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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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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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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Image details: Manny Pacquiao v David Diaz served by picapp.com
Boxer Manny Pacquiao, who recently won the WBC lightweight championship, has been appointed as a special envoy to next month’s Summer Olympics in Beijing. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally chose Pacquiao to be the flag-bearer for the Philippines during the Games’ opening ceremony. He is to replace swimmer Miguel Molina, who was named the Best Male Athlete in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, in the coveted role.
Pacquiao’s appointment, which occurred on Friday during a visit to Malacañang Palace, was approved almost immediately by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). However, he still …read more

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