By Lester Cavestany, Contributor
INQUIRER.net

Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).
– Olympic motto

THERE is a growing online movement to support Marco Torres in his goal of being chosen as one of eight foreigners/expatriates in China who will carry the torch for the Olympic torch relay. I think that with the growing number of bloggers and Internet users in the Philippines, we can all help make this happen. Click here to vote for him.

If you didn’t click the link above, you’re probably wondering why we should support Marco Torres. You’re probably asking, “I don’t know him so why should I support him?”

Good question!

For most of us, the simple answer, “Because our countryman needs our support so that he can best all the other hopeful expatriates in China,” would suffice. But there are those who need more explanations before they give their support. So read on and I hope that after reading this post, you would be more than willing to support Marco Torres.

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By Tarra Quismundo
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The cold wind burned their tanned faces and the chill water burdened their arms, but the thirst for the win pushed them to reach the finish line first.

In unfamiliar weather, the 39-member Philippine Dragon Boat Federation clinched the gold medal in the 200-meter race against powerhouse rowers in the just-concluded 8th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) Dragon Boat Championship at the Sydney International Regatta Center in Australia from September 19 to 23.

The team, composed of rowers from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Army, Navy and Air Force, also placed second in the 500-meter event and took bronze in the 1,000-meter and 2,000-meter races, earning them four medals in all.

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FOR an event billed as “Knockout,” UFC 76 didn’t produce any, but it was sure exciting — not least due to the stunning upsets.

I caught it on Solar Sports, and up to now I’m shocked by former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightheavyweight champion Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell’s split decision loss to Keith Jardine.

It’s the Iceman’s second straight defeat, and what’s even more remarkable is that Keith beat him in his own game, as the two men slugged it out and didn’t make any attempt to take the fight to the ground. In fact, commentators Mike Goldberg, Joe Rogan and reigning UFC heavyweight champ Randy “The Natural” Couture jokingly wondered if the two were aware that you could grapple in the UFC heh

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By Jasmine W. Payo
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–When Reuben Buchanan took on the job to manage a wakeboard cable park in Camarines Sur, the athletic Australian also assumed the responsibility of promoting the sport to the locals. He went as far as tapping unusual talents for the emergent water sport.

“We found some breakdancers in CamSur who I thought would be good to groom as wakeboarding trainers and champions,” recalls Buchanan. “Right now they are the best Filipino wakeboarders we have.”

Check out this YouTube video courtesy of waketrex.

Wakeboarding — a combination of surfing, water skiing and snow boarding — recently found a sprawling home at the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Pili, Camarines Sur in the Bicol region.

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By Jasmine W. Payo
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–A DAY after the University of the Philippines gave coach Joe Lipa the pink slip, alumni groups were pushing for two of the temperamental coach’s former wards, Eric Altamirano and Ronnie Magsanoc, to take his place.

School officials said they will name the coach early to give him time to prepare for the next UAAP season, which coincides with UP’s centennial celebration, but have yet to begin their search for Lipa’s replacement.

“I recommended for [Lipa's early] termination because of the centennial year,” said Hercules Callanta, dean of the College of Human Kinetics, who wants the team to be competitive in the 2008 season. “The next coach will be hard pressed for a result. We want [the new coach] to have the luxury of time.”

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By Agence France-Presse

TOKYO–Sumo’s centuries-old tradition of barring women from entering the ring was momentarily breached Thursday after a woman suddenly threw herself onto the mound where the wrestlers fight.

Television footage showed a middle-aged woman in blue jeans and a green T-shirt abruptly climbing onto the elevated mound between matches Wednesday at the autumn grand tournament in Tokyo.

The mound encompasses the circle in which sumo wrestlers fight but the woman — whose motive was unclear — was dragged down by a stunned wrestler and others before she could reach the fighting circle.

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SO, what do you think of O.J. Simpson’s arrest?

Here’s the uncensored audio tape of the alleged Las Vegas hotel room confrontation posted by TMZ.com. Again, this is uncensored, OK, so it’s riddled with profanity. Don’t click if you’ll find that offensive.

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By Inquirer

CEBU CITY–Celebrated American trainer Freddie Roach raised both thumbs Monday after Manny Pacquiao cruised through his first 12-round session at the Rex “Wakee” Salud gym virtually unscathed and wanting for more.

Pacquiao has now sparred 80 rounds in preparation for his mammoth rematch with Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera on Oct. 6 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

“It was OK, he did great,” said Roach. “He just stayed a little bit too long on the ropes.”

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By Agence France-Presse

LONDON–British rally driver Colin McRae and two children — including his five-year-old son — were among the four passengers killed in a helicopter crash this weekend in Scotland, police said Sunday.

Strathclyde Police confirmed that the 39-year-old driver, his son Johnny, and two family friends were killed in the incident in Lanark, Scotland, on Saturday afternoon.

“We believe that the group were just returning from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter around 1605 hours (1505 GMT) yesterday, when it appears that the helicopter got into difficulty and crashed within the grounds of Mr McRae’s family home,” Chief Superintendent Tim Love said in a statement.

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By June Navarro
Inquirer

ILOILO CITY–Many have tried but no one has come close to approximating the promise shown by former Asian sprint queen Lydia De Vega-Mercado at an early age.

But track officials here believe they have found a De Vega-Mercado-in-the-making after a Filipino-Canadian from Bacolod City powered to two impressive wins in the second day of the Philippine Olympic Festival Visayas Qualifying leg.

Jami Dawn Henares, 15, overwhelmed the field in the 400 meters, clocking a minute and .01 second, then snared another gold in the 200m with a time of 27.2 that caught the attention of Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association technical personnel.

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