The Stands: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

April 5, 2024

Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo says au revoir to Paris bid. (REUTERS)

Hey there sports fan, Calvin Abueva has been fined again, this time for flipping the bird. But since we've all cleansed our inner selves over the Holy Week break, let's do away with that story. Instead, this bittersweet update from the world of weightlifting. The Philippines has qualified three lifters to the Paris Olympics: Rosegie Ramos, John Febaur Ceniza and Elreen Ann Ando.  Catching Ando's name there may have given followers of the sport, and of the country's Olympians, a jolt. Could it be? Sadly, yes. Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo failed to make the grade for the Paris Games. Diaz-Naranjo and Ando, both of whom saw their pet divisions scrubbed off the olympic calendar this year, found themselves caught in the same weight class: The women's 59-kg division. And since Olympic rules limit each country to one qualifier per weight, that meant the two lifters would have to go head-to-head. And in the final Olympic qualifier in Thailand, Ando managed to slip past Diaz-Naranjo to book her Paris ticket. “I love this sport, I don’t want to stop,” Diaz-Naranjo told the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). “But what I have to do now is take a good rest and think about the priorities in my life. Today wasn’t my day. Paris was not to be.”

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Angeline Poyos is on fire.  (UAAP MEDIA)

oMeanwhile... There have been some awesome performances in the UAAP women's volleyball tournament. With Angel Canino struck down by injury, La Salle turned to its bench to show that it is not a one-woman show. National U, meanwhile, has hit its stride and Bella Belen knows why: The Lady Bulldogs have been trying too hard to make this season a redemption tour that they forgot the joy of playing their game. Not anymore. And oh, Angeline Poyos! The early days in the UAAP calendar may have been filled with Casiey Dongallo highlight reels but the University of Santo TOmas rookie is slowly emerging as a star-in-the-making after punching in a season-best 31 points. What we're up to next: UAAP women's volleyball, PVL All-Filipino Conference, PBA Philippine Cup. Need we say anything more? Stick to our platforms for the most in-depth and engaging sports content. Number of the Week: 41 Points scored by Caitlin Clark in the Iowa-LSU Elite Eight showdown in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I’ve given a lot to this sport and it’s given a lot to me.” —Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo, after missing out on the Paris Olympics.

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There are two answers to our weekly sports quiz in this newsletter. Think you can ace the rest of the quiz? head over to our Viber community and try the test out! Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).The Stands