Sports

Bacolod City-based Team Burgas A and Manila-based National University-ACR Shell spikers garnered top honors in the Men’s Category and Women’s Category, respectively, during the Volleyball Association of Negros Island (VANI) Beach Volleyball Open Tournament at the Resorts Negrense, Bacolod City, recently. Angel Canino, the Bacolodnon volleybelle sensation who played for De La Salle in Manila and bagged the rare Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie of the Year Award in Women’s Volleyball of the UAAP Season 85, attended the opening day. Twenty-two teams from the cities of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Cadiz, Bago, La Carlota and Sipalay and the Municipality of EB Magalona, spiced up by a teams from Guilhulngan City, Negros Occidental and Manila, blasted the sands of Resorts Negrense in...

Alexandra “Alex” Eala at the at US Open Tennis Championships in 2022.*Alex Eala FB page photo Victoriahanon tennis prodigy Alexandra “Alex” Eala bested Valentina Ryser of Switzerland and ruled the W25 Yecla Final held in Murcia, Spain, Sunday, June 4. This is her third professional International Tennis Federation (ITF) title following the W15 Manacor in January 2021 and the W25 Chiang Rai in April 2022. The 18-year-old tennis champion is also the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles title. Eala has her roots in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, through her father, Mike Eala. In October last year, Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez congratulated Eala for qualifying in the semi-finals of the W80 Poitiers in France and for winning against Ana Konjuh of Cr...

The launching of the PONY Baseball and Softball Visayas Region Chapter led by Mayor Nicholas Yulo, PONY International Asia Pacific head Takeharu Nasu, and PONY Philippines president Rodolfo Tingzon Jr. at the Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Coliseum and Cultural Center in Bago City on Monday*Bago Citybridge photo Bago City in Negros Occidental will send two teams to the PONY (Protect Our Nation's Youth) International Girls Softball World Series in McAllen, Texas, United States, on July 19-23. The 16 Under and 12 Under squads of Bago City will be the first from the Visayas to represent the Philippines in the tournament. On Monday afternoon, June 5, the teams were introduced during the launching of the PONY Baseball and Softball Visayas Region Chapter led by Mayor Nicholas Yulo, PONY Int...

Herlan Sixto Gomez being declared the winner in Bangkok, Thailand.* Herlan Sixto Gomez, a 23-year-old boxer from Barangay Madalag, E. B. Magalona in Negros Occidental successfully defended his Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) bantamweight title in the recently concluded Knockout Blows in Bangkok, Thailand. Gomez defeated Jakpan Sangtong of Thailand via KO/TKO in round two of their main card game at RCA Plaza in Spaceplus Bangkok on May 25, a press release from EB Magalona said Tuesday, May 30. In a video message, Gomez relayed the news to his fellow Saraviahanons, and thanked Mayor Marvin Malacon for the financial support for his fight in Thailand. His father, Herman Gomez Sr., also wrote to Malacon: “With heartfelt gratitude, thank you very much Mayor for your full support to ou...

“If you ask me if I’m happy, I’m not, we got beaten.” That was the reaction of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday, May 2, to Negros Occidental’s failure to win the championship in the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet in Aklan that ended Sunday. In the last regional meet Negros Occidental was the champion in the elementary level and Iloilo won in the secondary level, Lacson said. “I don’t have to sugarcoat …we were beaten, we will have to accept that and I hope that will pose a challenge to us for 2024”, he said. “I hope that is the challenge to all of us, all people concerned, that for 2024 we really have to do better, really have to catch up with Iloilo,” Lacson said. Lacson, at the same time, thanked and congratulated “all our athletes who r...

The Negros Occidental delegation with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Provincial Sports Coordinator Anthony Agustin (4th and 3rd from left, front row) * Negros Occidental was first runner up in the elementary, secondary and para games of the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet in Aklan that ended Sunday, April 30. Iloilo was declared the champion and Aklan was second runner up, the Department of Education 6 announced. Special Awards went to Capiz for Most Disciplined Delegation and to Guimaras for Best in Uniform, Best in Saludo and Most Festive Delegation. Negros Occidental won 59 gold, 52 silver and 40 bronze medals in the elementary level, and 88 gold, 85 silver and 69 bronze medals in the secondary level, Provincial Sports Coordinator Anthony Agustin sa...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson with the Negros Occidental athletes in Aklan.* Negros Occidental athletes garnered 140 medals in the elementary, secondary and paragames of the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association meet in Aklan as of 2 p.m. Friday, April 28. Iloilo had the second most number of medals with 133, a Department of Education medal tally also showed. But Iloilo had 63 golds and Negros Occidental had 43, the medal tally showed Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he has not promised any incentives to the athletes for winning medals. “I don’t like to do that…especially young athletes, they should do it for their school, for their family, and not to be motivated financially,” he said. They should do it for the love of the sport, there should be pride ...

The CSAV Titans with Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and his girlfriend, actress Sue Ramirez, after winning the championship game at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum Sunday.*Coach Borge Porcel photo The Colegio de Sta. Ana de Victorias (CSAV) Titans held on denying a game tying 3 in the crucial seconds to capture their 4th basketball championship against the STI-WNU Mustangs 74-71 at the Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural Educational Association (NOPSSCEA) Season 42 finals at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City, Sunday, April 2. The crowd filled the USLS Coliseum early with Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and his girlfriend, actress Sue Ramirez, cheering for the Titans. The anticipated championship Game 3 between the Must...

Bago City emerged as the overall champion in the recently concluded Area IV Congressional Athletic Meet 2023. The city's delegation, composed of elementary and high school students, dominated the competition, winning a total of 302 medals from 21 sporting events. The Bago City delegation bagged a total of 149 gold medals, 97 silver medals, and 56 bronze medals. Following closely behind Bago City was La Carlota City, which won 124 gold medals, 107 silver medals, and 68 bronze medals. Pulupandan finished third with 22 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 31 bronze medals. Meanwhile, San Enrique and Pontevedra won 13 gold medals, 17 silver medals, and 14 bronze medals and 9 gold medals, 21 silver medals, and 15 bronze medals, respectively. Valladolid secured 16 silver med...

It was an exciting weekend in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, as it hosted the Festival of Football Provincial Qualifying 2023 on Saturday and Sunday, February 25-26. The South Negros Team was hailed the champion in the Boys Under-15 (Born 2008-2009) category, while San Carlos City dominated the Boys Under-13 (Born 2010-2011) and the Girls Under-16 (Born 2007-2008) categories, a press release said Monday. In the Girls Under-14 (Born 2009-2020) category, the Central Negros Team bagged the championship title. In the Boys Under-15 (Born 2008-2009) category, San Carlos City took the first runner-up rank, followed by the Central Negros and North Negros Teams as the second and third runner-up winners, respectively. For the Boys Under-13 (Born 2010-2011) category, the North N...