The best of 2017
On the best day of the year, it seems but appropriate to celebrate the greatest breakthroughs of the year. In the season of gratitude, it is most fitting to look back at the moments of transcendence that marked the calendar with new occasions to commemorate. There is just so much to be grateful for, so much to admire, so much to appreciate. Being an athlete is often a most lonely path. Nobody can put in those thousands of hours of waking up early, working until everything aches, and overcoming obstacles for you. Even then, everything must fall into place in that one, indelible moment for you to make history, as everyone on this humble list has.
Milan Melindo. For years, Milan Melindo quietly took all the doubts about his capacity to win a world title. He was never bitter; he never lashed out, never hit back. Yet, all those doubters never bothered to check their facts. Melindo had compiled an inspiring record, and his only two losses came in world title fights with controversial endings. But this year, all those bad-mouthing him shut up, as Melindo hammered Akira Yaegashi in Japan in May to win the IBF junior flyweight belt. Not only that, he defended it against a very tough Hekkie Budler in September. Melindo remains the same: humble, hard-working, resilient. The only difference us that, now, he no longer has a cacophony of naysayers to listen to.
Cheryl Nakanishi. As the year wound down, Nakanishi, a mother of three, flew to Hamburg, Germany and became the first Filipina to win an overall title at the NAC Mr. & Ms. Universe. She accomplished this despite the fact that her coach, bodybuilding legend Dondon Cortuna, was likewise preparing for a competition and was unable to join her. Also, Che was five pounds over her category weight limit on the day of the weigh-in. Running in sub-zero snow and popping in and out of the sauna solved that urgent matter, to the amazement of other competitors. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The Mighty Ducks. Many people know the adversity the first Philippine ice hockey team underwent on the way to the Southeast Asian Games. Not too many have learnt the extent of the challenges they faced when they got there.
Two of the team’s best players (Filipino-Canadians) were only allowed to play on the first day of competition, as the organizers cited a technicality regarding their residency. Next, each team was given a rest day. For the Philippines, that was the first day, so they had to play all their games consecutively. Lastly, the Mighty Ducks’ would play the final in Aug. 23 without their team captain, who was suspended after the semifinal for contact he did not initiate.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles. The Blue Eagles were not an all-star team, yet they almost swept the UAAP basketball eliminations. They also seemed to find a hero (mostly George Isaac Go) when they needed one. They deserve respect, not because they were labeled the white hats to protagonist De La Salle, but because of their attitude beyond the game itself. And Tab Baldwin does not get enough credit for making a team of men care more about each other than winning basketball games.
Pilipinas Tchoukball. From top to bottom, tchoukball is unique in all of sport. Teams perform at the highest level of sportsmanship and camaraderie I have ever seen. The Filipinos sent a very young team to the World Beach Tchoukball Championships in Taiwan. Despite a 30-minute bus ride and over a kilometer’s walk to and from the venue every day, the men’s team finished seventh in a tough field, while the women finished fifth in a smaller field. In November, the country fielded its top players to the Southeast Asian Championships, and both teams finished second to world number two Singapore. In that last match, one of our players was injured and unable to walk. Instead of leaving him at the athlete’s dorm, players, coaches and even the head of the FITB himself took turns carrying him through the Bangkok night market. Imagine that.
2023 FIBA World Cup hosting. A monumental challenge, a daring one, a costly one. And yet, after falling short once, the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas proved that big dreams are within reach. Thus, the Philippines will be co-hosting the FIBA World Cup for the first time the games will be played on Philippine soil since 1978, or 45 years later. By then, we will have a tall, developed team ready to slay some giants. More than that, it will be another opportunity to show the world the unparalleled hospitality of the Filipino people.
A blessed Christmas to all our readers. God bless.