Sibol snares bronze in Honor of Kings Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines -- Emilio Aguinaldo College took its first win and keep San Sebastian College - Recoletos winless with a 94-87 escape in the NCAA Season 102 men's basketball tournament at the San Juan Arena Tuesday. Harvae Raymundo split his charities in the last 10 seconds for the Generals before Jude Bagay kept the Golden Stags from pulling off the improbable with a steal. Wilmar Oftana racked up 18 points and nine rebounds for EAC, which rose to 1-3 in Group B just above the 0-4 and cellar-dwelling San Sebastian.

TOKYO — Japanese volleyball player Rui Takahashi came out as gay on Tuesday, saying he wanted to help others struggling with their sexuality in a country where openly LGBTQ athletes are extremely rare. The 26-year-old Takahashi, who plays in the top division of Japan's professional volleyball league, posted a statement on social media accompanied by a black-and-white photo of himself. In it, he said he had been "afraid to face a certain side of myself" since he was young. "I struggled with it and ended up denying who I was," he wrote. "That is the fact that I am gay and that I am one of the sexual minorities." Takahashi said his brother Ran, who is a hugely popular star with Japan's national volleyball team, helped him come to terms with his sexuality. "Talking with Ran became the trigger that finally allowed me to accept myself for the first time," he wrote. "By putting my feelings into words, I was able to sort out my thoughts, and little by little I started to feel that it was OK to be just the way I am." Takahashi becomes one of a very small group of openly LGBTQ professional athletes in Japan. Women's football player Shiho Shimoyamada was the first to come out as gay in 2019. Kumi Yokoyama, who played for Japan at the Women's World Cup, later came out as a transgender man. In June 2021, the Japanese Olympic Committee appointed transgender former fencer Fumino Suhiyama to its board of directors, just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics. Takahashi said he hoped him coming out would help others in a similar situation. "I would be happy if my decision to face myself and speak in my own words could, even in a small way, become a catalyst for them," he wrote. AFP

Stephen Curry's contract is settled and his knee feels healthy as the Golden State Warriors prepare to decamp for Hawaii to kick off training camp.

After the briefest of summer vacations, the New York Knicks are back to work, now with "NBA champions" attached to their name.

Former China table tennis player Cheng Jingqi has warned that toxic online scrutiny is affecting Wang Chuqin and damaging the team, with the world No 1 admitting he is “losing the feeling of loving the court”. Wang lost 4-0 to 21-year-old compatriot Lin Shidong in the men’s singles table tennis final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, with news of the defeat attracting over 6,000 comments and 18,000 likes on Chinese social media within two minutes. The comment section of the post...

MANILA, Philippines – Jhonnel Ababa kept his cool under a scorching sun and swirling winds, producing the only bogey-free round of the day to seize solo control of the ICTSI Iloilo Golf Challenge here on Wednesday. In one of the most tightly packed opening rounds in Philippine Golf Tour history, Ababa fired a three-under 67 at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club to emerge a stroke clear of a six-way logjam at second, where erstwhile leader Clyde Mondilla found himself after a late stumble. The leaderboard resembled a traffic jam for much of the day, with positions changing almost as quickly as the wind shifted direction. Five more players were bunched at 69, while six others stood just another shot back at 70 in the P2.5 million championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. The heat was relentless, but it was the wind that proved the more persistent adversary, particularly on the back nine. On the short but tight layout, narrow fairways and thick rough left little margin for error, while the gusts made club selection and approach shots even more demanding. Ababa handled the conditions with characteristic composure. The Davaoeño ace birdied Nos. 6, 11 and 14, then relied on crisp iron play, steady putting and three key par saves to protect his lead down the stretch. He nearly made it four birdies when he reached the 18th but missed a three-foot putt that would have given him a four-under card and a two-shot cushion. Still, the bogey-free 67 gave him the distinction of being the only player in the field to go around without dropping a shot. “My driving and iron play were solid, and my putting clicked. You really have to hit straight here because the fairways are narrow – if you miss, the rough is quite deep,” said Ababa in Filipino. He also credited a timely break or two for helping him navigate the demanding conditions. “The course was extremely tough, especially when the wind picked up on the back nine. I focused on hitting greens in regulation, and whenever a birdie opportunity came up, I made the putt. I got a bit lucky today,” he said. Ababa, seeking redemption after contending for three days in Negros Occidental last week before fading in the final round and settling for third, showed none of that late-round slide this time. Instead, he leaned on the steadiness that has become his trademark, refusing to give away shots as the leaderboard repeatedly shuffled behind him. Mondilla appeared headed for the outright lead himself after reaching four-under with four holes to play. But the multi-titled campaigner missed the greens on Nos. 6 and 8, leaving himself lengthy par putts and eventually dropping both shots. “I missed the greens on holes 6 and 8, and my par putts were from a long distance,” rued Mondilla in Filipino, who had also shown encouraging form in Negros last week, finishing joint eighth after making five birdies against one bogey through 14 holes. His 68 nevertheless kept him firmly in contention, joining Paul Echavez, Reymon Jaraula, Miki Ryoma and Rupert Zaragosa in a five-way tie for second. Jeffren Lumbo, runner-up to Art Arbole in Negros last week, led the group at 69, alongside Randy Garalde, James Ryan Lam, Gerald Rosales, Guido van der Valk and Paul Vesinica. The volatility of the opening round was underscored by Arbole's own roller-coaster finish. Two-over after 15 holes, the reigning Negros champion suddenly found his footing with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, salvaging an even-par 70 and keeping himself within three strokes of Ababa. “It's a good thing I managed to bounce back. The layouts of Iloilo and Negros are quite similar. For me, the main difference was that the rough here is thicker and the greens are slower, but it was manageable,” said Arbole in Filipino. Arbole was tied for 13th with Taewon Ha, Tony Lascuña, Francis Morilla, Edmar Salvador Jr. and Lee Song. Also within striking distance at 71 were Ira Alido, Kristoffer Arevalo, Jerson Balasabas, Russell Bautista, Michael Bibat, Rico Depilo, Francis Mendez, Ryan Monsalvae and amateur Bobe Salahog. Reigning Order of Merit champion and two-leg winner Angelo Que, meanwhile, settled for a 74 and a share of 28th with Jay Bayron, Elee Bisera, Carlos Packing, Enrico Gallardo and Justin Quiban. With only three shots separating Ababa from a large group of pursuers, little was settled in the opening round. If Tuesday was any indication, the Iloilo challenge is likely to be decided not by one spectacular charge but by who can withstand the heat, tame the wind and avoid the costly lapse when the pressure mounts. For one day, at least, Ababa proved the field's steadiest hand. TMT

MANILA, Philippines — Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam carries the country's hopes on his shoulders as the sole remaining boxer for the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games, aiming to break a 16-year gold medal drought. The Philippines has not captured Asian Games boxing gold since Rey Saludar stood atop the podium in Guangzhou in 2010. Following years of bronze finishes and near-misses across Incheon, Jakarta-Palembang, and Hangzhou, Paalam now stands just two wins away from ending the dry spell. Paalam secured his spot in the medal round at the Nishio Gymnasium after outpointing China's Jiamao Zhang in the quarterfinals. The victory guarantees him at least a bronze medal, but standing between him and a spot in the gold medal match is Kazakhstan's Makhmud Sabyrkhan. The upcoming semifinal is a high-stakes rematch four years in the making. The two fighters last met in the bantamweight final of the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan, where Paalam edged out Sabyrkhan via a 4-1 split decision to take gold. However, Sabyrkhan enters the ring as a vastly matured competitor. Since their last encounter, the Kazakh star has established himself as a two-time world champion—securing silver at the 2021 AIBA World Championships and gold at the 2023 IBA World Championships. After competing at 57kg in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sabyrkhan returned to his natural 55kg weight class to dominate the 2025 WB World Boxing Championships, earning him World Boxing's Best Boxer of 2025 honors. While Sabyrkhan seeks redemption, Paalam fights to secure a guaranteed silver and keep the nation's quest for Asian Games gold alive. TMT

MANILA, Philippines -- Alas Pilipinas fell to Taiwan, 25-21, 20-25, 17-25, 27-29, at the Park Arena Komaki in Japan Tuesday to end the 20th Asian Games men's volleyball preliminaries winless. Alas could not sustain the momentum after its first set win as it entered the classification phase. Bryan Bagunas and Peng Taguibolos hammered 17 points apiece to lead the Filipinos, who also lost to China and South Korea to bid goodbye to their uarterifnal bid.

Embroiled in a high-profile contract-based controversy, which led to an investigation that lasted a full year, Kawhi Leonard is searching for a path forward in the same way he has sliced through defenses throughout his career.

Alas Pilipinas Men will end their 2026 Asian Games group stage run winless after wasting a one-set lead and losing steam late en route to a 25-21, 20-25, 17-25, 27-29 loss to Chinese Taipei on Tuesday in Japan.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to suit up with the Miami Heat, but the two-time NBA MVP already knows his goal for the 2026-27 season, and shared it at media day on Monday.

MANILA, Philippines -- Jayuard Alciso topped fellow Filipino surfer Toby Espejon, 11.64-8.90, in the battle for third place to claim bronze in the 20th Asian Games men's shortboard in Long Beach Tahara, Aichi, Japan on Tuesday. Alciso scored 6.67 for his first wave and 4.97 for the second. On the other hand, Espejon tallied 4.83 for his first wave and 4.07 for the second. Alciso delivered the 11th bronze medal for the Philippines.