Moving forward

By Mark Paul Samante
Game On

THE year 2022 is just around the corner. As we look forward to the New Year, we look back into the highlight of 2021. Game On presents the top three sports stories of 2021.

A New King in the NBA

Giannis Antetokoumpo is the new king of the NBA. His Milwaukee Bucks annexed the 2021 NBA Championship last June against the Phoenix Suns. It was a marvelous display of tenacity and grit in bringing the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Milwaukee after a long time. It may have ushered in a new era in the NBA, and Giannis looks like a worthy successor to King James as the face of the NBA.

PacMan retires from Pro Boxing

The legendary career of the only eight-division world champion came full circle when he lost his last bout against a substitute opponent. We can recall that his breakthrough match happened when he substituted and won back in 2001. The recent loss may have stung, but it didn’t hurt his legend. He is still considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in recent history. His retirement from pro boxing was a prelude to him pursuing another challenge in his political career.

The Philippines Shows the best performance in the modern Olympics

The 2021 Olympics highlighted this year’s challenges and struggles as a nation, winning our first gold medal through Hidilyn Diaz’s conquest of the weightlifting event.

Our various boxers also triumphed over their opponents en route to different podium finishes. It was a very successful campaign for Team Philippines with their impressive medal haul.

These three are the top stories in sports for 2021. While we faced challenges brought about by the pandemic, these stories were uplifting and got us talking about it. Stories of triumph are significant as we face another year of uncertainty brought about by the new variants of the virus and the relaxed guidelines and protocols for the holidays.

These stories are already part of our history as much as the pandemic is. And just like our sports conquests, we are looking at the New Year to triumph over the pandemic and write our own stories.

As we welcome 2022, we may have learned a lot in 2021, and we shall pick up where we left off in sports and life. There is nowhere to go but forward.
Happy New Year, Game On friends!