In my view, one “hard to swallow pill” that we need to face is that Filipinos have found greater success in individual sports than in team-based ones. From past legends to today’s rising stars, it’s often the athletes competing alone who bring the biggest glory to the country.
Vintage Pinoy Pride
Prior to the rise of modern heroes in the Philippines like Olympic Gold Medalist Hidilyn Diaz and 2x Gold Medalist Carlos Yulo, there was once upon a time when few Filipinos carried the country’s pride and honor in the world of international sports.
The “Asia’s Fastest Woman Alive” was an unforgettable moniker for Lydia De Vega in the sport of Track and Field, and she even competed in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. She has also won nine gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist and won 6 gold medals in participating at the Asian Athletics Championships and the Asian Games.
Another Filipino Sports Legend is the GOAT of Bowling, Paeng Nepomuceno. A six-time World Bowling Champion and a World Bowling Hall of Famer. He is the youngest World Tenpin Champion, has the record for winning the most Bowling World Cups won in three different decades as well as for winning the most world titles in a career.
Not to mention that he has been honored by the Guinness Book of World Records four times and has three unbroken records to date.
(Heck, this guy is so great, he has his own website where I use the available information placed above!)
For Boxing, we have three legends which are Manny Pacquiao, Onyok Velasco, and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde. As great a celebrity comedian as he is after his boxing career, Onyok was a silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics. Flash Elorde was also a legend of his own, having won the 1960 World Super Featherweight Champion, 1962 WBA Super Featherweight Champion, 1963 WBC Super Featherweight Champion, and even earned himself a place in the Hall of Fame!
Of course, Manny Pacquiao, the undisputed GOAT of Boxing. He has won the title of the First Boxer to win in eight weight divisions, grabbing the golden belt in bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight, all the way to welterweight. He is also famous for winning four lineal championships which are lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, and flyweight.
Lastly for the heroes in the past, we have Efren “Bata” Reyes, who can also be argued to be the GOAT of Billiards. To name a few of his accomplishments, he won the 1999 World Pool Championship, the 1995 Sands Regency Open Final, the 1996 semifinals Pro Billiards Tour Legends of 9-Ball, the 2005 8-Ball IPT King of the Hill, and the 2006 World Open 8-Ball Championship.
Rising Soon
As much as Hidilyn Diaz and Carlos Yulo have been properly credited for their Olympic wins, it will certainly just be a matter of time until other Filipinos will get their gold medals in individual sports.
EJ Obiena finished in 4th place in the 2024 Olympics in France for the sport of Men’s Pole Vault. But for someone who just won the Meeting Metz Moselle Athletor during the 2025 indoor season, there’s a lot of hope that he’ll bag a medal come the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.
At the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, he won silver, and after that, he since then has won 3 Gold Medals at the Southeast Asian Games and 2 Gold Medals and a Bronze Medal at the Asian Athletics Championships.
Making noise also on the big stage is 19-year-old Alex Eala for Tennis. In the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), she was ranked 188, but after her historic performance in the 2025 Miami Open, she was able to reach the Semifinals but bowed against the No. 4 world-ranked Jessica Pegula.
What made Eala’s run so special is that it resembled into “cinderella-esque” story where a player ranked so low was able to beat World No. 25 Jelena Ostapenko on March 22, World No. 5 Madison Keys on March 24, and during the Quarterfinals, was able to pull another upset against World No. 2 Iga Swiatek on March 27.
With these wins, she made an incredible jump from 188 to ranked No. 72 based on the latest rankings after the Miami Open.
*Editor’s Note: For Alex Eala’s latest matches and updated WTA ranking, check out this page.
These two players can undoubtedly bring an even greater glory to the Philippines in their respective sports. Whether they can bring more championships in the international tournaments they will participate in, or maybe win medals in the Olympics or Asian Games.
With these achievements by our fellow kababayans, both the Men’s National Basketball team and the Women’s Volleyball Team still have a lot to prove.
No Medals, No Glory
Both the Gilas Pilipinas basketball team and Alas Pilipinas volleyball team have made their fair share of wins in international competition. But in the grand scheme of things, winning the gold medal or being the #1 is what matters the most, and sadly, these very popular teams in the Philippines haven’t done that just yet.
Gilas won the gold in the 2023 Asian Games, but have they qualified for the Olympics in recent years? No. While Alas Pilipinas won bronze for the first time ever in the Asian Volleyball Confederation last May 2024, as well as another 3rd place podium finish Southeast Asian V.League last August 2024
But are these bronze medal accomplishments really worth it to be glorified compared to the other legendary Filipino sports icons? Yes, both volleyball and basketball are the top 2 most popular sports in the Philippines, but the majority should pay their respects to the other Filipino athletes and acknowledge the fact that the Philippines has dominated the individual sports competition throughout the years.
