World ‘breaking’ Fil-Am champ potential Olympic gold hopeful

By Randy Caluag

AFTER weightlifting gave the Philippines its first gold medal courtesy of Hidilyn Diaz in the Tokyo Games, another potential Olympic gold-medal producer may have emerged in the new Olympic sport of breakdancing.

Fil-American Logan Ellana Edra, the 2021 Red Bull BC One Women World Breakdancing champion, has recently made a brief stop in Manila, where she acquired her Filipino passport with the intent to represent the Philippines in breakdancing in international competitions.

A Manila Standard source said Edra’s trip to Manila was kept under wraps so

Obiena’s financial woes over

By Peter Atencio

WORLD no. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John she can process her Filipino passport without hassle.

“EJ” Obiena has resolved his financial situation involving his coach Vitaly Petrov and his support group.

A weeklong visit to the Philippines and talks with the Philippine Sports Commission and officials of the Philippine Athletic Track and Field Association have given the 27-year-old Obiena a chance put his financial problems out of the way.

“I’m fulfilling some commitments that I actually promised at some time. I need to talk and coordinate with the PSC and the PATAFA,” said Obiena, who is continuously training at the Philsports oval in Pasig, while in the country.

Dinner with PATAFA president Terry Capistrano and Kho on Monday gave Obiena a chance to strengthen ties with the association’s leadership.

Obiena, who arrived in the country last Saturday, is receiving payment of more than P7 million from the PSC following a visit with PSC chairman Richard Bachmann.

The amount will cover unpaid financial assistance in 2022 for his coach Vitaly Petrov, and his two physiologists.

Obiena finished his indoor season with a 10th-place finish in the Meeting Hautes-de-France Pas-deCalais on Thursday last week at Arena Stade Couvert de Liévin in France. He missed the height of 5.82 meters on three tries.

At the moment, Obiena seeks to help an organizer in a street pole vault tournament in the Philippines with the world’s top pole vaulters, whom he has invited.

She was accompanied by DanceSport Federation of the Philippines president Becky Garcia to Senator Francis Tolentino, who helped the Florida-based Edra in acquiring her Filipino passport.

Tolentino, brother of Philippine Olympic Committee president and Tagaytay City mayor Bambol Tolentino, is president of the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas.

“Breaking” or breakdancing will be played as an event under dancesport.

Edra, known in the breakdancing community as BGirl Logistix, will now become the country’s best bet for breakdancing in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May, the 2023 Asian Games in China, the 2023 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok, Thailand. She will also compete under the Philippine flag in a series of qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

To be officially called “breaking” by the International Olympic Committee, the younger market to sustain the evolution of the Olympics’ program. Breaking made its successful debut at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires back in 2018.

Earlier, host General Santos City beat Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc., 82-73, in the opener of the eight-team, weeklong event dangling P3 million to the champion. Playing lackluster ball, defending national champion Nueva Ecija barely led undermanned Imus at halftime, 38-35. A tongue-lashing from Coach Jerson Cabiltes during the break, however, roused the Rice Vanguards to play harder as they led by as many as 18 points, 74-56, before cruising to victory.

John Bryon Villarias and Pamboy Raymundo led Nueva Ecija with 13 points, followed by Michael Mabulac with 11.

Cabiltes tested new recruits Harvey Pagsanjan, Joshua Fontanilla and Rich Guinitaran, who managed to contribute, 6, 3 and 2 points in that order.

Zamboanga, the South Division champion, showed balanced firepower in whipping Bulalakaw.

With the game under control, Zamboanga coach Vic Ycasiano fielded the full complement of his 14-man roster, all of whom managed to score.

New acquisition Judel Ric Fuentes lived up to expectations with a teamhigh 14 points, followed by Jhapz Bautista with 13, 2022 MPBL MVP Jaycee Marcelino with 12, Jayvee Marcelino with 10 and Ralph Tansingco also with 10 plus 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Bulalakaw got 20 points from Don Diamante, followed by Pacquiao with 17 and EJ Dialogo with 12.

The tournament serving as a prelude to the MPBL Fifth Season starting on March 11 continues on Wednesday with another triple-bill at the same venue.

World breakdancing champion Logan Ellana Edra (2nd from left) with DanceSport Federation of the Philippines president Becky Garcia and Senator Francis Tolentino and her coach-manager Lee Razalan, Jr. ( rst from right) Monty Mondigoria breakdancing will be played for the first time in the Olympics in Paris next year, along with other new sports like surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing. The IOC has been recently focusing on

Batangas City, the 2018 MPBL Rajah Cup champion, and Sarangani clash in the first game at 5 p.m. Other matches pit Imus against Valenzuela at 7 p.m. and GenSan against Nueva Ecija at 9 p.m.

South Korea pads lead to 4; Malixi slides to 2nd

CARMONA—The South Koreans battled firm greens and a moderate windy condition at the Masters, playing the second round with enough aggressiveness to extend their lead in the team competition after the second round of the 43rd Queen Sirikit Cup held at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club here.

Yoo Hyun-jo and Kim Minsol each shot a 71 for 142 to hike the Koreans’ total to 281. Four shots at 285 was India, which got a monster performance from Avani Prashanth, who had a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie finish in the final four holes for a six-under 66, with Vidhatri Urs’ 77 counting in the three-to-play, two-to-count format.

Defending champion Japan, China and Hong Kong were all tied at 288, followed by Thailand 289 and the host Philippines 290.

“Our girls were not able to adjust to the sudden shift of conditions at the Masters,” said Philippine captain Ann Granada, noting that Rianne Malixi struggled to a one-over 73, Mafy Singson a three-over 75 and Lois Kaye Go an eight-over 80.

Although down by nine, Granada is still hopeful of a shot at the title, or at least a podium finish, but

Thai storms ahead as Pagdanganan wavers

MORONG, Bataan—PK Kongkraphan outdueled Bianca Pagdanganan in a clash of nerves in the wind at the finish, pouncing on the Filipina ace’s double bogey mishap on No. 16 then birdying the 17th to grab a one-stroke lead with a 68 after 18 holes of the Anvaya Cove International here yesterday.

The troika in the featured threesome, including Taiwan’s No. 1 Ya-Chun Chang, lived up to the hype, sizing each other up in an otherwise subdued battle at Anvaya Cove’s Mountain Nine (frontnine) then turning it into a virtual shootout and a test of poise in the windy Seaside Nine (backside).

Pagdanganan sizzled with an eagle-birdie-birdie run from No. 10 to wrest control at 5-under but dropped to a share of lead with the Thai with a double-bogey on the par-3 No. 16 after overshooting it. She needed two shots to get into the green then two putted for 5 and yielded the lead as Kongkraphan drained a clutch birdie from 12 feet on the penultimate hole. she would need to have big games from Go and Singson.

The Filipina ace settled for a 69 while Chang survived a rollercoaster backside of four birdies against a double bogey and a bogey to salvage a 70 for joint third with compatriot Yi-Tsen Chou and Thai Kusuma Meechai.

Taiwanese Ching Huang, a former Ladies Philippine Golf Tour winner at Midlands, and Thai Kultida Pramphun matched 71s, while Hsuan-Ping Chang and fellow Taiwanese Tsai-Ching Tseng and Thais Pakin Kawinpakorn and Preenaphan Poomklay matched par 72s.

The rest of the locals, however, wavered in tough conditions, including last year’s three-leg winner Chanelle Avaricio, who limped with a 77 in a tie with reigning LPGT OOM champion Chihiro Ikeda for joint 27th, while Harmie Constantino and Daniella Uy struggled with 78s with 36 holes left in the $100,000 event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and co-sanctioned by the LPGA of Taiwan.

That Kongkraphan, Pagdanganan and Chang took the top 3 spots hardly came as a surprise for a gallery that was treated to top-notch shotmaking not just from the fancied three but from the rest of the 69-player field made up of the top TLPGA, Thai LPGA and LPGT campaigners. And the world-class Kevin Ramseydesigned course dotted with water hazards and strategically-placed bunkers and which requires a variety of shots from steep uphill and downhill lies, put into focus not just the field’s talent and skills but also its physical and mental stamina.

“You don’t have to be too aggressive on this course,” said Kongkraphan, the best-credentialed player in the fold with an eight-year LPGA Tour experience and winner of the Thai LPGA Tour Order of Merit trophy last year.

She unleashed a fist-pump after hitting a lead-grabbing birdie that capped a near-impeccable round spiked by birdies on Nos. 2, 7, 10 and 11 against a bogey on the 16th.

“I am looking forward to that moving day on Thursday. We need to forget what happened today and see how we can get into title contention tomorrow,” she also said.

In the individual play, India’s Avani claimed solo leadership with a 10-under 134 total in 36 holes. Malixi, Yoo and Fiona Xu of New Zealand were tied at threeunder 141. An Tong of China, Arianna Lau of Hong Kong, Huang Ting-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei and Sriwong Achiraya of Thailand were bunched at 143.