5 Filipino Athletes That Made Us Proud in 2016
It’s not only in beauty pageants, films, and singing competitions that Filipinos have made historic achievements in during the last 12 months. The world of sports also proved to be an arena dominated by a lot of talented Filipino athletes from different fields.
We list down five incredibly skilled athletes that made the Philippines prominent in international sports competitions this year.
Hidilyn Diaz
Probably the most celebrated Filipino athlete of 2016, Hidilyn Diaz made history for the Philippines when she won the country’s first Olympic medal after a 20-year drought.
In August, Diaz brought home a silver medal from her tilt in the women’s 53-kg weightlifting division of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
She now proudly holds at least three firsts in Philippine sports records for her historical win—the first female athlete to win an Olympic medal for the Philippines, the first Filipino to win a medal in weightlifting, and the first non-boxer athlete to win a medal for the Philippines since 1936. Talk about girl power (lifter).
The prize? Just P5M worth of incentives from the government, a P2M cash prize from President Digong, and a promotion into Airwoman 1st Class in the Philippine Air Force. Get it, girl.
Janelle Frayna
When it comes to chess, most Filipinos would have the great Eugene Torre as top-of-mind.
However, this 2016, Philippine chess wasn’t all about Torre anymore as the country officially had its first ever Woman Chess Grandmaster in 20-year-old Janelle Mae Frayna.
Frayna achieved the historic feat when she clinched her third and final norm during Round 9 of the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Azerbaijan. She also placed fifth in the World Juniors match for the WGM title in India early this year.
Josephine Medina
A bronze medal for Women’s Table Tennis Singles Class 8 division is what Josephine Medina brought back home from the 2016 Rio Paralympics Games.
Medina, who was also the country’s flag bearer for the Games, was the lone Filipino who won a medal at the Rio Paralympics and the the second Filipino to won a medal in the Paralympic Games, after Adeline Dumapong won a bronze medal in the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000.
Treat Huey
The Philippines’ pride in tennis, Treat Huey made headlines in 2016 when he reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Wimbledon tournament, making him the first Filipino to do so.
Huey also became the highest world-ranked, Filipino tennis player, reaching a career-high of World No. 18 in the ATP doubles rankings as of July 2016.
Saying that 2016 is his lucky year is an understatement as he also won a title in an ATP tournament in Acapulco and reached the semi-finals of the mixed doubles and quarterfinals in the men’s doubles of the 2016 Australian Open. Can someone’s luck just be this constant and consistent? We guess not.
Miguel Tabuena
Also a representative of the Philippines at the 2016 Rio Olympics, 22-year-old Miguel Tabuena has been doing wonders in professional golf tournaments this year.
Currently at 140th in the World Golf Ranking, Tabuena is the reigning Philippine Open champion and only the second Filipino to compete in the US Open.
Despite falling short in the Olympics, Tabuena had placed fourth in the Singapore Open and was tied for second place in the Malaysian Open. He also peaked at top-10 in the King’s Cup in Thailand, claimed a top-20 finish in Mauritius, and ended at 22nd spot in Taiwan. Phew. No wonder he was recognized as Sportsman of the Year of the Philippine Sportswriters Association alongside boxing champions Donnie Nietes and Nonito Donaire Jr. in 2015.
