NAGOYA, Japan - Behind the historic silver medal of the Gilas Pilipinas Women 3x3 team at the Nagoya Asian Games lies an untold story of immense sacrifice and a true warrior's spirit.
It was revealed that Gilas 3x3 standout Kacey Dela Rosa played through a severe injury to help deliver the country's first-ever women's 3x3 Asiad medal.
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According to coach Anton Altamirano, Dela Rosa suffered a severe sprain during their very first game of the tournament.
“She rolled her ankle during our first game against Mongolia. At that time, we thought she’s done for the tournament,” said Altamirano, son of former PBA champion coach Eric.
By the second game, Dela Rosa was struggling to even walk.
However, through sheer grit, painkillers, and 24/7 dedicated therapy and management of the team of famed Filipino sports orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jose Raul Canlas, she willed herself to play through the excruciating pain for flag and country.
"Nung second game, hindi na nga siya makalakad eh, pero pinilit lang talaga niya... Ayaw nilang mag-sit out diyan. She really played through pain all through out," Altamirano shared, noting that Dela Rosa even refused to rest against lighter opponents.
“Hindi lang namin agad nilabas kasi we don’t want to sound like we’re already giving excuses,” he added.
Altamirano also revealed that the team had no choice but to push through with their core rotation, as intended reserve player Elizabeth Means was deemed ineligible to step in due to the tournament's Under-23 age limit restriction.
Means, a naturalized player for the 3x3 team, was eventually sent to battle with the Women’s 5x5 squad.
Meanwhile, Team Pilipinas 3x3 program director Ryan Gregorio addressed fans' questions on why Dela Rosa was placed in the 3x3 program instead of the 5-on-5 roster.
"We laid down the situation and she [Dela Rosa] decided, 'I want to play for 3x3,'" Gregorio clarified, emphasizing that it was entirely the player's personal choice to pursue the half-court format.
“We really want to thank KC and the rest of the girls for their service, they are our modern-day heroines. When we get to Manila later, the first order of business is to have her (Dela Rosa) checked so we are sure there will be no long-term problem on her ankle,” said Gregorio.
And now that a historic silver was delivered by Dela Rosa and Co., Gregorio bared that the development and talent identification program of the team will be in full swing.
“We will try to further improve the performance of this team. We already won a silver, and we won’t stop. And we are happy the fans see the efforts of the teams - both men and women,” he said.
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