The Game Changers: Here are some of the most prolific Filipino athletes throughout the decades

Diaz’s win was timely; 2020 was a year full of loss and uncertainties caused by the pandemic and her triumph was a sign of hope to the country. Filipinos honoured their first Olympic gold medalist, celebrating her prowess in the sport. Apart from her historic Olympic win, Diaz was also victorious at the Asian Championships and Southeast Asian Games.

Diaz’s exceptional sports career, with its highs and lows, serves as an inspiration to young athletes hoping to represent the Philippines internationally. Diaz might not have made it to this year’s Paris Olympics, but she continues to champion a true athlete’s spirit by learning new skills as she awaits her next competition.

The Philippines was in a lull in the tennis scene for over two decades—until tennis player Alex Eala came. Taking the tennis world by storm, Eala debuted at the 2020 International Tennis Federation Girls’ Junior rankings at number two. From there, she secured two bronze medals in the Asian Games, a US Open junior championship, a French Open junior doubles championship and an Australian Open junior doubles championship.

Now with a world ranking of No 157 as listed by the Women’s Tennis Association, the young athlete remains unstoppable. Her grit, talent and determination brought her up in the list, enough for her to face higher-ranked opponents and take the win against some. She is the first Filipina tennis player to reach such heights.

Eala’s skill and potential were especially evident in the recent Roland Garros tournament where she played her way to the finals. Despite her loss against Argentina, Eala remains positive as she swings through her young career.

From bagging gold at a young age, gymnast Carlos Yulo showed a meteoric rise in his field. He won two gold medals at the 2019 and 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship, five at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games and four more at this year’s Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championship. 

The young Filipino athlete’s wins are marked by his passion, dedication and hard work. Participating in competitions, let alone winning, is no easy feat. Apart from the work that Yulo has tirelessly put into his sport, the support of his coaches and loved ones helps him achieve great heights.

There is much weight to carry for a two-time World Champion—but not to Yulo, who holds the title with grace. For him, there is no other way to go but up and farther. Even though he is the first Filipino gymnast to win gold on an international level for the Philippines, he keeps his feet on the ground and focuses on his training in hopes of bringing more pride to the country. Now bound for the Summer Olympics in Paris, Yulo is eager to work even harder and stay dedicated to his craft.

See also: Where to watch the 2024 Paris Olympics on Philippine TV?

Six-time World Bowling Champion and World Bowling Hall of Famer Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno boasts an impressive list of achievements. Besides being named as the Greatest International Bowler of All Time by the prestigious Bowlers Journal International last year, he also holds several Guinness Book of World Records titles for being the youngest World Tenpin bowling champion; for winning the most Bowling World Cups in three different decades; and winning the most worldwide titles in a career.

A true pride of the Philippines, Nepomuceno brought home 12 gold medals from the SEA Games. For his accomplishments, he was conferred the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President’s Trophy, the highest sports award that can be awarded to an athlete.

Today, the bowling champion continues to compete internationally and at the same time mentor the younger generation of bowlers as he serves as a senior lecturer for the sport at the University of the Philippines.

Filipino chess legend Eugene Torre started as a prodigy at the age of 12. From there, he participated in junior championships that earned him important wins as he built the foundation of his sports career. Torre was given the title of International Master in 1972 after his win at the Asian Zonal Championship, and later on Grandmaster in 1974 after finishing with a silver medal on Board 1 at the 21st Chess Olympiad in France. He was the first Filipino to attain such achievements in the sport.

One of the most memorable accomplishments in his career is his historic win in 1976 against the reigning World Champion at the time, Anatoly Karpov. Torre’s triumph against Karpov proved how powerful a chess player he is. With all of Torre’s championships in between, he once again made history after winning the Philippines’ first gold medal in the 1992 Chess Olympiad.  

In 2016 and 2022, Torre was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame and World Chess Hall of Fame, respectively. The latter was announced in 2021, but due to the ongoing pandemic, the official event transpired in 2022 instead.

The young Filipino-born Japanese golfer bagged this year’s US Women’s Open title at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. This is Yuka Saso’s second, her first being in 2021, when she was 19 and the first Filipina to win the Women’s Open then.

Saso’s journey started when she claimed a gold medal at the World Junior Girls Championship team event in 2016. Her successful golfing career flourished since then, earning more medals that include a historic gold win at the Asian Games women’s team and women’s individual events in 2018. She also joined the Women’s Victorian Open as part of the Ladies European Tour in the same year.

At first, sports was Bea Lucero-Lhuillier’s way to stay fit—but with her remarkable skills and talent in taekwondo, sports became no longer just a workout but an avenue to represent the country at the Olympics. With the national athlete’s unwavering spirit and tenacity to keep moving forward, she was able to attain great achievements only six months into training for taekwondo.

Before representing the Philippines in the martial art, Lucero-Lhuillier trained and competed in gymnastics for almost a decade. Her long career in gymnastics came to an end when she was not able to qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympics. The national athlete took a one-year break but came back to the industry with a motivation to compete in taekwondo.

In the 1992 Summer Olympics, Lucero-Lhuillier won a bronze medal for the Philippines, which was a dream come true for the athlete. The Olympian recalls the joy she felt competing against top-level athletes, not knowing that she would be part of that same roster shortly after.

Today, Lucero-Lhuillier is not into anything competitive, but sports will always be a part of who she is.   

Just when people think he has rested on his laurels already, “The Magician” Efren “Bata” Reyes surprised the Philippines with a spot in the World Billiards Hall of Fame in Yushan, China where he was joined by other luminaries of the sport including Allison Fisher, carom virtuoso Raymond Ceulemans, seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, former World Billiards Union for Carom president Andre Gagnaux and Chinese snooker sensation Ding Junhui.

The 69-year-old billiards king is also in the Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame and One Pocket Hall of Fame. Reyes has won over 100 professional tournaments, which rightfully earned him the 2019 Philippine Sports Lifetime Achievement Award alongside other sports icons such as Manny Pacquiao, Eugene Torre and Paeng Nepomuceno. He was also appointed Philippine Sports Ambassador for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games as well as awarded the Philippine Order of Lakandula “Champion for Life Award” in 2006.

This year, the Matchroom World Nine-ball Tour announced the inaugural Reyes Cup as a tribute to pool’s greatest ever player. The invitational event will take place in Manila, Philippines in partnership with Puyat Sports Inc and Sky Sports, and is set to see Asia’s finest players take on Team Europe this coming October.  

The living legend won seven gold medals at the SEA Games. He also came home victorious five times as the overall winner of the Derby City Classic. Just last year, at 68 years old, Reyes finished third in the Derby City Classic One Pocket, with a field of over 400 players.

Popularly known as the “Big J”, the legendary basketball player Robert Jaworski, Sr has been named one of the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) Greatest Players. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he also holds the record as the oldest man to ever play in the PBA–he was 50 years old then. 

He first gained popularity playing basketball for the University of the East Warriors. In 1966, he became part of the amateur team that represented the Philippines in the Bangkok Asian Games. Two years later, the he competed in his first and only Olympic Games in Mexico City. He was 22.

A year later, he joined the team that represented the country in the Asian Basketball Championship in Seoul, where it won gold. 

Jaworski entered the professional basketball industry when PBA was established in 1975. The talented player was also the coach of the Philippine basketball team in 1990, guiding it towards its silver medal win in the Asian Games in Beijing in the same year. 

His decades-long athletic performance has endeared him to Filipinos of all social classes. This fame led him to becoming a senator after his retirement in 1998, serving the government for six years.

From the streets of Cebu to the Tokyo Olympics, skateboarder Margielyn Didal’s road to victory is an inspiring story that gives hope to many athletes. The 2018 Asian Games gold medallist’s journey was not one without a challenge.

At 12 years old, the aspiring Filipino athlete started honing her skateboarding skills in Cebu, where there is very limited skate infrastructure. Add to this an injury, which forced her to take a break for three months, leading to the withdrawal of some of her sponsors. But with her perseverance, unmatched skills and a positive attitude, she took these roadblocks as challenges to surmount and keep going. 

In 2019, she won two gold medals at the SEA Games. This year, she competed at the inaugural Southeast Asian Street Skateboarding Competition held in Baler, Aurora, where she was part of the Philippines’ three-medal haul, ending up in the third place with a score of 128.62. Didal is hoping to improve her world rankings in her bid to return to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In case you missed it: ‘It’s not all about the medals’: Olympian Margielyn Didal and her skateboarding journey

The Philippines’ national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, has won several medals for the country through the years in different tournaments such as the FIBA World Cup, Olympics, SEA Games, Southeast Asia Basketball (SEABA) Championship, SEABA Cup and other international tournaments and exhibition games. The team has brought much pride and joy to the Philippines, a country where basketball remains the most popular sport.

True to its name, the team’s 14 outstanding players exhibit national pride and enter every arena ready to bring out fierce competition. Gilas is known for its fast-paced and strong play. But it is also through the outpour of love and support from their family, friends and fans that its players can give their 100 per cent each time.

In light of their gold wins at the SEA Games and Asian Games in 2023, they were honoured with the President’s Award just this January. Their historic win at the Asian Games was much celebrated since it was the Philippines’ first gold in the men’s basketball team since 1962. The Gilas team’s Asian Games triumph is a signal of motivation and determination to keep going and reaching higher heights for the country and the Filipinos.  

Gilas Pilipinas is currently preparing for the upcoming 2024 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, happening in July in Latvia.

Dubbed as the “fastest woman in Asia” in the 1980s, legendary sprinter Lydia de Vega represented the country at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, leaving her indelible mark in Philippine sports. Apart from competing at the Olympics, the Filipino athlete obtained multiple medals in the Asian Games and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from 1981 to 1993. With an astounding record of winning mostly gold, it’s no surprise that her legacy lived on through the years.

Her streak began at the 1981 SEA Games in the 200 and 400 m categories when she was only 17. From there, her triumphs were unstoppable. A year after winning two golds at the 1993 SEA Games, De Vega retired from her sports career and redirected towards serving the country in government. Even then, the Filipina athlete continued to embody perseverance, passion and undeniable skill—all of which are essential for those who want to bring honour to their home country.

In 2018, De Vega was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame. She died in 2022.

Truly the Filipinos’ pride, former swimmer Eric Buhain represented the Philippines with honour in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from 1985 to 1993. The athlete brought home several medals from bronze to gold from the SEA Games and pushed further to compete for the Philippines at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.

His most prominent feat was at the 1991 SEA Games held in Manila when natural calamities almost halted the competition. The games eventually pushed through, and Buhain bagged a total of five gold medals and also received an award as the best male athlete in the competition.

Two years later, after winning gold at the 1993 SEA Games in Singapore, Buhain decided to retire and commit to public service. His first years in office were focused on administering sports in the country. Currently, Buhain is a member of the House of Representatives.

In 2021, he was inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame.

Rising motorsport star Bianca Bustamante was the first Filipino racing driver to compete in the W Series, the leading women’s motorsport event, in 2022. Her drive–literally and figuratively–has brought her to different heights in the field of car-racing since then.  

After an impressive debut in 2023 taking home two victories and four podium finishes with PREMA Racing, she is ready to return for the 2024 season with her sights set even higher.

Now, with a coveted seat on the McLaren Driver Development programme, the 19-year-old driver is excited to yet again take on the best young female racers in the world on the high-octane stage of the F1 Academy, ready to give it her all and chase her dream of making an impact in motorsport as a woman.

Bustamante will soon begin her second F1 Academy season with a strategic shift, joining the ART Grand Prix team and her inclusion in the prestigious McLaren Driver Development Programme, granting her access to unmatched resources, cutting-edge technology, and mentorship from one of the most established names in the field. Both ART Grand Prix and McLaren have taken extra steps to prepare for the upcoming season by competing in three out of four rounds of the Formula Winter Series in Spain during the off-season.

Multi-awarded pole vaulter EJ Obiena continues to bring honour to his home country. Just recently, he leaped into victory as the only athlete to clear the 5.8-metre mark at the USA Track and Field Los Angeles Grand Prix. The Filipino pole vault star also broke another long-standing record in Asia, clearing 5.93 metres for the gold medal at the ISTAF Indoor 2024 tournament in Berlin, Germany.

Obiena, the 2023 World Championships silver medallist and the only Asian man to have jumped 6.00 metres in the pole vaulting sphere, also bagged the Philippines’ first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. He was the only athlete to clear at 5.75 metres at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

He earned two gold medals at the SEA Games, one in 2019 and another, in 2022. While he failed to win a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he is determined to make the Philippines proud at the Paris Olympics.

On top of his rigorous training, Obiena gives back by helping the indigenous children in Katutubo Village in Pampanga with their medical needs. Obiena also shared with Tatler how aspiring pole vaulters in the country's rural areas use fibreglass poles and sawdust to train. And so, after winning the 32nd SEA Games, he auctioned off the customised shoes he wore during the competition and all proceeds were used to provide a pole vault pit for them.

Read more: Meet the 18 Filipino athletes set to compete at the Paris Olympics 2024

Before Manny Pacquiao conquered the boxing world, there was a Filipino boxer in the Sixties who won the world super featherweight title, defeating then-world champion American-Portuguese Harold Gomes by knockout in just seven rounds. This historic victory ended the Philippines’ 20-year world championship drought in boxing as witnessed by the 30,000 crowd at the then newly built Araneta Coliseum. This man who gave the country so much pride was the Cebuano fighter Gabriel “Flash” Elorde. As the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association champion, he paved the way for future boxing icons including Pacquiao.

Prior to his victory with Gomes, Elorde put his skills to the test as he played against Kid Gonzaga in his professional debut in 1951. He also won the national bantamweight title against Tanny Ocampo.

Known for his “subtle little temple-dancer moves” that earned him the moniker “Flash”, he reigned supreme in the middleweight division until 1967. He continued to reap international boxing titles, specifically the super featherweight title. To this day, he remains to be the longest title holder in that division, a title he held for seven years. Elorde died in 1985.

A national swimmer of the Philippines for ten years, Akiko Thomson has given the country so much pride and is considered as the most accomplished Filipino swimmer for bringing home seven gold medals at the SEA Games between 1987 and 1993, as well as for competing thrice at the Olympics (in 1988, 1992 and 1996. Thomson began swimming at the age of six and competed in her first Olympic games at the age of 13. 

While her heart has always belonged to the Philippines, Thomson is a naturalised Filipino–her father is American and her mother, Japanese.

Currently, Thomson operates her eponymous swim school while also serving as chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Special Olympics Pilipinas, an inclusive organisation that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. 

In 2023, she led the delegation of the Philippines to the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany, bringing with her six athletes with intellectual disabilities who competed in sports bocce, aquatics and athletics. She was a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission for eight years and is presently the president of the Philippine Olympians Association.

Besides being one of the Philippines’ most renowned sports broadcasters, she has drawn an illustrious career in tennis for being the first Filipina to earn a WTA women’s ranking and for representing the country to the Fed Cup from 1981 to 1990. She has also competed in the Asian Games, SEA Games, Junior Wimbledon and Junior US Open.

Castillejo was conferred the Fed Cup Commitment Award in 2017, a recognition awarded to players who have  played at least 20 World Group ties or 40 ties at any level, by the International Tennis Federation. She was the first Filipino to be given the distinction. The acclaimed tennis player started at 11 years old, when she was selected by John Newcombe and Tony Roche to get a scholarship at Newcombe/Roche Academy in Armidale in Australia. 

In 1983, she qualified for the juniors at Wimbledon–a time that she considers the greatest moment in her life as an athlete. While she lost in the first year, she persevered and finally won the following year. The determined sports star also played against tennis icons Hana Mandlikova, Helena Sukova and Kimiko Date among many other prominent names in the industry.

His name remains unmatched in the history of boxing, having won 12 major world titles and being the first Asian four-time welterweight champion and the only eight-division champion in the world. For these achievements, the retired boxer Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao rightfully earned the sobriquets “People’s Champ” and the Philippines’ “Pambansang Kamao”.

Much like his fights in the boxing ring, Pacquiao’s journey is dotted with challenges. Coming from a poor family in General Santos, he first entered boxing at the age of 16, with the dream of taking his family out of poverty. At 19, the then aspiring boxer won his first world title, knocking out Thailand’s Chatchai Sasakul.

Many punches and several wins later, Pacquiao won against Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera–a match that many consider as the defining moment for the People’s Champ. As he continued to mark his spot in the world boxing scene, Pacquiao became the first man to defeat Erik Morales in a tenth-round total knockout win in 2006. In the same year, he defeated the three-weight world champion for the second time–this in a third-round knockout.

In 2008, the Filipino athlete emerged victorious against the American boxer Oscar De La Hoya, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of his era.

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