The pandemic put sports on pause, but as the world opened up once more, Filipina athletes came back with a vengeance.
As we look forward to 2023—and hopefully that includes more support and investment in women’s sports—here are some of the moments worth celebrating in the year that was.
Filipinas qualify for the FIFA World Cup
The Philippine Women’s National Football Team, also known as the Filipinas, made history in January 2022 when they became the first Philippine team, male or female, to qualify for the FIFA World Cup!
The Filipinas qualified thanks to their performance in the 2022 AFC Asian Cup in Pune, India; then followed it up with a bronze medal at the SEA Games. Pinoy fans also got a taste of the thrilling action when the Filipinas won their first ever Asian Football Federation championship in front of their home crowd.
It was definitely a fantastic year for the Filipinas, and they’ll need the support of Pinoy fans in 2023 as they make the country’s first ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand in July and August.
Gilas Pilipinas wins back-to-back SEA Games gold
The Gilas Pilipinas Women won their first SEA Games gold medal in 2019, and successfully defended it in 2022.
Despite the Gilas Pilipinas Men settling for silver, the women’s win gave Pinoy basketball fans something to celebrate—and more reason to support women’s basketball in the years to come.
Coach Mau Belen wins back-to-back championships in PBA 3X3
The first female coach in the PBA let them know! Coach Mau Belen and the TNT Tropang Giga 3X3 established themselves as the team to beat, winning the grand championship in back-to-back PBA 3X3 tournaments.
Coach Mau’s success prompts us to ask: Why don’t we see more women coaching at different levels of the sport, and how do we get more women in the pipeline? Coach Mau hopes that the leadership of basketball teams, whether pro or amateur, open up hiring opportunities to women.
“We need male leaders to give opportunities…just like what Coach Chot did to me [at TNT],” Belen says. “Hopefully, maka-bingo tayo ‘no? First female coach in the NCAA. First female coach in UAAP Men's Basketball. I would love to see more [young women] be there as well.”
Alex Eala makes history in the US Open
In September, teen tennis sensation Alex Eala became the first Filipina to win a junior Grand Slam singles title at the 2022 US Open. In her post-match press conference, Eala shared the purpose behind her journey: “It's not just my win, it's all of our wins. I did this not just for myself, I did it so I could help Philippine tennis.”
Bianca Bustamante is the first Pinay in W Series
The last time a female driver started a race in Formula One was in the 1970s, and the motorsports world is waiting for the next woman to book a seat. The all-female racing competition W Series was started in 2019 to help develop new talent, and this year, teenage racer Bianca Bustamante became the first Filipina to ever compete.
She is also a 2-time Junior Asian Karting Open Overall Champion, 2-time Philippine International Junior Karter of the Year, 2-time Philippine National Senior Karter of the Year, and 3-time Philippine Driver of the Year in Karting.
In an exclusive “Go Hard Girls” interview with sports journalist Bee Go, Bustamante shared how Filipinos flocked to meet her at the Singapore Grand Prix: “We had a fan meet and greet and all of them were Filipino and they were just screaming my name, holding the flag, and the fact that there are people out there that believes in me and support me especially from home soil is just amazing,” she said. “Most of the races we do are in America or Europe so to see Filipinos watching me and supporting me is amazing.”
NU extends historic UAAP streak, and DLSU snaps it
It takes an amazing team to win 108 straight games, and an amazing team to end the streak. The NU Lady Bulldogs and the DLSU Lady Archers made history in UAAP basketball for different reasons—both of which deserve celebration.
Even though the NU Lady Bulldogs’ historic streak ended at 108 wins, we have no idea when anyone else will even come close to their record. At the height of the streak, the NU Lady Bulldogs used the hype around their record to call for more support, investment, and media coverage for women’s basketball. The DLSU Lady Archers, meanwhile, sent a statement that no team is unbeatable—and in doing so, they injected more excitement and rivalry into the UAAP. Next year’s competition will be one none of us can afford to miss!
Creamline dominates Kingwhale Taipei to win PVL championship
The Creamline Cool Smashers earned their fifth PVL title in seven finals appearances after beating KingWhale Taipei in straight sets: 25-21, 25-19, 25-8. The impressive achievement was a team win for the much-loved squad, led by Tots Carlos, Jema Galanza, Alyssa Valdez, Jia De Guzman and more. Celine Domingo also won her first Finals MVP thanks to her four blocks, and finishing with 11 points.
Hidilyn Diaz ends the 2022 with more gold
The Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist added more gold to her collection by winning three gold medals at the World Weightlifting championship in December 2022. This caps off a great year for the beloved athlete, who also celebrated her marriage and spent much of the year developing young weightlifting athletes.
What are your favorite moments from female athletes in 2022?