00:00 It was another banner year for Filipino athletes this 2023, a year of historic victories and
00:08 new records for the country.
00:10 Back in May, over 900 athletes represented the flag in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games
00:14 in Cambodia, where the Philippines landed fifth overall with a total of 58 gold medals
00:19 led by EJ Obiena, Carlos Yulo, Agatha Wong, and Carlo Faalam.
00:24 In July, the Philippine women's football team made its historic debut in the FIFA Women's
00:28 World Cup.
00:29 The international team shocked the world with a huge upset over co-host New Zealand in the
00:33 group stage.
00:34 The Filipinas scored a 1-0 victory, courtesy of Serena Bolden's sensational header and
00:38 goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel's superb defense.
00:41 I don't think it will ever become real.
00:44 I mean, being there and being on the pitch, it was magical and amazing.
00:50 In August, the Philippines became the center of world-class basketball action as it co-hosted
00:54 the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
00:56 Basketball players from all over the world made their way to the country, including Team
01:00 USA and even NBA superstars.
01:03 Gila's Filipinas also saw action in the competition led by naturalized player Jordan Clarkson.
01:08 The national team, however, lost all its group stage matches against the Dominican Republic,
01:12 Angola, and Italy, but managed to score a victory against China in the classification
01:16 round to finish 24th overall and clinch a ticket to the Olympic qualifiers in the process.
01:21 It was great.
01:22 The fans continued to support us.
01:23 We definitely just wanted to get a win, go home and win at least.
01:30 After their campaign, Chot Reyes announced his resignation as head coach amid a barrage
01:33 of criticism from fans.
01:35 Never mind on me, but on my family and my loved ones, it's just brutal.
01:41 Tim Cohn took over as Gila's interim head coach for the 19th Asian Games, but the PBA's
01:46 winningest coach encountered a number of problems from the lack of time to prepare to issues
01:50 with the lineup.
01:51 Despite this, Gila's Filipinas achieved the impossible and bagged the historic gold medal,
01:56 ending a 61-year drought for the country in basketball.
01:59 This was done for a bigger purpose than anything we've done in the PBA.
02:03 This was for the country.
02:06 Aside from Gila's EJ Obiana and Jiu-Jitsu artists, Meggie Ochoa and Ani Ramirez also
02:10 took home the gold in the regional meet.
02:12 This was also the year Obiana surpassed the elusive 6-meter mark in full vault and jumped
02:17 to world number two while becoming the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2024
02:22 Paris Olympics.
02:23 Just like Obiana, three more athletes have punched their tickets to next year's summer
02:27 games including boxer Ymir Marshal and gymnast Carlos Yulo and Alea Finnegan.
02:32 So expect another big and historic year for Filipino athletes this 2024.
02:36 Pauline Verzosa, CNN Philippines.
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