Filipina Soul

Today marked the last official appearance of the Philippine Olympians in Beijing. It’s a sad ending to high hopes of a medal once again being brought home to the country. The last two athletes, Rexel Ryan Fabriga (Diving) and Mary Antoinette Rivero (Taekwondo), didn’t qualify to compete beyond the preliminaries of their respective events today.
Though the country sent 15 athletes to the Games, in reality, the medal hopes rested on the shoulders of only two competitors. These were Henry Tanamor in boxing and Tshomlee Go in taekwondo. Alas, both fell early in their events.

This is now the third straight Olympic …read more

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We’ve watched the medal hopes of the Philippines fade as one by one, Filipino Olympians fell by the wayside. Of the last four, only two remain as two more failed to advance:
* Maristella Torres (Athletics) didn’t advance beyond the qualifying rounds of the Women’s Long Jump event on August 19, 2008.
* Tshomlee Go (Taekwondo) lost his Men’s 58kg preliminary round to Ryan Carneli of Australia today, August 20, 2008. You can read a detailed account of his bout here.
The remaining two athletes are scheduled for their first Olympic appearances on Friday, August 22, 2008.
* Rexel Ryan Fabriga (Diving) will be …read more

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Our last report had 12 remaining Filipino athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics. Here’s the latest news from The Games
1. Mark Javier (Archery) was beaten in the Men’s Individual 1/32 Eliminations by Taipei’s Kuo Cheng Wei on August 13, 2008.
2. Henry Dagmil (Athletics) ended his Olympic stint at rank #18 in a field of 20 in his qualifying rounds in the Men’s Long Jump Event on August 16, 2008.
3. Maristella Torres (Athletics) still has her Women’s Long Jump event’s qualifying rounds on Tuesday, August 19, 2008.
4. Henry Tanamor (Boxing) lost his bout …read more

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Here are the latest reports concerning our 15 Filipino Olympians:
1. Mark Javier (Archery) was in the Men’s Men’s Individual Ranking Round on August 9, 2008, earning a rank of #36 out of 64 participants. His next event is the Men’s Individual 1/32 Eliminations against Taipei’s Kuo Cheng Wei on Wednesday, August 13, 2008.
2. Henry Dagmil (Athletics) will compete in the Men’s Long Jump Event. The qualifying rounds are scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2008.
3. Maristella Torres (Athletics) even is the Women’s Long Jump. The qualifying rounds are on Tuesday, August 19, 2008.
4. Henry Tanamor (Boxing) will fight in the Men’s …read more

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The Olympics have always been a big part of the Filipino TV viewing. It’s not uncommon for people to gather to watch the Opening Ceremony, the Closing, and several choice sports events. My family would follow the Olympics from start to finish, and hope for a glimpse of the Filipino athletes. More often than not, the TV camera would shoot them for a second at the Opening, and we barely made out the Philippine flag. But we still cheered for these national heroes.
Tonight I just finished watching the Opening of this quadrennial Olympics. The show was spectacular! The Chinese …read more

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Nothing is more moving than when you sing the Philippine national anthem “Lupang Hinirang” in a foreign land. And in the spirit of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, raising the Philippine flag while the anthem is played creates a deeper sense of patriotism. Somehow, the Olympics pulls the people of a nation together.

And even though we don’t like Gloria Arroyo, seeing her support the Philippine team still boosts morale. And maybe there is hope for a gold.
Our best bets for a medal are in boxing, with lone contender Henry Tanamor in the flyweight division. Other hopefuls include …read more

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The Beijing Olympics has started! I’m so excited to watch the delayed telecast tonight. But there are many photos already coming out from the Opening Ceremony, and it looks absolutely fantabulous! I can’t wait to see our athletes’ entrance, led by flag bearer Manny Pacquiao.
The very first photo we can show you from Beijing is not one of the athletes, nor the ceremony. Those will come later. Our President Gloria Arroyo and her husband Mike Arroyo met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and his wife Liu Yongqing at an official banquet.

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Five Filipino swimmers are in Beijing to compete and try to bring home a medal for the Philippines. These five athletes are:
Miguel Molina James Wlsh Ryan Arabejo Daniel CoakleyChristel Simms
They were interviewed by GMA7’s TimeOut, at the Trace College in Los Banos, Laguna. Miguel Molina and Christel Simms, in particular, are featured in this clip:

We’re cheering for you guys! Go go, Pinoy Olympians!

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Sheila Mae Perez, 22, is among the Filipino Olympians who will seek to bring the first gold home to the Philippines. Sheila Mae learned to dive in the ocean waters off Davao. To prepare for the Beijing Olympics, she’s been practicing for up to 6 hours everyday. She comes across as very down-to-earth and relaxed about competing among the world’s best divers in Beijing. No medal promises here, but we can be sure she’ll do her 110% best!
Sheila Mae was interviewed for GMA7’s Time Out. I believe this was at the Trace College in Los Banos, which boasts of a …read more

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Care to know what 15,000 Olympic athletes are having for dessert? Mango Crème Brûlée, a classic dessert with a Filipino twist, prepared by no less than senior Olympics chef Ryan Jaranilla.
Chef Ryan is second in command at the Olympic Catering Services of the Athletes’ Village in Beijing. He is in charge of planning the menu of over 15,000 athletes and 5,000 media people for the 2008 Olympics. In his own words, “this is definitely not a picnic!”
For sure, but the Pinoy chef comes with great credentials, having worked with the legendary Wolfgang Puck and catering to the 2000 …read more

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