National

Alyssa Solomon leaves her mark with NU

NATIONAL University's (NU) opposite spiker Alyssa Solomon is aware that Game 2 of the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball Finals between the Lady Bulldogs and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses on May 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena could be her last game in the collegiate ranks. That is why she made it a point to give her best and leave her mark for the team and the league. "I told myself that I need to give my best this game...

Noynay takes on Japanese knockout artist in Tokyo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Joe “Jaw Breaker” Noynay and Japanese Jin Sasaki passed the official weigh-in for their double regional title showdown at the Korakuen Hall scheduled in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, May 16. Noynay, a native of Bogo City in northern Cebu, will battle Sasaki for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific welterweight title. Also up for grabs in this 12-rounder bout is the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF)...

Celtics make East finals, Mavs take 3-2 lead

LOS ANGELES – The Boston Celtics overpowered the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 to reach a third straight Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) as Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City moved to the brink of elimination after crashing 104-92 at home to Dallas. In Boston, Jayson Tatum's 25 points helped the Celtics subdue an injury-hit Cavs line-up to complete a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven series. The Eastern Conference...

The F1 driver market dominoes about to fall

Formula 1’s driver market dominoes are on the verge of falling down, with decisions set to be taken imminently that could finalise some key seats.

Fans Furious With CBS Broadcast Of PGA Championship

For the first two days of the PGA Championship, ESPN had nearly flawless coverage with very few commercials. Fast forward to Saturday afternoon, though and CBS is ruining that trend. Fans noticed early on during CBS' broadcast coverage that the network couldn't help but take a ridiculous amount of ...

F1 Imola GP – Start time, how to watch, starting grid & TV channel

The 2024 Formula 1 Imola Grand Prix takes place this Sunday on 19 May. Here's how you can watch the seventh race of the 2024 F1 season on TV.

COLUMN: In PBA's current state, last thing it needs is an officiating crisis

'Let's hope the missed calls in the PBA playoffs are just a function of incompetence and nothing more malicious'

NBA: Mavericks beat Thunder in wild finish to reach West finals

DALLAS — Kyrie Irving probably wondered if his uncanny run of closeout victories without a loss in his career was finally near an end. The streak lives, and the Dallas Mavericks are through to the NBA Western Conference semifinals for the second time in three seasons. P.J. Washington Jr. made two free throws before an intentional miss with 2.5 seconds left as the Mavs rallied from 17 points down in the second half for a 117-116 victory over the...

UAAP: After breakthrough year, Aringo tipped to play bigger role for NU

MANILA, Philippines — Leo Aringo rose to the occasion on the biggest stage to help National University earn a historic “four-peat” in the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball Finals against University of Santo Tomas. Buds Buddin did most of the damage to UST but Aringo provided the steady presence, averaging 18.5 points in the championship series to complete a sweep and keep NU on top of the collegiate men’s volleyball scene. “Kuya Owa [Retamar] gave...

SGA secures Heading, Tiongson for Jones Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Jordan Heading and Caelan Tiongson are the first to commit to Strong Group for its campaign in the 43rd William Jones Cup. This year's mid-year tournament will take place from July 13 to 21, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan. Heading is no stranger to Strong Group, as he was part of the Athletics team that finished second in the 2024 Dubai International Basketball Championship. The 6-foot-2 sniper averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 assists,...

Klitschko and Shevchenko laud 'historical' win for Ukrainian Usyk

Usyk, who hails from Ukraine, was crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after a gruelling battle in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. Two judges scored the bout 115-113 and 114-113 in Usyk's favour.

Verstappen: Red Bull "severely off the pace" in Imola F1 practice

Max Verstappen says Red Bull is "severely off the pace" for Formula 1's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after struggling with his car handling in Imola on Friday.

UST dynamo Xyza Gula is prime example of heart over height

There were not a lot of expectations for University of Santo Tomas (UST) prior to the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. The Golden Tigresses were composed of mostly rookies and sophomores with only a third-year libero skipper guiding them. And they were once dubbed “Mini Miss UST” due to their relatively shorter player composition. But UST had something that most failed to recognize as a big factor—one that would eventually carry the...

Why forcing Red Bull to make a “bad choice” is Vasseur’s main F1 target

As someone who understands well the challenges of Formula 1, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur knows there is no magic bullet that guarantees success.

Dwight Ramos motivated by Cone call as he recovers from eye surgery

Dwight back in Manila to begin preparation for Gilas' campaign in OQT

Marcio Lassiter has dream scenario on breaking PBA 3-point record

MANILA, Philippines—It might take a few more games but Marcio Lassiter can leapfrog to the top of the list of the PBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers made. And the San Miguel shooter has an ideal scenario on when he wants that to happen. “I’m not a good mathematician with numbers like that but it would be great to do it if it’s given to me in the Finals,” said Lassiter after their 101-98 win over Rain or Shine on Friday at Mall of Asia...

Belen, Solomon, Dongallo out of PH team in Challenge Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Listed initially for the Philippine team that will compete in the AVC Challenge Cup slated May 22 to 29 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, NU's Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon as well as UE's Casiey Dongallo are no longer part of the Alas Pilipinas. National team head coach Jorge Souza de Brito said that Belen and Solomon begged off from joining the nationals due to some minor injuries and academic responsibilities. Belen and...

Darts stars 'annoyed' by Luke Littler's rapid rise - but their pockets are getting fuller

Michael Smith has revealed that some of darts' top stars have been left annoyed by Luke Littler's rise over the past few months - even though it's benefitted them financial

UAAP: UST Tigresses and the ghosts of Game 2s at Mall of Asia Arena

MANILA, Philippines—There is a ghost inside the Mall of Asia Arena… and University of Santo Tomas just couldn’t exorcise it. Back in Season 81, the Golden Tigresses figured in a women’s volleyball Finals affair against Ateneo only to fall short to the eventual champions Lady Eagles. Five years later, UST saw itself on a collision course with National University in the hopes of doing what it couldn’t do five years prior. READ: UAAP: All-heart UST...

Yulo bags first individual all-around gold in Asian meet

(UPDATE) CARLOS Yulo claimed his first-ever gold medal in the individual all-around competition of the Men's Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday, as he steps up his preparation for the Paris Olympics. Yulo totaled 84.931 points in the floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar for the gold. The 24-year-old Filipino won the silver medal in the 2022 and 2023 editions of...

F2 Imola: Hadjar resists Bortoleto to win after Bearman pit nightmare

Isack Hadjar scored his second F2 feature race victory in a row after absorbing intense pressure from Gabriel Bortoleto in the closing stages at Imola.

Tyson Fury unsure on rematch after Usyk inflicts his first loss

Tyson Fury was undecided about a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk after losing his unbeaten record in one of the biggest fights in boxing history on Sunday. Britain’s Fury dominated the early rounds of their undisputed heavyweight clash but lost a split decision to the Ukrainian maestro, who nearly sent him to the canvas in the ninth round. It was the only loss in 36 professional bouts for Fury, who was contesting the first heavyweight unification...

PBA: Tim Cone needs time figuring out Meralco’s game plan

Because even if they seem to know the Bolts from head to toe, coach Tim Cone acknowledged that they may have to buy some time before figuring a way to get past their best-of-seven semifinal series in the PBA Philippine Cup. “This is a familiar team, but they have a different system,” Cone said as the Gin Kings attempt to take a 2-0 lead at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena. Double-seeking San Miguel Beer likewise ges for a similar lead...

Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship

Ultimately, the legendary golfer knows precisely why the two rounds were such a struggle for him.

San Miguel, Ginebra favored in semis anew

TOP seeds San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra resume their championship bid as the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup semifinal round begins on May 17 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The Beermen, who entered the playoffs as the top seeds, face off with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in a best-of-seven duel at 7:30 p.m. The Gin Kings and the Meralco Bolts, on the other hand, begin their own semis series at 4:30 p.m. San Miguel had to go...

Belen overcomes doubts, wins UAAP title and MVP

MANILA, Philippines — The path to the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball championship was not an easy one for the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs. For one, they face a fierce rival in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses who provided a tough challenge in the best-of-three finals. But the Lady Bulldogs proved their doubters wrong and prevailed against the Golden Tigresses in two games capped by the 25-23, 23-25, 27-25, 25-16...

Dante Alinsunurin sculpts UAAP title after PVL shortcoming

MANILA, Philippines—What a difference three days make for coach Dante Alinsunurin On Sunday at Araneta Coliseum, Dante Alinsunurin watched as Creamline celebrated the PVL’s All-Filipino Championship at the expense of his Choco Mucho Flying Titans. He could’ve thrown a fit of rage or shed a tear or two, but he didn’t. READ: After Choco Mucho, Alinsunurin also steers NU back to UAAP Finals Instead, Alinsunurin turned to another gargantuan task and...

Obiena captures gold in LA Grand Prix

MANILA, Philippines — Pole vaulter Ernest John 'EJ' Obiena resumed his Paris Olympics build up by capturing the gold medal in the Los Angeles Grand Prix at the Drake Stadium on Sunday, May 19 (Manila time). The first Filipino Paris Games qualifier cleared 5.80 meters to rule the competition and claim his third championship out four tournaments he joined this year. Obiena bested Norway's Simen Guttormsen and home bet KC Lightfoot who both cleared...

Usyk in tears for late father after historic heavyweight win

An emotional Oleksandr Usyk shed tears for his late father after crowning a brilliant career by becoming boxing’s first four-belt undisputed heavyweight world champion on Sunday. The 37-year-old Ukrainian won a split decision against Britain’s Tyson Fury in Riyadh in the first heavyweight unification fight since 1999. The former European and world amateur champion, Olympic gold medalist and undisputed cruiserweight champ — still undefeated as a...

Notable People who died in 2024

UAAP: All-heart UST Tigresses still proud of silver finish

MANILA, Philippines — They may have fallen short in getting a different ending, but the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses remained proud of their finish in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. It was the same result for coach KungFu Reyes in his second UAAP women’s volleyball Finals in five years, but he encouraged his undersized but still hardfighting Tigresses–fondly dubbed as Mini Miss UST–to keep their heads up after their...

F1: Lewis Hamilton says struggling Mercedes has found ‘North Star’

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton offered an upbeat view on Mercedes’ future prospects on Thursday when he said the team had finally found its “North Star” in the prolonged effort to develop their car. The Briton, without a win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, said he was encouraged by the directional breakthrough and both the energy and resilience of the team. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the first race...

NBA: Pacers tries to even series with New York, force Game 7

The Indiana Pacers’ season is on the brink. It’s win or it’s over. So the last playoff team with a perfect home record has to dig deep and make the most of the energy it receives from its own crowd as it tries to rebound from an embarrassing loss at New York with a season-saving win Friday night in Game 6. “What’s known doesn’t need to be spoken about. Guys know the intensity we have to bring,” Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton said after...

British boxer Sherif Lawal dies after being knocked down in pro debut

LONDON — A British boxer has died after he lost on his professional debut in London. Sherif Lawal was knocked down by a blow to the head from Malam Varela in the fourth round of a scheduled six-round middleweight fight on Sunday at Harrow Leisure Centre. READ: Mexican teen boxer dies of injuries suffered in ring The referee waved it off to allow paramedics to attend to Lawal. He was taken to hospital but died. He was 29. “The British Boxing...

NU queens Belen, Solomon beg off from national squad

Eya Laure is excited over the chance to represent the country and improve herself. But whatever hopes fans were nursing to watch the brightest young stars in women’s volleyball team up with the rebranded Philippine squad took a hit on Friday after it was revealed that National University (NU) stars Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon begged off from joining. University of the East’s Casiey Dongallo, meanwhile, has been ruled out due to a right wrist...

Vanie Gandler, Dawn Catindig bring Cignal connection to PH team

MANILA, Philippines — Vanie Gandler and Dawn Macandili-Catindig are bringing their Cignal connection to Alas Pilipinas when they lead a young squad in the AVC Challenge Cup from May 22 to 29 at Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Gandler, who has proven herself as a reliable outside spiker for Cignal in the PVL, will be making her Philippine women’s volleyball team debut where she will team up with her fellow pro players including former Ateneo teammate...

Messi’s record $20.4M salary dwarfs entire MLS teams

Lionel Messi’s record $20.45 million annual salary from Inter Miami makes him by far the best paid player in Major League Soccer but also puts him ahead of the entire squads of 25 of the league’s clubs, according to data released by the MLS Players Association on Thursday. The players union regularly releases the full pay details of the entire league and while it was no surprise to see the eight-times Ballon d’Or winner at the top, the gulf with...

Lynch: Scottie Scheffler’s scandal shows why the PGA Tour has to look elsewhere for much-needed spice

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It was during the 82nd PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club a couple dozen years ago that Stuart Appleby was asked what he’d need to shoot to have a chance to win. “Tiger Woods,” he replied. Most of those competing at the 106th edition t

Tyson Fury to pray for Oleksandr Usyk before heavyweight clash

Tyson Fury declared himself ready to face Oleksandr Usyk and said he’d pray for his Ukrainian rival before Saturday’s undisputed heavyweight clash. The sometimes madcap Mancunian kept his comments brief in a subdued press appearance on Thursday, two days before what is being billed as the biggest fight this century. Lennox Lewis, who became the last undisputed heavyweight champion in 1999, sat with Evander Holyfield, the man he beat to unify the...

NBA: Budenholzer reminisces, but quickly turns to future leading Suns

PHOENIX — Mike Budenholzer got a little teary-eyed talking about his past in Arizona, describing an idyllic childhood in the small town of Holbrook, about three hours northeast of Phoenix. Those tears dried up in a hurry when talking about his future. “It’s mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I’m going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” Budenholzer said on Friday during an introductory press conference in downtown...

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has sobering take on crucial Game 6 error

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has carried his team this postseason, which is what gave Saturday's deciding late foul in Game 6 a ring of Shakespearean tragedy.

NBA: Kinder, gentler Luka Doncic has Mavericks on verge of series win

DALLAS — A kinder, gentler Luka Doncic has the Dallas Mavericks in the same place they were in the first round, headed home with a chance to clinch an NBA playoff series in Game 6. The difference is the smile on the face of the 25-year-old superstar, replacing the scowl that often accompanies his complaints toward officials over their calls, or non-calls. Doncic focused on other things in his third career 30-point playoff triple-double, leading...

PBA: Ginebra banks on team effort to make up for Jamie Malonzo’s absence

MANILA, Philippines—Ginebra is determined to make a deep run in the PBA Philippine Cup playoffs even without one of its key cogs Jamie Malonzo. Scottie Thompson, who’s one of the most vocal leaders of the Gin Kings, said that the squad’s focus to win the championship is at an all-time high without everyone trying to pitch in to fill the gap left by their high-flying swingman. “Everyone is stepping up, they’re all stepping up as a team,” said...

Letran last team in front of St. Benilde juggernaut

If St. Benilde remains unchecked, it will continue a run of wins that has gone on for 30 games thus far. In the current NCAA Season 99, women’s volleyball championship, Letran remains the last team that can put the brakes on the streak. So maybe it’s easy to dismiss the Knights, or at least label them heavy, heavy underdogs—emphasis on heavy. There is one person who doesn’t think so. And he sits at the front end of the Lady Blazers bench....

Jaja Santiago felt sense of fulfillment seeing NU win UAAP title

MANILA, Philippines — Despite not winning a UAAP title in her playing years for National University, Jaja Santiago felt as if she had finally won one after witnessing the Lady Bulldogs reclaim the glory in the Season 86 women’s volleyball Finals. Santiago was part of the proud NU faithful among the ecstatic 22,515 crowd at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday when the Lady Bulldogs completed a series sweep of the UST Tigresses in Game 2, 25-23,...

10 most overrated MLB players right now, including one big surprise

Tim Cone gives credit to Chot Reyes

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone gave credit to former national coach Chot Reyes for making everyone believe that the Philippines can compete against world class basketball squads when he handled the team in the past. The American coach noted that the country's near wins against Argentina, Croatia, Greece and Puerto Rico were some of the specific proofs during the country's return to the FIBA World Cup in 2014 in Seville, Spain. "I feel like Chot...

PBA: San Miguel stops Beau Belga when it mattered most in Game 1

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel escaped Rain or Shine in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals thanks to its successful game plan of dousing red-hot Beau Belga with freezing defense. At Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, the Beermen saw themselves go up against a gritty Elasto Painters team led by Belga and his stellar shooting from beyond the arc. Before San Miguel’s 101-98 victory though, it had to withstand a third quarter surge led by one of...

NBA: Jamal Murray hurts elbow in Game 6 flop by Nuggets

MINNEAPOLIS — Jamal Murray failed to make a fadeaway on Denver’s first possession, then tried a floater that spun around the rim and spit out in portending fashion. Neither of those misses hurt the normally smooth-shooting Nuggets point guard like what came next for him on defense in Minnesota in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals. As he tried to move around a high screen by Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert early in the first quarter...

Sister squads’ swap stopped in a snap

On paper, the switch made sense. Akari and Nxled shuffled their players and coaches to fit each other’s needs for the next Premier Volleyball League (PVL) conference. The question now is if that paper ever becomes official. Because if it were up to PVL president Ricky Palou—and he has already warned teams about this—there would be no swapping players between sister teams. “That’s not allowed. We told everybody starting this season no trades and...