Athletes ascendant.
None of these athletes came out of nowhere. Even before 2019, they were already hard at work, most of them already at the international level. But it was in this year that their names jumped out of headline after headline. These are the ones to keep an eye on moving forward — they just might be what the future holds for Philippine sports.
Carlos Yulo
Yulo first came into global attention when he claimed the Philippines’ first ever gold at the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Germany last October. But it was in front of the home crowd (who lined up at the Rizal Memorial Stadium just to see him perform) at this year's Southeast Asian Games that Yulo emerged as a superstar. He did not disappoint, bagging seven medals for the country, including two golds and five silvers.
Taking pride in this victory, he has, however, resolved to keep his feet grounded, even as he reaches for greater heights at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Alex Eala
An old head on young shoulders, and a prodigy in her own field. Eala started competing internationally when she was just eight, and is now currently ranked 10th-11th in the International Tennis Federation World Junior Rankings (18 years old and below), as well as the youngest netter among the Top 50 globally.
This month, she nabbed the 2019 Orange Bowl Championship Doubles title.
Soulemane Chabi Yo
Only the seventh player from the University of Santo Tomas to win the MVP plum, Beninese high-flyer Soulemane Chabi Yo definitely made a name for himself on his first year in the UAAP after steering the Growling Tigers back to the Finals for the first time in three years. A former best player awardee in the UCBL, he garnered 76 statistical points (SPs), averaging 16.9 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the Espana-based squad.
Margielyn Didal
A former street kid is now the face of skateboarding in the country. At last year's 2018 Asian Games, she won gold (and made it to the 2018 list of Time magazine's Most Influential Teens). In the recently concluded SEA Games, she again won another gold at the women’s Game of Skate event. This year, the 21-year-old Cebuana also placed fifth in the 2019 Street League Skateboarding Los Angeles, notching the best ever finish by a Filipino competitor in that world tour.
As she prepares for the Olympics, she's using her newfound fame to champion the cause of skateboarding, including advoacting the building of more skate parks.
"Kasi katulad nito ang daming skateboarders na andito, nasa kalsada, dati hinuhuli pero ngayon hinahayaan na lang," she once told SPIN Life proudly.
Roger Casugay
For this Pinoy surfer, sportsmanship is the name of the game as he lent a helping hand at the men's longboarding semi-finals to aid his Indonesian competitor, whose board got eaten by the waves.
It was a move that made headlines and brought the San Juan-born surfer international acclaim.
Two days later, karma came back to him tenfold as he won the gold medal. In an interview with SPIN Life, Casugay insisted that what he did was nothing out of the ordinary. The country, however, thought different, and handed him the Fair Play award during the SEA Games' closing ceremonies at New Clark City.
Philippine Men’s Volleyball team
Having ended a four-decade finals drought in the Southeast Asian Games, it was truly a dream run for the national team as they bagged a silver medal in the competition after suffering Indonesia’s straight-setter win.
In a sport where the women's teams get a bigger share of the attention, the second place honors are worth celebrating for elevating the profile of men's volleyball to a higher level.
James Deiparine
You know you've made history as a tanker when your win moves the legendary Christine Jacob to tears.
Clinching the country’s lone swimming gold medal in the 30th SEA Games and ending a decade-long gold medal drought for the Philippine swimming, 26-year-old Deiparine dominated the men’s 100-meter breaststroke. Before handing PH its first gold since 2009, Deiparine also represented the country in the 2017 World Aquatics Championships.
Fran Yu
Not just the Letran Knights' best, but the league’s as well. Hailed as the NCAA season 95 Finals Most Valuable player, Fran Yu has come a long way to prove himself worthy.
He endured a nasty bout of cyberbullying a few years back, when he played for the University of the East in the UAAP, but 2019 has given him an avenue to rewrite his story as he averaged 13.7 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals to steer the Knights to the championship.
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