2024 will forever be remembered as a year filled with passion, determination, and triumph in Philippine sports.
Carlos “Caloy” Yulo was undoubtedly the biggest thing in Philippine sports in 2024. But though Yulo’s landmark achievement and the country’s Olympics campaign towered over the sports headlines this year, the highs and lows of 2024 also showcased milestones highlighting the caliber of Pinoy athletes, the usual appetite for celebrity intrigue, and the constantly shifting ground of popular lifestyle sports.
No better script


The 2024 Paris Games started on a controversial note after the opening ceremony sparked outrage, particularly among some scandalized conservatives, over its tableau that was perceived as a blasphemous spoof of The Last Supper. Though the issue hogged the news cycle at the start, the athletes fortunately and rightfully reclaimed the narrative.
After the initial noise, the eventual stories about various individuals powering through to achieve the singularity of their goals prevailed. And for the Philippines, no music was as sweet and resounding as Yulo’s historic feat for that Olympic campaign.
How could one write a better script than a story about a boy from modest means in a poor country who, at a young age, fell so deeply in love with an exclusive highbrow sport, for which his country has no deep-seated heritage at all?
Countless scribes have already written superlative tributes to Yulo’s historic Olympic gold medals for the vault and floor exercise at the Paris Games. These adulations were unsurprising considering how utterly inexplicable and fantastic Yulo’s historic triumph was.
For how could one write a better script than a story about a boy from modest means in a poor country who, at a young age, fell so deeply in love with an exclusive highbrow sport, for which his country has no deep-seated heritage at all? And who knew that after profound sacrifice and hardships, this diminutive gymnast would carve his name in sports canon immortality by fashioning out two historic gold medals, all while battling a bevy of domestic and professional issues?
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Record winnings
Perhaps there is no better soundbite to tell Yulo’s unprecedented Olympic story than the scene of him crumpling to the floor and ruffling his hair in shock and disbelief after it was determined he won gold in the floor exercise by racking up a solid 15 points.
In wire reports, Yulo was similarly at a loss for words. “I don’t know what to say,” he was quoted as saying after his victory. “We are a really small country. So to be able to get a gold medal for us is big for us, huge.”
Just the day after dominating the floor exercise, Yulo made history anew as he bagged his second gold medal by topping the vault with a 15.116-point showing.
Yulo’s double gold medal haul singlehandedly eclipsed Team Philippines’ previous Olympics 2020 campaign in Tokyo, where weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo won gold in the 55-kg category, the country’s first ever in Olympic history.
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Rewards rightfully rained down on Yulo’s feet—from cash to housing, and free food among others—after he returned home to the country from Paris. Estimates pegged the value of his total winnings at over P100 million. Though his homecoming was somehow pockmarked by an ugly family spat that played out in public, the intrigue was in part still largely overshadowed by his monumental achievement.
For the boy who once dreamed of reaching lofty heights in a sport largely unpopular in his homeland, everything paid off eventually. Years of hard work, sacrifice, and tears. It was all worth it.
And the work is not yet done for the 24-year-old Yulo as he is reportedly setting his sights on competing and defending his titles in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Olympic haul


The Philippines remained largely on the hunt for its first-ever gold medal in boxing, a popular hunting ground for the country’s contingent every Olympic season.
Nevertheless, boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas finished the Paris Summer Games with bronze medals.
Petecio secured her bronze after winning against China’s Xu Zichun in the women’s 57 kg quarterfinals, before losing via split decision to Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the semifinals. Petecio also became the first Filipino boxer to win multiple Olympic medals following her silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
In her Olympic debut, Villegas, on the other hand, yielded to Turkish boxer Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semis of the women’s 50 kg division.
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Though he failed to land on the men’s pole vault podium, EJ Obiena’s Paris campaign turned out to be an unforgettable and inspiring narrative for mainstream media due to how close he was to Olympic glory. After a string of impressive showings in several tournaments, the then 28-year-old athlete started his Olympic quest on a promising note.
From September 2023 up to the Paris Olympics, Obiena was number two in the World Athletics rankings. But lady luck didn’t shine his way after he finished in fourth place, missing a bronze place finish by a whisker after failing to clear 5.95 meters.


Though he failed to win a medal, Obiena still improved on his 11th-place finish at the Tokyo 2021 Games. In a social media note after his spirited Paris campaign, Obiena said he was “heartbroken” after landing fourth place, but vowed redemption.
“‘The good get up’ as they say. I have been knocked down. But I will get back up,” Obiena wrote.
Gilas restart: A new hope


Gilas Pilipinas, the country’s national basketball team, had a promising year under the auspices of its new coach, Tim Cone, who was appointed last January.
The squad anchored on the services of PBA veterans June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Justin Brownlee, and young stars such as Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos.
The revitalized squad immediately bared its fangs after scoring a historic upset over Latvia, ranked number 6, in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying right at the formidable opponent’s homecourt in Riga. The landmark victory was the country’s first over a European team in 64 years.
Gilas, however, fell short of punching their Olympic ticket after losing to Brazil in the semifinals, 71-60. Sotto, who played a big part in their win over Latvia, sat out the game against Brazil due to a rib injury.
Gilas also scored a huge win over New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Manila last November, 93-89. It was the first time the Philippines beat the Tall Blacks, after being trounced in all four previous FIBA matches. With the stunning victory over the Kiwis, Gilas ended the qualifying window with an impressive 4-0 record in the Asia Cup qualifiers.
Gilas eventually secured a berth in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia after New Zealand won over Chinese Taipei, 91-64, in the qualifiers last November.
A historic medal for Alas


The Philippine women’s national volleyball team, dubbed Alas Pilipinas, made history this year in the AVC Challenge Cup held in Manila.
Led by team captain Jia Morado-De Guzman, the team took home the bronze medal after prevailing over Australia in four sets. De Guzman and Dawn Macandili-Catindig led the team bolstered with stars Sisi Rondina, Eya Laure, Fifi Sharma, Angel Canino, and Thea Gagate. It was the first-ever medal for the country since joining the Asian Volleyball Confederation in 1961.
Alas also snapped up a bronze medal in the Southeast Asian V. League, after beating Indonesia in four sets in Vietnam. The podium finish also ended a two-year dry spell for the national squad.
From cycling to running


A 2023 survey by the Social Weather Stations showed that the number of Filipinos using bikes rose to 36% that year. The percentage marks an increase from 24% in 2021 and 29% in 2022.
Though cycling remains popular, the growth has tapered this year, after the pandemic fuelled a boom as many took up the sport as a form of active transport and as an exercise due to the lack of other forms of transportation. In 2024, several brick-and-mortar bike shops closed shop, or completely shifted to an online store, mirroring an ongoing global downturn that some experts say may last for a few more years.


As cycling has waned, the more democratic sport of running has now taken on the spotlight. This year, one of the popular buzzwords has been “running era.” Various media outlets have dubbed the Philippines as now entering its running era, while many who have been recently smitten with the sport pronouncing that they are now in their respective running era.
To be sure, running has been around in the Philippines for quite some time already, with road races and trail races already growing in popularity way before the pandemic hit. But this year, the sport has undoubtedly entered a new phase as more Filipinos took on the sport, encouraged in part by the countless running events, the growth of various run clubs, and the growing number of online running influencers. Not to mention that compared to cycling, running can be more affordable, though the caveat is that your mileage may vary, depending on one’s spending appetite of course.