Obiena heads list of July honor roll
THE Philippines celebrated amazing achievements in various sporting fronts in the jolly month of July.
Pole vault ace Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, the women’s football team Filipinas, karate stalwart Junna Tsukii and new professional world boxing champ Dave “The Doberman” Apolinario took turns bringing honors to the country to earn the nod of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) as the top performers for the month.
Obiena vaulted to a new Asian record of 5.94 meters, surpassing his own 5.93-meter standard, on his way to capturing a historic bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The feat strengthened the 26-year-old Obiena’s standing among the world’s elite and lifted him to No. 3 in the global rankings.
Not long after clinching a qualifying ticket to the prestigious FIFA Women’s World Cup, the rampaging Filipinas carved their names into the record books by ruling the Asean Football Federation Women’s Championship.
The Filipinas, drawing added fire from a roaring home crowd at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, brought down holder Vietnam in the semisfinal, 4-0, then met their date with destiny with a 3-0 title clincher over four-time champion Thailand.
Tsukii brought “woman power” to a higher lever with her triumphant campaign at the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Filipino-japanese upstaged world No. 2 Yorgolis Salazar of Venezuela, 2-0, to cop the women’s -50 kgs gold medal for Team Philippines.
Like a whiff of fresh air, the undefeated Apolinario captured the International Boxing Organization flyweight title with a cracking first-round knockout of hometown bet Gideon Buthelezi in East London, South Africa.
Apolinario (17-0 with 12 knockouts) filled the void after Mark Magsayo lost the Philippines’s remaining world title earlier in the month. Filipino youngsters also scored big as the future Hidilyn Diazes harvested 15 gold medals in the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Taskhent.
Bohol’s pride Vanessa Sarno, 17, swept the gold medals in snatch (100 kgs), clean and jerk (130 kgs) and total lift (23 0kgs) in the junior women’s 71 kgs category to lead the Philippine
charge.