Sports Eye
Our downfall in sports
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
BASKETBALL’S popularity in this country started to rise tremendously when our national team dominated the Asian Games, winning the gold in 1951 in New Delhi, India, 1954 in Manila, 1958 in Tokyo, Japan and the last in 1962 in Jakarta, Indonesia. But after the 1962 biennial games, our supremacy in this sport started to decline. No more gold for us. South Korea and Japan emerged as the new giants in the continent, and then powerhouse China joined the top rank. The best we could do in the Asiad was a silver medal during the 1990 Beijing Asian Games where host China pummeled us twice during the elimination round and in the finals despite sending our best professional players spearheaded by the ‘living legend’ Robert Jaworski.
Well, we won some first places in the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) and Asia Cup but those came with very different stories because our Asian neighbors did not send their national squad, including China, South Korea and Japan. Our last title in the ABC was in 1985 with the help of three Americans, naturalized as Filipinos, with last names Engelland, Still and Moore. Last year, the world basketball governing body FIBA ranked the Philippines as the 65th best basketball nation in the world. What a tremendous decline from our rank in the 1954 World Basketball Championship, where our country bagged the bronze medal, thanks to the “big difference” Carlos Loyzaga.
What happened in basketball is very similar to what is happening now in cycling.
Records show that in the 1963 Asian Cycling Championships (ACC) in Malaysia, three of our national riders, namely Roberto Sanchez, Claudio Romeo and Rolando Guaves won four gold medals in track events, pushing our country in second place overall after Japan.
In 1965, with Manila as host, aside from our tracksters who won four gold again, Muntinlupa-born Manuel Reynante humbled all the Asian riders in the road competition while Cornelio Padilla Jr. won the bronze after a Japanese rider (I forgot his name) taking the silver. San Carlos City’s pedal pusher Jose delos Santos grabbed fourth place, which propelled the Philippine nationals to win the gold in the team competition. This was the biggest victory in the history of the Philippine cycling team in ACC. Not contented and wanting to prove his critics wrong, Reynante humiliated anew the Asian visitors by winning the five-day 1965 Asian Tour of Luzon. Reynante’s compatriot and teammate Padilla Jr. finished a close second in the overall classification. After my victory over Asian champion Sutiyono of Indonesia in 1977, Malabon City-born Victor Espiritu snatched the bronze medal in the 1998 Asian Games. Warren Davadilla captured the 17-day 1998 Marlboro Tour, defeating all the visiting 48 Asian riders that the included defending titlist, three-time Asian Games gold medalist and world champion Wong Kam-po.
After all that, it has been downhill for Filipino cyclists. And I believe you already know the reasons why. I already gave you the five causes last week, taking the cue from this year’s Le Tour de Filipinas. I was there and I will stand by what I had written. I was a former professional cyclist with 32 years of experience in competing.
* * * * * *
The Gov. Amado T. Espino Cycling Cup which is supposed to be held on May 1 in conjunction with the celebration of this year’s Pista’y Dayat has been postponed to May 2. (See related story on this page) By the time you read this, the 205-kilometer road battle which is exclusively for our local riders might already be over or in progress. I will give you an account of the bikefest next week. See you at the start/finish line in Lingayen.
* * * * * *
Quote of the Week: Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16: 14-16
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
