Delgaco finishes 6th in Asian Games rowing

Carlos Alvarez may not yet be a household name among casual Filipino sports fans, but the 27-year-old fighter has already built a solid international resume in mixed martial arts.

Kai Sotto is back in Japan after signing with Altiri Chiba.

The Philippines currently has five medals in the 2026 Asian Games, with one silver and four bronze medals as of early Thursday, as the country continues to eye more medals in the two-week continental event.

Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo is putting performance over results as he prepares for the men"s floor exercise individual final at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday.

MANILA, Philippines – Fourteen years of waiting, one disastrous hole and a furious comeback later, Art Arbole finally had the moment he had chased for most of his professional career. And when it finally came, it came with the kind of drama worthy of a long-awaited breakthrough. Arbole blew a one-stroke lead with an errant drive on the fourth hole, plunged two shots behind Jhonnel Ababa after a disastrous 7, then watched several proven winners close in as the pressure mounted in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Classic at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club on Thursday. Instead of folding, however, the journeyman found another gear. He answered the setback with a remarkable run of birdies, steadied himself as the challengers faded, and overcame a late miscue to fire a gritty 70 – finally securing the championship he had waited 14 years to win with a gutsy 21-foot par-saving putt on the 18th. Arbole finished at 10-under 270, one shot ahead of Jeffren Lumbo, whose closing 67 rally fell just short at 271, and two clear of Ababa, who faltered late with a 71 to finish at 272. The victory gave Arbole his first Philippine Golf Tour title, ending a drought that had stretched across most of his professional career. “Thank you, Lord. I really prayed for this win. Kasi, coming Sept. 29, birthday ko. So, binigay Niya talaga. Ang sarap sa feeling na binigay Niya,” said Arbole, who turns 36 next week. His victory looked anything but certain after the disaster on No. 4, where he drove out-of-bounds. His second drive struck a tree, forcing a punch-out, before he reached the green in five and eventually made a 7. As Ababa birdied the same hole, Arbole went from one ahead to two behind in a matter of minutes. “Grabe, parang nag-shutdown na lahat after kong ma-OB,” he recalled. But rather than allowing frustration to take over, he stuck to his routine and focused on the holes ahead. “Laban lang. Laban lang,” he said. After dropping another stroke on No. 8 and falling three shots behind, Arbole began his charge with a birdie on the ninth, followed by another on No. 10. He added birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, transforming a three-shot deficit into a two-shot lead in a breathtaking turnaround. “I just hung in there and stayed focused. I never let those early setbacks shake my mindset,” said Arbole, who also trusted the putting and feel on the greens that had kept him in contention. The quality of the players chasing him made the comeback even more remarkable. Ababa, a former Order of Merit champion and winner of the 2024 Apo tournament, stayed within striking distance but dropped another shot on No. 11 and later bogeyed the 17th. Lumbo, winner of the South Pacific leg last year, briefly joined the battle at nine-under after birdieing No. 10 but could manage only pars over the final eight holes. Multi-titled Zanieboy Gialon also made a move with a 33 on the front nine, only to see his challenge fade into a string of backside pars. He finished with a 68 for solo fourth at 273. Defending back-to-back champion Rupert Zaragosa threatened to turn the tournament into a four-man shootout after three straight birdies from No. 7 put him within one shot of the lead at eight-under. But a bogey on No. 13 sent him four shots back, and bogeys on the final two holes dropped him to fifth at 275 after a 70. One by one, the proven winners who had threatened to deny Arbole his long-awaited breakthrough fell away. Arbole did not. With a one-shot lead heading into the 72nd hole, Arbole chose aggression on the par-5, pulling out his 3-wood instead of laying up with a rescue club. He pulled the shot toward the adjacent No. 1 fairway, leaving himself a difficult third shot with trees blocking his path to the green. “Sa third shot, sabi ko, parang mahirap kasi sobrang taas ng puno. From 150 yards to the pin, I forced it to send it at least to the front of the green,” said Arbole, whose fourth shot rolled about seven steps past the hole. The title still hanging in the balance, he spotted the slope and trusted his stroke rather than overthinking the 21-footer. “Actually, nakita ko ’yung slope. Sabi ko, ‘By chance, papasok ’to.’ Parang may boost na nagsasabi, ‘Good stroke lang. Good stroke.’ So, ’yun, nakuha ko,” he said. When the final putt fell, 14 years of waiting came rushing to an end. His fellow pros mobbed him and doused him with water as the celebration erupted around the green, while fans at the clubhouse roared in recognition of a breakthrough long overdue. Arbole pocketed P448,750 – more than he had earned in his entire career before Thursday – and, more importantly, finally claimed the championship trophy that had eluded him for so long. “Hindi ko talaga in-expect na manalo dito, pero napi-feel ko na kaya ko kasi nakuha ko na yung palo na gusto ko talaga. So, yes, yung palo nga, tapos nag-connect pa ang irons at putting ko,” he said. He credited his family, Total Power, Jack Tan and Roxanne Raquel, and Cangolf’s Luigi Yulo for continuing to believe in him through the years. “Unang-una sa lahat, gusto kong pasalamatan ang asawa at anak ko kasi sila talaga yung fan number one ko,” he said. The victory capped an arduous journey that began with his professional debut at Splendido Taal in 2012. He made the cut in that first tournament but finished last, then spent the next 14 years grinding his way around the PGT, often contending but repeatedly falling short. His best previous result was a Top 5 finish at the 2024 Lakewood Championship. There were strong starts that faded, promising rounds that ended in disappointment, and seasons when Arbole arrived carrying the same hope only to leave with another dream deferred. Until Thursday. This time, when adversity struck, Arbole answered. The out-of-bounds drive on No. 4 could have broken his momentum; instead, it became the beginning of his defining comeback. As Ababa, Lumbo, Gialon and Zaragosa gradually fell away, Arbole remained standing. His reward was not just a one-shot victory. It was proof that 14 years of waiting, frustration and near-misses had finally led somewhere. “I just hung in there,” said Arbole. For a journeyman who had spent long years chasing the first win of his career, hanging in there turned out to be more than enough. TMT

Follow along with Team Philippines" campaign for Thursday, September 24, at the 2026 Asian Games, including Carlos and Karl Eldrew Yulo, Gilas Pilipinas, 3x3, boxing, and more.

MANILA, Philippines — The Pasay Voyagers and Caloocan Batang Kankaloo bared their readiness for the playoffs with victories over different opponents in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season elimination phase at the Pasay Astrodome. Pasay thwarted Pasig City, 78-69, in the nightcap while Caloocan bested Zamboanga Sikat, 82-78, in the opener of the double-header, ending the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 26-team tournament. The Voyagers improved to 14-11, similar to the Meycauayan Marilao Gems, but settled for fifth place as they lost to the Gems, 82-77, in their encounter. Pasay also qualified for the playoffs outright, along with sixth-ranked Ilagan Isabela (13-12). Pasay's Lennard Santiago posted 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, but Cyril Gonzales was chosen the SportsPlus best player with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. Christian Fajarito supported with 14 points, including two triples, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Sinking 9 of 18 triple attempts, the Voyagers led by as many as 58-39 before the Pasiguenos rallied to 72-67 midway through the fourth quarter. Pasig finished at 11-14 and eighth place in the North Division. Jeff Manday scored seven points in the last 1 minute and 41 seconds to lift Caloocan's record to 20-5 and third place in the North Division playoff race. Zamboanga finished 11-14 and ninth place in the South Division. Zamboanga led 76-73 after a drive by Paeng Are, but Manday, the MPBL's new 3-point king, came through in the clutch, drilling in a 3-pointer to knot the count, after which Eric Camson pushed Caloocan ahead with two charities. The 6-foot Manday finished off the demolition job with four more free throws against a breakaway layup by Zamboanga's Forthsky Padrigao. Manday tallied 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists to earn best player honors over Kean Baclaan, with 13 points and 4 rebounds; Chris Bitoon, with 13 points and 4 assists; and Dom Escobar, with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Zamboanga drew 15 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds from Are; 11 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals from Joseph Gabayni; and 11 points and 5 rebounds from Brandon Wilson. The tournament resumes with the play-in stage at the Camaya Coast Events Center on Friday, featuring Valenzuela and Quezon City at 5 p.m., and host Bataan against Pasig at 7 p.m. TMT

Contract extension talks between Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks have stalled, with an agreement considered unlikely before training camp begins next week, according to multiple reports.

Three years is a long time in sport, and all athletes have to deal with ups and downs, but few have quite experienced the challenge that emerging Chinese swimmer Yu Yiting has had to face: the sudden, if not entirely unexpected, rise of her teenage compatriot Yu Zidi. But despite facing some serious challenges from the much younger swimmer, Yu Yiting rediscovered her form just before the Asian Games and took her medal tally in Japan to four on Wednesday, storming back from behind at the turn to...

MIAMI — Former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown plans to accept a plea deal that will have him avoid prison time on a reduced charge in an attempted murder case in Miami. His lawyer said Wednesday the agreement with prosecutors was too good to turn down. Brown is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 30 to make the deal final. Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said Brown will plead no contest to aggravated assault. He will be sentenced to probation, and adjudication will be withheld, meaning Brown will not be considered a convicted felon, the attorney said. Brown could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the original attempted murder charge. Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck. Attorney insists that Brown would have prevailed at trial “This was not an easy decision,” Eiglarsh said in a statement Wednesday. “Antonio believes in his innocence. He believes strongly in his Stand Your Ground defense, and he believes he would ultimately prevail at trial. But when prosecutors put an offer on the table that transforms a potential decades-long prison sentence into a significantly reduced charge and probation, there was simply no way he could reasonably turn it down.” Florida’s so-called Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat. Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, called the plea deal fair. “We are satisfied that justice is served. My client maintains what he said previously: that he forgives Brown and will not cooperate with law enforcement,” Cooper said in an email Wednesday. “We wish Mr. Brown good health and that he grows from this event.” Nantambu's attorneys have said he'd decided to forgive Brown In a previous statement, his attorneys said Nantambu, a devout Muslim, had made the decision to forgive Brown after “considerable reflection, prayer, and consultation with his family and counsel.” The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Wednesday, with spokesperson Ed Griffith saying the details would be “fully clarified” at next week's hearing. Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him. Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including winning a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass. Brown has faced legal problems over the years Brown was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June 2025. Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents. During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his football career. In a separate case, Nantambu was found guilty earlier this year of a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer after police said he disrupted Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance in 2025. Nantambu was among dozens of dancers on the field at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans when he ran across the field with a Sudanese flag that read “Sudan and Free Gaza.” He surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was obtained.

All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has agreed to a two-year, $115 million contract extension with the Toronto Raptors, plus a player option for the 2028-29 season, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

SPORTING two Olympic gold medals, three World Championships titles, and a slew of regional and continental championships, Carlos Yulo sets his sights on ruling the only tournament he hasn’t won yet — the Asian Games. Yulo guns for the men’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise gold medal at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium Rainbow Hall in the 20th edition of the Asiad in Japan on Thursday. The final is set at 4 p.m. in Manila, with Yulo favored to win the same event he ruled at the Paris Olympics, in addition to the vault apparatus. Emerging as the top qualifier last Monday with 14.600 points, “Caloy” would have to beat his younger brother Karl Eldrew in his gold medal bid, though. A rookie in the seniors level, Eldrew finished fourth in the qualifications with 13.966 points as he arranged a duel with his kuya (older brother) anew. At the Asian Championships last June, the 26-year-old Carlos claimed the floor exercise gold medal, besting the competition including the 18-year-old Eldrew, who snared the bronze. Besides Eldrew, the six other gymnasts aiming to deny Caloy the gold are defending champ Ryu Sunghyun of South Korea, Shoma Tsukiyama of Japan and Sun Wei of China, who placed second, third and fifth, respectively, in the qualifications. The other three finalists are Shinnosuke Oka of Japan, Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan and Zhang Boheng of China. If Caloy wins the gold, he will become the second Filipino athlete to rule the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz. Should Caloy not win the gold in floor, he still has chances in the vault and parallel bars medal rounds set for Friday. Eldrew also has one more chance in the horizontal bar on Friday. Another Philippine gymnastics team mainstay Juancho Miguel Besana is competing in the vault final, too. At press time on Tuesday afternoon, Caloy and Eldrew were to join forces first alongside Besana, Zachary Nunez and Justine Ace De Leon in the team all-around final.