the world’s elite sports analysts, when he successfully and convincingly defended his tiara with much to spare. It’s history for his country and the TdF for being the very first Slovenian rider to win the back-to-back feat mostly accomplished by the Frenchmen, Belgians, Italians, Spaniards, Americans, Britons, Germans, to name some. Well, “there’s always first time in life,’ as the old adage says!

The NBA 2020-2021 season that ended last month, finally saw the Milwaukee Bucks ended its title drought after 50 years and scored their second victory in their NBA stint beating arch-rival Phoenix Suns, 4-2, in the best-of-seven championship series. The Bucks first won in 1971 spearheaded by their seven-foot-two center the well-known Kareem Abdul Jabbar, originally known as Lew Alcindor during the 1970s seasons. But this time, as expected by many, 6’11” power-forward player Giannis Antetekoumpo, twice Most Valuable People (MVP), scored a championship high 50 points to lift his team to 105-98 victory. The 26-year-old Greece-born Antetekoumpo was unanimously selected as the MVP of the championship games. Yes, fifty points and fifty years is another NBA’s history.

In the local side, our veteran Olympian weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made a historical feat in Philippine sports when she won our very first weightlifting silver medal during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She improved that deed when she won our very first gold medal this year in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Reports say that prize incentives that amounted to P58.5-M will be awarded to her by the government and the country’s private sector. Wow. She’s now instant multi-millionaire.

Likewise, our woman boxer Nesthy Petecio made history as the first Filipina boxer for winning the first Olympic silver medal for which she’ll receive the promised P30-M cash. So is Carlo Paalam who advanced to the finals and assured of silver and our lone bronze medalist middleweight Eumir Marcial, cash incentives, too, from the government and generous business groups. Marcial triplicates the Olympic boxing deeds of Jose Villanueva, Leopoldo Serrantes and Roel Velasco while Petecio triplicates also the boxing feats of Anthony Villanueva in 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in 1996 Atlanta Games.  Yes, I also doff my hat to the generous people who volunteered to provide incentives, from cash to homes and lots. I believe that the achievements of Diaz, boxers Petecio, Paalam and Marcial will surely inspire more athletes in the country to take their training seriously and dream of winning Olympic medals, too for the Philippines in the near future. Let’s wait and see.

I’m making this article afternoon of August 5 and by the time you read this piece, the quadrennial meet is already over.
Viva Filipinas.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites. 1 CORINTHIANS 6: 9

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