Outstanding NSAs

It’s not difficult to single out the best performing National Sports Associations (NSAs) for 2022. If the gauge is accomplishments on the world stage, the Samahang Weightlifting Ng Pilipinas (SWP) is the runaway choice with Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo pocketing three golds at the World Championships in Bogota last December. An additional feather in the NSA’s cap is the recognition given by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to SWP president Monico Puentevella, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame during the IWF Congress in Albania last June.

Puentevella isn’t just leaning on Diaz-Naranjo’s shoulders to bring more glory to the country. He’s developing a youth brigade to take over from Diaz-Naranjo when she retires and the long-term approach got a huge boost with the Philippines collecting 15 gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Uzbekistan last July. While Diaz-Naranjo remains a golden hope for the 2024 Paris Games, Puentevella is looking beyond to get the next generation of lifters ready. Vanessa Sarno, 19, is being groomed as a future Olympic medalist. At the Asian Championships in 2021, she took the gold in the 71kg division and did the same at the SEA Games in Hanoi and the Asian Junior Championships last year.

Diaz-Naranjo, 31, will be challenged in qualifying for the Paris Olympics as her 55kg division has been bumped up to 59kg. It will mean building muscle mass to add strength in competing with bigger lifters. Diaz-Naranjo is setting her sights on a fifth Olympic appearance to tie shooter Martin Gison’s record for most campaigns by a Philippine athlete. Gison competed in the 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1964 Games.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president and Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino yesterday singled out nine NSAs for outstanding achievements in 2022. They are in weightlifting, athletics (pole vault), gymnastics, women’s football, boxing, jiu-jitsu, sambo, kickboxing and volleyball, not necessarily in order. The NSAs that need improvement, he added, are in aquatics, badminton and table tennis.

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) got Tolentino’s nod for pole vaulter EJ Obiena’s rise to global stardom. Obiena, 27, is now ranked world No. 3, the highest ever by an Asian and holds the Asian record of 5.94 meters. PATAFA president Terry Capistrano is credited for paving the way to reinstate Obiena as a national athlete after he was unfairly chastised for alleged misdoings. With Obiena back in focus, he ended the year hauling in 17 medals, including 12 gold, to stay on track for a podium finish in the next Olympics. The Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) was another outstanding NSA with Caloy Yulo delivering three golds at the Asian Championships, five golds in the SEA Games and a silver and bronze at the World Championships last year. GAP president Cynthia Carrion set up an award ceremony for Yulo in Manila last month to recognize his efforts and give him an opportunity to interact with media as he will not be back home until after the Paris Olympics to focus on training in Tokyo.