...the 2020 Olympic qualiier

Filipino pole vaulter Obiena qualifies for Tokyo Olympics



Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Business World

04 September 2019

THE Philippines got its first qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena made the cut in a qualifying tournament in Chiara, Italy, on Wednesday (Manila time).

Clearing a height of 5.81 meters, Mr. Obiena, 23, topped the 5.80 qualifying standard for men’s pole vault to earn a spot in next year’s global sporting spectacle.

The feat also saw Mr. Obiena besting his previous personal best of 5.76-meter clearance set earlier this year in the Summer Universiade also in Italy.

The good news was shared by Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Philip Ella Juico.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics happens from July 24 to Aug. 20.

...the barefoot marathoner

Pinoy to run barefoot in Antarctica for a cause

 

The Philippine Star

02/26/2013

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino-American from North Carolina will run barefoot in Antarctica to help raise funds for Gawad Kalinga and seek a Guinness World Record.

 

Eddie Vilbar Vega will be the first man to run a full marathon barefoot in Antarctica.

The 2013 White Continent Marathon was scheduled to be held Feb. 25 at King George Island.

The first official marathon in Antarctica was held on Jan. 28, 1995 and since then there have been at least one or two full and half marathons every year.

Vega, 53, started running full marathons five years ago. His first run as member of GK’s Heroes Run Team in North Carolina was the City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh in 2007.

Vega has run 66 full marathons using near-barefoot shoes with five toes or vibrams. He has set the goal of being the first person to run a full marathon barefoot in 50 US states.

An advocate of GK, Vega will continue running to help raise awareness and support the GK movement.

A Philippine-based nation-building movement, GK’s main goal is to mobilize and engage all sectors of society to work together to eradicate poverty.

It offers a concrete solution to the overwhelming problem of poverty through a community development template that has values-formation at its core and employs an integrated and holistic approach to empowerment, with special focus on restoring the dignity and productivity of the poor.

GK has built over 100,000 houses in over 2,000 communities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

In the United States, GK is officially represented by GK USA, a non-profit organization registered in California (http://www.gk-usa.org/).

“I think it is fitting that I dedicate this run to GK, as my first marathon was for GK,” Vega said. – Edgar Allan Vilbar/Freeman

...the rich and famous

Pacquiao among top earning int'l athletes

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

07/17/2012

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fight king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao is included in Sports Illustrated's (SI) "International 20," a list of the highest earning international athletes for the past year.

 

Pacquiao ranked No. 6 after raking in $39 million in total earnings.

The SI list did not include Pacquiao's purse from his controversial loss to Timothy Bradley last June 9, as it only counted boxing purses from June 2011 to May 2012.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s rival, unbeaten boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., lived up to his "Money" moniker by topping SI's "Fortunate 50" list, a different list that tracks the highest-earning athletes in the United States.
Mayweather topped the list after earning $85 million last year.

"It's hard to decide which fact is more impressive: that Mayweather needed just two paydays to make it to the top, or that he did it without any endorsement income," SI wrote.

"Mayweather's wins over Victor Ortiz in September 2011 and Miguel Cotto in May 2012, brought him $40-M and $45-M, respectively – including his cut of the pay-per-view receipts," it added.

Mayweather is currently serving an 87-day jail sentence for a guilty plea to a 2010 domestic violence charge. The unbeaten boxer, who last year did not make the "Fortunate 50," is also the world’s highest paid athlete, according to Forbes.

Pacquiao is No. 2 in Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes in 2012.

It was the first time in the history of the "Fortunate 50" that golfer Tiger Woods did not occupy the top spot. Woods is ranked No. 3 this year with a total of $56,440,238 in 2012 earnings.

One of his golfing rivals, Phil Mickelson, is at No. 2 with a total earnings of $60,763,488.

NBA superstars Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James of the Miami Heat round out the top five.

The "International 20" list, meanwhile, was topped by tennis superstar and world No. 1 Roger Federer, his fourth straight year at the top.

The Swiss maestro earned $51.4 million in 2012. Football superstar David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy was second, with $46 million.

Footballers Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso completed the top five.

...the PH Olympians in World Athletics

2 Pinoys in 2011 World Athletics

abs-cbnNEWS.com

08/23/2011

 

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Olympians Henry Dagmil and Marestella Torres will compete in the 2011 World Championships in Athletics which will be held in Daegu, Korea starting Saturday.

 

Torres and Dagmil will join the tournament’s long jump event.

The 29-year-old Dagmil hails from South Cotobato.

Dagmil won the gold medal in the 2005 and 2007 SEA Games (SEAG). In 2007, he broke the SEAG long jump record by clearing a distance of 7.87 meters.

His personal best jump of 7.99 meters was achieved at the U.S. Track and Field Championship in 2008.

He represented the country in the 2008 Olympic Games.

The 30-year-old Torres, on the other hand, hails from Negros Oriental.

She took home the gold medal for the long jump in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG). Torres was also the Philippine Team's athletics representative to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Studio 23 will be airing highlights of the 2011 World Championships in Athletics from August 28 to September 5, 2011.