CYCLING | UCI Thailand Mountain Bike Cup 2025

 

Full List of medalists in the recently concluded UCI Thailand Mountain Bike Cup 2025 held in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The event was held from January 14 to 15.

Men Elite -XCO
🥇 Riki KITABAYASHI 🇯🇵
🥈 Zaenal FANANI 🇮🇩
🥉 Feri YUDOYONO 🇮🇩

Men Junior XCO
🥇 Pongpeera PONGARYUKUN 🇹🇭
🥈 Thirdy MANA-AY 🇵🇭
🥉 Tsewang NORBOO 🇮🇳

Men U23 XCO
🥇 Feri YUDOYONO 🇮🇩
🥈 Adrian NACARIO 🇵🇭
🥉 John Andre AGUJA 🇵🇭

Women Elite XCO
🥇 Sayu Bella Sukma DEWI 🇮🇩
🥈 Shagne Paula YAOYAO 🇵🇭
🥉 Thanaporn HAMAN 🇹🇭

Women Junior XCO
🥇 Alexandria Ayisha Aeryn DORMITORIO 🇵🇭
🥈 Pinpak CHIENGSUAN 🇹🇭

Women U23 XCO
🥇 Sayu Bella Sukma DEWI 🇮🇩
🥈 Pornpak PRAPHOTHANG 🇹🇭
🥉 Nurzarina MOHAMMAD ZAKI 🇲🇾

Corteza Captured the 40th Turning Stone Classic Title

Photo: ctto

 

Lee Vann Corteza of the Philippines started his 2025 USA campaign with a bang, clinching the 9-ball championship title in the 40th Turning Stone Classic at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, on Monday, January 13, 2024 (Philippine time). Congratulations!

Corteza dominated the event with a thrilling 13-10 victory over defending champion Moritz Neuhausen of Germany.

#TeamPhilippines

 

Philippines Dominated Darts Championships in Malaysia

 

The Philippines dominated the 10th Cosmo Malaysian Open Darts Championships held at the Flamingo Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

Ryan Jay Galceran (PHI) ruled the Men's Division after winning over Malaysia's Mohd Sairol Mohamed Salim in the final round while Janice Hinojales (PHI) reigned the Women's Division after beating Malaysian Nur Sazleena Muliyano in the final.

 

Meanwhile, Giselle Bulahao who teamed up with Hinojales clinched the Women’s Doubles title.

 

The 10th edition saw record entries of more than 750 darters from 150 teams fighting for the top prizes. Aside from host Malaysia and the Philippines, other Southeast Asian countries who competed in the event were Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia.

 

#TeamPhilippines

#TeamMalaysia

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Kayla Sanchez

 

The 23-year old  Filipino-Canadian swimmer is a former member of the Canadian national team until 2022. She has represented Canada at the Olympics and World championships. She has switched federations and now part of Philippine Swimming team.

 

Sanchez won two medals at the 2020 Olympics including the silver medal as part of the Canadian team in the 4x100 m freestyle relay. Representing Philippines, she competed in the Asian Games and in the World Aquatics Championships 2024in Doha.

 

Sanchez will compete in the women's 100 freestyle in Paris Olympics on July 31, at around 3 a.m. (GMT+8). 

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Jarod Hatch

The 25-year old swimmer is a medalist in the Southeast Asian Games winning bronze medals in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia in butterfly events.

The California born Hatch who earlier announced his retirement in 2021, was tapped to fill in the Philippines’ universality quota in swimming alongside Kayla Sanchez for the Paris Olympics. 

He will compete in the 100 meter butterfly which is scheduled on August 2, at around 5 p.m. (Manila time).

 

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Vanessa Sarno

 

The 20-year old Sarno qualified to the Paris Olympic Games after securing one of the top ten weightlifters in the women's 71kg division based on the IWF Olympic Qualification Rankings (OQR).

 

Sarno competed in the World Championships, Asian Games and IWF World Cup. 

 

She is a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist - 2021 SEA Games (71kg) and 2023 SEA Games (71kg) and gold medalist in the 2020 Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

 

This is Sarno's Olympic debut and will see action on August 10 at around 1:30 in the afternoon (Manila Time). 

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | John Ceniza

 

The 26-year old Ceniza qualified to the Paris Olympic Games after securing one of the top ten weightlifters in the men's 61kg division based on the IWF Olympic Qualification Rankings (OQR).

 

Ceniza competed in the World Championships, Asian Games and IWF World Cup. 

 

He is a silver medalist in Southeast Asian Games - 2019 SEA Games (55kg) and 2023 SEA Games (61kg). He also bagged a bronze medal in IWF World Cup in 2020.

 

This is Ceniza's Olympic debut and will see action on August 7 at around 9pm in the evening (Manila Time).

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Elreen Ando

 

The 25-year old Ando qualified to the Paris Olympic Games after securing one of the top ten weightlifters in the women's 59kg division based on the IWF Olympic Qualification Rankings (OQR).

 

This is Ando's second consecutive appearance in the Summer Olympics following her Tokyo Olympics debut in 2020 where she competed in the women's 64kg division.

 

Ando competed in the World Championships, Asian Games and IWF World Cup. 

 

She is a bronze medalist in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (64kg), gold medalist in 2023 SEA Games (64kg) and silver medalist in the 2024 Asian Championships (59kg).

 

The competition in the women's 59kg division is on August 8 at around 9pm in the evening (Manila Time).  

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Dottie Ardina

 

Ardina is a Filipino professional golfer who won numerous amateur tournaments in Asia and represented the Philippines at the Espirito Santo Trophy (World Amateur Team Championships) in 2006 and 2010.  Her 2006 appearance, at age 12, made her the youngest player ever to compete at the World Amateur Team Championships.

 

She won the Thailand Singha-Sat LPGA Championship in 2014 and also competed in  LPGA Tour of the same year. In the 2022, she snared the Cooper Rock Championship title.

 

Ardina qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics but she declared herself unable to compete due to Zika virus threat.

 

She and Bianca Pagdangan will banner the Philippine flag at the Paris Olympics golf competition. The two golfers, however, will not be billeted in the Olympic Village where all Olympians are housed. Instead, all golfers will be billeted in hotels near the Le Golf National course which is an hour away from the Athletes' Village.  

 

The women's golf competition is scheduled from August 7 to 10.

 

 

 

 

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Carlos Edriel Yulo

You're not a gymnastic fan if you don't know him. He is Caloy Yulo. The first Filipino and the first male Southeast Asian gymnast to medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in floor exercise (bronze medal) in 2018, and the first-ever gold medalist for the same apparatus in 2019.

Yulo is the most decorated male gymnast from Southeast Asia today winning gold medals at the Asian Championships and in the Southeast Asian Games. He also won medals at the World Championships and at the FIG World Cup series.

Yulo who fell short of a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics aims to better his results this time at the Paris Olympics. Can he make it to the podium?

The Men's Artistic Gymnastics qualification round is scheduled on July 27 with Yulo grouped in Subdivision 2 that will start around 11:30 pm (GMT+8).

 

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Emma Malabuyo

 

The 21-year old Malabuyo started representing the Philippines in gymnastics in 2023. She qualified for 2024 Paris Summer Olympics through the 2024 Asian Women's Artistic Gymnastics in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where she placed 3rd in the Individual All-Around event.

The California born gymnast was part of the United States' gold-winning junior team at the 2016 L'International Gymnix tournament, where she earned the bronze medal in the all-around competition, as well as two gold medals on balance beam and floor exercise

 

Representing the Philippines, her achievements include the gold medal in the floor exercise in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics 2024, silver medal (FX) in 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup held in Cairo and another silver medal in the 2023 Asian Championships in Singapore in the same apparatus.

Emma will compete alongside Levi Ruivivar and Aleah Finnegan for Team Philippines in artistic gymnastics. 

 

The Women's Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) qualification round (Subdivision 3) in Paris Olympics is scheduled on July 28 in the evening around  8:50pm (GMT+8).

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Levi Ruivivar

 

The 18-year old Ruivivar is a Filipino-American artistic gymnast who qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics through the 2024 FIG World Cup series.

Born and raised in the United States, the young gymnast represented the United States in her junior stint until in 2023 when she decided to switch federations to banner the Philippine flag instead.

 

Ruivivar had earned many achievements from her US stint. Representing the Philippines, she won a silver medal for uneven bars in the FIG World Cup and a bronze medal in the Asian Championships for the same apparatus.

 

The Women's Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) qualification round (Subdivision 3) in Paris Olympics is scheduled on July 28 in the evening around  8:50pm (GMT+8).

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Lauren Hoffman

The 25-year old Filipino-American will see action in the women's 400m hurdles in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She qualified for this event after placing 39th in the World Athletics Road to Paris 24 Rankings. The Top 40 athletes at the end of qualification period (June 30) qualify for the said event.
 

The former track and field star at Duke University, has reset the Philippines’ hurdles record multiple times in the past (600 meters Philippine National Indoor Record & 100m Hurdles)
 

Hoffman is one of the three Filipino Olympians in Athletics in the Paris Olympics - the other two are John Cabang (110m Hurdles) and Ernest John Obiena (Pole Vault)
 

The women's 400m hurdles is scheduled on August 4, at around 6 p.m. (Manila time).  

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Nesthy Petecio

The 32-year old Petecio will see action for her second consecutive Olympic appearance in boxing. She qualified in the women's featherweight (57kg) division after winning a quota place at the 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1 held in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

The Davao del Sur boxer won a silver medal in the inaugural women's featherweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, becoming the first Filipino woman to win an Olympic medal in boxing. She also won a silver medal at the 2014 World Championships and gold at the 2019 edition.

The multiple SEA Games and Asian Championship medalist is now training in Germany having sparring sessions at the Sportcampus Saar and will have more sparring sessions before they enter the Olympic Village in Paris on July 23.

Nesthy Petecio will serve as one of the Philippines’ flag-bearers in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics in July.

 

Team Philippines 🇵🇭 | Hergie Bacyadan

The 29-year old Bacyadan is a martial artist engaged  in wushu, vovinam and boxing. Bacyadan has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris through winning her quota bout at the 2024 World Olympic Qualification Tournament 2 held in Thailand.

Bacdayan saw action in wushu (sanda) where she bagged silver medals in women's 65kg class at the inaugural Sanda Asian Cup in 2017 held in Foshan, China and at the 2017 World Wushu Championships in Kazan.

The Tanudan, Kalinga native made history after becoming the first Filipina vovinam world champion in 2023 in the women's combat 66kg division. At the same year she won silver in the same event at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia.

Hergie Bacyadan honors her tribe in quest of boxing gold in the Paris games. She will compete in the women's 75kg division which is scheduled to start on July 31 (Round of 16).

 

Team Philippines - Bianca Pagdanganan

Bianca Pagdanganan is making her second consecutive appearance in the Summer Olympics. The 26-year old Pagdanganan is a medalist in the 2018 Asian Games, winning a bronze in the women's individual event, and a gold medal in the team event with Yuka Saso and Lois Kaye Go.

 

The Quezon City native, finished in 43rd place in the Women’s Individual Stroke Play event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

 

Aside from Asian Games and the Olympics, she won two gold medals in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games for both individual and team events. Pagdanganan was also able to earn a majors degree in sports management in the University of Arizona where her teammates dubbed her as “The Unicorn” pertaining to her skills in golf, specifically her long-driving ability.

 

The women’s golf competition in the Paris Games is set from August 7 to 10, after the August 1 to 4 men’s play.

 

 

 

Team Philippines - Aira Villegas

 

Aira Villegas is one of the five Filipino boxers that will compete in Paris Olympics. She has qualified in the women's flyweight (50kg) event after winning the Olympic quota place at the 2024 World Olympic Qualification Tournament-1 held in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

 

The Tacloban boxer credits her elder brother, Rominick, for introducing her to the sport, who was then a scholar of the provincial government-managed Leyte Sports Academy and now a coach of the school’s boxing stable.

 

The 28-year old Villegas is a medalist in the Southeast Asian Games. She also competed in the Asian Games and in the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships twice.

 

Boxing competition in Paris will start on July 27 but the preliminary Round of 32 in the women's 50kg class is scheduled to commence on July 28 where 22 boxers in this division will collide.

Team Philippines - Kiyomi Watanabe

The 27-year old Kiyomi Watanabe will compete for the second time in the Summer Olympics after her first stint in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Watanabe qualfies in the women's 63kg division via continental quota in Judo for Paris Olympics. 

 

She remains the lone female judoka to compete in Olympics following John Baylon, Jerry Dino, Benjie McMurray, Tomohiko Hoshina, and Kodo Nakano.

 

Watanabe started competing for Team Philippines in 2011 SEA Games. She is a multiple gold medalist in SEA Games (in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019). 

 

She won bronze medal in the 2013 Asian Youth Judo Championship (AYJC) in China and gold medal in the following year held in Hong Kong. It was Philippines' first gold medal in AYJC. She also won medal in 2018 Asian Games where she bagged silver medal and collected medals in IJF Grand Slam events.

 

The 92nd ranked judoka is reportedly to travel to Paris, France on July 24, six days before competing against the 27 best judokas in the world in her division. 

 

The competition in judo will start on July 27 but Watanabe's division is scheduled on July 30.

Team Philippines - Joanie Delgaco

Joanie Delgaco became Philippines' first female rower to qualify for the Olympics after she clinched one of the five quota places in the women’s single sculls during the World Rowing Asian and Oceania Qualification Regatta in Chungju, South Korea last April. 

 

The 26-year old rower is the fourth Filipino rower Olympian following Edgardo Maerina (1988 Seoul Games), Benjamin Tolentino Jr. (2000 Sydney Games), and Cris Nievarez (2022 Tokyo Games).

 

A former setter of Camarines Sur volleyball team in Palarong Pambansa, she joined the Philippine Rowing team in 2015 and started winning medals in SEA Games where she bagged gold medal in 2019 Manila SEA Games.

She was also a finalist in the 2022 Asian Games in the women's singles sculls where she finished 5th place.

 

She is now training in Germany following her 8th place finish in the 7th Waistrooss Head of River Regatta in Schwebsange, Luxembourg last weekend and will return to Metz training camp in France where other Filipino Olympians are training too.

 

Rowing in Paris Olympics will start on July 27 where Delgaco's event, the Women's Single Sculls Heats is also scheduled. She will compete against 31 best rowers in the world.

 

 

 

 

Four SEA Judokas in Paris Olympics

 

Four Southeast Asian judokas will compete in Paris Olympics this coming July after continental quotas are awarded to them.

 

These athletes are Kiyomi Watanabe of the Philippines in the Women's -63kg,

Maryam March Maharani of Indonesia (Women's -52kg), Hoàng Thị Tình of Vietnam (Women's -48kg) and Masayuki Terada of Thailand (Men's -73kg).