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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Who hasn’t dreamt of being an Olympian? Or, winning a sports event? The HappySlip girl Christine easily shows us how we can dream of winning gold(s) at the Olympic.

Wasn’t she great at gymnastics?

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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 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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We’re counting down the days to 8-8-08! We’re sure to keep an eye out for any and all news related to the Olympic Games at Beijing. One of the things we’ve learned lately is that Erik Santos will be performing at the event.
Erik was among an international group of performers chosen by the Chinese government. He has been working hard at rehearsing, and is also learning some Mandarin.

Reports say that he will be singing I Believe I can Fly sometime during the closing ceremonies of the Games. For a peek at his rendition of this song in a …read more

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