MANILA: The just-concluded Southeast Asian Games may have unveiled potential world-beaters for the Philippines but a “tough journey” awaits them before they are in with a shot at the country’s first ever Olympic gold, sports officials said Thursday.
Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Tom Carrasco said that the five Filipino boxers who won gold at the SEA Games in Singapore stood the best chance but even they will have to place in qualifying tournaments before reaching the Olympics in Brazil in 2016.
“It’s really a tough journey but I don’t think we should stop trying,” he said.
An Olympic gold medal has long eluded the Philippines and the closest it has come is two silvers in boxing in 1964 and 1996.
The Philippines has the dubious distinction of being the country with the most Olympic medals without a single gold, the website Olympstats said.
“The Southeast Asian Games is really far from the standards needed to qualify for the Olympics,” Carrasco said.
“The best chance (for a medal) are the boxers, possibly athletics. They have a new management, new coaches,” he said.
Among the SEA Games Filipino medalists, only Eric Cray, who won golds in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles, has already qualified for the Olympics after passing the standard in a meet in Los Angeles before the start of the Singapore games.
Even the executive director of the Philippine amateur boxing board, Ed Picson, who is credited for the boxing medals in Singapore, is less than confident of the Philippines’ chances.
“This (the SEA Games) is just a regional tournament,” he told AFP.
The Filipino pugilists will start training next week for qualifying tournaments like the Asian championships in August and then the world championships later, he said.
Once there, the Filipinos will have to face boxing powerhouses like China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia, on the way to the Olympics, Picson warned.
Olympics still a distant dream for Philippines SEA Games medallists
Olympics still a distant dream for Philippines SEA Games medallists
Patriots reach Super Bowl in blizzard-hit 10-7 win over Broncos
LOS ANGELES, US: Quarterback Drake Maye led the New England Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance since the glory days of predecessor Tom Brady with a blizzard-ravaged 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos Sunday.
In a low-scoring AFC Championship game played out in brutal conditions, Maye rushed for a first-half touchdown, and painstakingly drove the ball downfield after the break to set up a decisive field goal.
No further scoring was possible in the 21 degrees F storm, with the Patriots’ white uniforms barely visible as players slipped and slid across the snow.
“We battled the elements,” said Maye.
“These conditions, it’s not great throwing the football. But hey, we do what we need to do... We’re off to the Super Bowl. Let’s go!“
The Patriots will play either the Los Angeles Rams or the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, on February 8.
The win cements a remarkable resurgence for the Patriots.
After the dominant era of the Brady dynasty that yielded six Super Bowl titles, New England have endured a painful rebuild, going 3-14 in both the previous two seasons.
But under new head coach Mike Vrabel they were a revelation this season, winning 17 games so far and topping the tough AFC East for the first time since 2019.
‘Costly’
Prior to kickoff, all eyes were on the Broncos’ perennial backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who had not thrown a pass in competitive football for two years.
The 29-year-old was thrust into the spotlight when Broncos’ first-choice Bo Nix broke his ankle in the dying moments of last weekend’s victory over the Buffalo Bills.
An understandably nervy Stidham was swiftly and repeatedly blitzed by the Patriots, throwing a wild incomplete pass on an opening drive that ended with a punt.
Moments later his epic 54-yard hurl to Marvin Mims Jr paid off spectacularly, caught deep downfield. Stidham then found Courtland Sutton for the opening TD.
Stidham grew in confidence as the first half progressed, without adding to the lead. The Broncos declined a straightforward field goal attempt at 4th&1 on New England’s 14-yard line, and gave up a turnover on downs.
Then disaster struck, as Stidham fumbled on the Broncos’ 14-yard line for a turnover. Maye, who had been struggling badly, rushed for a touchdown and a 7-7 half-time score.
The fumble would prove “costly,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton admitted after the game.
‘Sick’
The dense snowstorm descended on Denver at the break, making passing difficult and forcing both teams to rely on their run games.
An attritional 18-play drive lasting nearly 10 minutes led to a field goal and slender lead for New England.
The conditions became almost comically treacherous, with multiple players slipping and sliding on nearly every barely-visible play.
Both sides missed multiple field goals in swirling cross-winds, including one blocked by Patriots tackle Leonard Taylor’s fingertips.
With the two-minute warning looming, Stidham attempted a hugely risky 30-yard pass and gave away an interception that proved vital in whiteout conditions.
“It was good at first, and then snow started coming down, wind blowing, I couldn’t see,” said defensive tackle Milton Williams.
“I’m coughing. I’m probably sick right now. But none of that matters. All that matters is that we won the game and we’re going to the Bowl.”
The Patriots, who already boasted the most Super Bowl appearances with 11, will now have their twelfth showing on American football’s biggest stage, and a chance to vie for a record seventh Lombardi trophy.
Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls playing alongside Brady for the Patriots, would be the first person to win the sport’s ultimate prize as a player and coach for the same franchise.
“I won’t win it — it’ll be the players that will win the game, I promise you,” said Vrabel.
