Go for Gold Philippines

DOMINANT START 💪

Alex Eala makes a dominant start to her 2026 US Open campaign, dominating American Mary Stoiana, 6-1, 6-2, in the Round of 128 of the prestigious US Open.

She will face Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in the next round.

ARMED WITH BELIEF & GRATITUDE: ALEX EALA READY TO SHINE AT THE US OPEN! 🇵🇭🎾

Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala enters the 2026 US Open with a soaring world ranking and an unwavering mindset! Entering the season's final Grand Slam as the No. 17 seed on the back of a career-high WTA ranking of No. 18, the 21-year-old star heads into Louis Armstrong Stadium at Flushing Meadows anchored by deep gratitude and self-belief.

Fresh off capturing her first WTA Tour-level title in Washington and reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon, Eala remains grounded despite her rising stardom, calling herself "a drop in the ocean" among the world's best.

"I think at the forefront of everything is gratitude. I'm very grateful for the support that my fans give me," Eala shared ahead of her opening match. "I have a pretty strong baseline of belief in myself... What's important is to have that foundation of, 'I know what I can do, I'm strong,' who I am as a person, what my character is."

Eala kicks off her New York campaign against American qualifier Mary Stoiana (world No. 122)—a familiar foe she previously defeated in an ITF W100 tournament in Pennsylvania. With a passionate global Pinoy fanbase rallying behind every point, the Filipina star is aiming to push past her Grand Slam limits and continue making history.

ANOTHER MEDAL FOR EJ 🥈

EJ Obiena continues his winning ways, securing a second-place podium finish, after clearing 5.75 meters at the 4th Cathedral Jumping in Wesel, Germany.

Obiena is currently preparing for the 2026 Asian Games as he expected to defend his crown.

GILAS KEEPS 12TH SPOT OPEN FOR SOTTO OR BROWNLEE AS SQUAD FLIES TO SEOUL 🏀🇵🇭

Gilas Pilipinas is leaving one final roster spot open for either Kai Sotto or Justin Brownlee as the national team departs for Seoul on Wednesday, September 2, to gear up for the upcoming Asian Games.

Eleven players are flying out to headline a pair of tune-up games against the South Korean national squad in Suwon this Friday and Sunday:

* Brandon Bates
* Adrian Nocum
* Robert Bolick
* Sedrick Barefield
* Don Trollano
* Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser
* Zavier Lucero
* RJ Abarrientos
* Justine Baltazar
* Justin Arana
* Jerrick Ahanmisi

The 12th Spot Battle:

The final roster spot hinges on availability. If Justin Brownlee is cleared to go, he will catch up with the team in Korea or Japan. Meanwhile, Kai Sotto's potential inclusion depends heavily on his schedule, though his presence would be a massive boost if he gets the green light.

Caelan Tiongson was initially slated to join but was hindered by eligibility requirements, while Jason Perkins begged off due to an injury.

Asiad Group Phase Schedule:
Defending its continental campaign, Gilas kicks off its Asian Games group stage assignments:
* Sept 11: vs. Bahrain
* Sept 12: vs. Kazakhstan
* Sept 14: vs. China

TEMPERED EXPECTATIONS FOR ASIAD BOXING 🇵🇭🥊

The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) is taking a cautious approach ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Despite fielding a star-studded squad headlined by Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Aira Villegas, ABAP President Marcus Manalo warned that "looks good on paper" might not tell the whole story, noting the team's limited tournament action since the Paris Olympics.

Joined by national team mainstays Norlan Petecio, Junmilardo Ogayre, and Riza Pasuit, the team is gearing up to maximize their final month of preparations. To lock in their conditioning, the national boxers will go through intensive overseas training camps: a two-week stint in Bangkok, Thailand, followed by a final one-week camp in Nagoya, Japan before hitting the ring at the Nishio City General Gymnasium.

Philippine boxing boasts a rich Asian Games history with 15 career gold medals, but the country hasn't won Asiad gold since Rey Saludar's triumph in 2010. With former silver medalist Eumir Marcial skipping this edition due to professional fight conflicts, ABAP is leaning heavily on their rigid final training stretch to sharpen the squad for the ultimate continental test.

GOLD IN BERLIN! 🥇🇵🇭

​Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena continues his dominant streak on the international stage, clearing 5.82 meters to capture the gold medal at the ISTAF 2026 meet at the iconic Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

​The world-class performance marks Obiena's fourth career gold medal at ISTAF Berlin and completes his sweep of the event's indoor and outdoor titles this year.

Overall this 2026, Obiena has collected nine gold medals as his resurgence continues after a lackluster 2025 season.

"HAPPIEST GUY IN THE WORLD!" 🇵🇭🏀

Head coach Tim Cone couldn’t hide his joy after Gilas Pilipinas pulled off a spectacular 68-56 victory over rival Iran at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, sweeping the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers! The dramatic win capped an unbelievable home stand following Friday's thrilling overtime triumph against Jordan—leveling the Philippines’ campaign to an even 4-4 record and firmly reigniting their World Cup bid.

Making the victory even sweeter, Gilas slayed their long-time Iranian rival in FIBA competition for the first time since the legendary 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China. To top it off, Cone’s squad pulled off the feat with a purely all-Filipino lineup, stepping up big in the absence of naturalized star Justin Brownlee. After falling behind early 18-7 in the first quarter, relentless hustle from Kai Sotto, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Dwight Ramos, and a inspiring spark from the retiring June Mar Fajardo flipped the script to complete the comeback.

“It makes it really sweet to come out and win this game,” Cone shared as the team celebrated a flawless 2-0 window. With momentum squarely back on their side and the home crowd roaring behind them, Gilas has sent a loud statement to the rest of Asia! 🇵🇭🔥

GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT ON OUR PINAY TENNIS QUEEN! 🇵🇭🎾 STAR ON THE RISE!

Before she even steps foot on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows for the 2026 US Open, Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala is already turning heads on the global stage! The 21-year-old superstar has officially graced the digital cover of Sports Illustrated—where she was hailed as the "Pride of the Philippines and Tennis's Next Great Superstar"—alongside a featured feature in Forbes!

These massive international magazine features highlight Eala’s meteoric rise on the WTA Tour, her growing global influence, and how she’s inspiring a brand-new generation of sports fans back home. Riding high off a career-best ranking of World No. 18, Eala enters this year’s US Open seeded No. 17—her highest-ever Grand Slam seeding!

With the entire nation cheering her on, our tennis queen is ready to make noise in New York and chase deeper runs on the biggest stage in sports.

GILAS NEEDS MORE OUTSIDE FIREPOWER! 🎯🇵🇭

While Gilas Pilipinas dominated the paint with height, size, and lockdown defense in their wins over Jordan and Iran, one big flaw stood out—our perimeter shooting needs serious help. We need cold-blooded snipers who can make opposing teams pay from deep.

If Coach Tim Cone wants to unlock this offense's full potential, bringing in elite, pure three-point threats is a must. Who is the ONE pure 3-point shooter you want to see added to the Gilas pool?

HISTORY MADE! THAILAND VOLLEYBALL IS HEADING TO THE OLYMPICS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! 🇹🇭🏐💥

The dream has finally come true! In a legendary five-set thriller on Chinese soil, Thailand’s women’s volleyball team defeated hosts China 3-2 (25-20, 11-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-10) in a dramatic Asian Championship final in Tianjin! With this monumental victory, Thailand seals their fourth Asian crown—and more importantly, punch their direct ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games!