Unfazed by hype: Back-to-back MVP Allen Liwag focuses on chemistry, championship goal for Benilde

Manila Times - Nov 9, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Much has been said about Most Valuable Players (MVP), but reigning MVP Allen Liwag is ready to tune out the noise. The back-to-back NCAA MVP chooses to focus on the present, setting aside his achievements as he wants to build chemistry with his teammates at the College of Saint Benilde. The 6-foot-6 Liwag, who missed the Blazers' first 11 games of Season 102 while recovering from an injury, made his long-awaited return to the hard court last Friday in a match against Jose Rizal University (JRU). However, the Blazers fell to the Heavy Bombers, 85-79, with Liwag contributing six points as he worked his way back into game shape. JRU head coach Nani Epondulan acknowledged that simply seeing Liwag warming up posed an immediate threat. "Seeing him warming up, we didn't expect that. And we told ourselves it's time to measure up. But of course he was laid off for quite some time and the confidence is something to build. Also, I am proud of my team for not backing out of the challenge," Epondulan said after winning against Benilde. Yet, Liwag shrugged off expectations regarding his performance, as he keeps his focus on his team's goal of having a championship. "For me, my...

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Cesar eyes potential medal in women’s 800m in Dakar Youth Olympic Games
Nov 9, 2026

Cesar eyes potential medal in women’s 800m in Dakar Youth Olympic Games

DAKAR, Senegal —Naomi Marjorie Cesar advanced to the final of the women’s 800 meters in athletics at the Dakar YOG and if personal bests are to determine the order of finish on the podium, she’s locked in on the silver medal. Cesar clocked two minutes and 20.16 seconds to finish third in her heat on Sunday at the Complexe Iba Mar Diop Stadium, with event favorite Netsanet Selemon of Ethiopia topping the other heat in 2:08.28. Both athletes’ times are off their personal best—Selemon at 2:04:40 and Cesar at 2:06:24, a Philippine record she set in the Portland Track Festival at the Grisworld Stadium in Portland only last June. No one else in the final are close to their personal bests. “If we go to the PBs, Naomi has a credible chance at the silver,” said Jasper Tanhueco, secretary-general of the Philippine Track and Field Association who’s here to oversee Cesar and Pi Durden Wangkay’s competitions. The 800m final is set 5:10 p.m. Dakar time Monday (1 a.m. Tuesday Manila). “I felt good about my ran, it was really smooth,” said Cesar, the youngest to win the 800m gold at the Bangkok SEA Games last December and also has a silver at the Asian Youth Games also last year in Bahrain. “I’m really excited about tomorrow and I’m ready for anything,” added Cesar, one of only nine Filipino athletes sent here by the Philippine Olympic Committee and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission. Morocco’s Khadija Elmostaqim (2:14:10), Chile’s Valentina Cancino (2:16.01), Togo’s Yvette Kpatcha (2:19.34) and Slovenia’s Masa Weber (2:19.89) ran faster that Cesar to also advance to the final and completing the cast are Botswana’s Mpho Maano (2:21.34), Mali’s Awa Diarra (2:23.35) and El Salvador’s Ashly Benitez (2:23.51). TMT

Burrow powers Bengals to Madrid win as Chiefs shine despite Mahomes injury scare
Nov 9, 2026

Burrow powers Bengals to Madrid win as Chiefs shine despite Mahomes injury scare

WASHINGTON, United States — Joe Burrow sparked Cincinnati over Atlanta in Spain for a fourth consecutive NFL victory while Patrick Mahomes overcame an injury scare on Sunday to lift Kansas City over the New York Jets. Burrow completed 24-of-29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another touchdown in Cincinnati's 34-17 triumph over the Falcons at Madrid. The Bengals improved to 6-2, moving level with idle Pittsburgh atop the AFC North division. "The sky is the limit when we play like this. This is how we need to attack every game going forward," said wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who made 10 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown. "Intense impact," Burrow said of Chase. "He was unbelievable." Burrow leads the NFL with 2,386 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. "He does a good job getting out of the pocket and making scramble plays, keeping the play alive," Chase said. "That's why he's one of the best." At Kansas City, three-time Super Bowl champion and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Mahomes suffered a right arm injury and lost a fumble in the second quarter after being sacked by Jets rookie defender David Bailey. Mahomes threw for 120 yards and two touchdowns to give the Chiefs a 14-12 halftime lead, with coach Andy Reid saying Mahomes hurt his elbow. Returning in the second half, Mahomes directed touchdown drives of 60 and 82 yards in the third quarter and 57 yards in the fourth as Kansas City beat the Jets 35-12. Mahomes completed 23-of-31 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns while Kenneth Walker ran 18 times for 102 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs (6-2). The Denver Broncos became the first NFL team with seven wins as Bo Nix threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-21 triumph at Carolina in a matchup of division leaders. The Broncos (7-2) stretched their win streak to five games despite Bryce Young throwing for 276 yards and three touchdowns for Carolina. Cowboys beat Colts  Dak Prescott threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns while Javonte Williams ran for 101 yards and scored the deciding touchdown on a one-yard run with 68 seconds remaining to give Dallas a 27-23 victory at Indianapolis. New Orleans edged visiting Cleveland 23-22 in overtime on Tyler Shough's 15-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson. Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders tossed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin with one minute remaining in the extra period but a two-point conversion pass to take the lead failed. Matthew Stafford threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua for the winning points and the Los Angeles Rams' defense stopped Washington in the final seconds for a 20-13 road victory. Nacua caught 14 passes for 150 yards. Rams linebacker Myles Garrett, who set an NFL record for quarterback sacks last season, returned after suffering a knee injury in the opener and made three sacks as well as forcing a fumble. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 74 yards and scored the only touchdown on an eight-yard run in Detroit's 19-9 victory at Miami, the Lions improving to 6-2. Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals to lift the New York Giants to a 19-11 victory at Philadelphia. San Francisco will try to reach 7-1 in a later home game against Las Vegas while Chicago will seek a 7-2 start when Tampa Bay visits. Later games also include Houston at the winless Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay at New England and Arizona at Seattle.

Subdued Hamilton praises Ferrari after 'tricky' weekend
Nov 9, 2026

Subdued Hamilton praises Ferrari after 'tricky' weekend

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Lewis Hamilton made a subdued exit from Interlagos on Sunday after a weekend to forget at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the third race in a disappointing 'triple-header’ for Ferrari. The seven-time champion finished ninth after starting 20th on the grid, two places behind teammate Charles Leclerc, after a rain-hit contest where Ferrari were amongst the also-rans as Mercedes clinched the constructors’ title. Ferrari remained second in the teams’ standings but needing only three more points that their rival Mercedes cruised to the world title with little concern on the day. The result saw Hamilton slip from third to fourth in the drivers’ title race behind new champion Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Mercedes’ George Russell. Leclerc is fifth. Hamilton, ahead of his 400th Formula One race start, had started the weekend declaring that he and Leclerc had squashed the unrest and tension that lay between them in the team after a first lap tangle in Mexico, but his raised optimism did not produce results. "It was a really tough day and weekend for the whole team," he said. "They have done a really great job – especially all the mechanics in switching the engines and making sure the car was as good as it could be." Hamilton had engine problems on Friday and had to introduce two new units on Saturday as another one failed during final practice. It led to him being penalised and starting 20th. "I had a great start in the race, but unfortunately the rear tyre just ballooned and over-heated and after that on slicks I was feeling pretty good. "It was very tricky in these conditions, and we ended up making an extra stop so I had a lot of ground to cover." He said he spun late in the race because he did not realise how wet it had become. "I didn’t hear that it was raining more in the first sector and I passed the pit lane, got to turn one and it was wet. So that unfortunately, lost us a couple of places, but otherwise the team did a great job."

Noskova beats Kostyuk in opening match at WTA Finals
Nov 9, 2026

Noskova beats Kostyuk in opening match at WTA Finals

LOS ANGELES, United States — Reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday in the opening match of the season-ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells. Noskova, a 21-year-old Czech, needed only 86 minutes to capture the Group One match over Ukraine's Kostyuk with Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to play later. World number one and reigning champion Elena Rybakina withdrew from the WTA Finals on Saturday due to a viral illness with Kostyuk replacing her at the California hardcourt event. Noskova improved to 3-1 against Kostyuk, all matches coming this year as both made the WTA Finals for the first time. Noskova won in three sets at the US Open fourth round in their most recent prior meeting and in the Wimbledon semi-finals, while Kostyuk won on her way to the Madrid clay crown. Gauff, the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion, and Pegula have split 10 career meetings, Gauff winning the Cincinnati final and a Wimbledon quarter-final this year in their most recent matchups. This year's WTA Finals were scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia but in July were moved to Indian Wells after US military strikes on Iran in February and the subsequent war in the region.

Kyle Larson Claims 2nd Straight NASCAR Championship
Nov 8, 2026

Kyle Larson Claims 2nd Straight NASCAR Championship

HOMESTEAD, Florida — Kyle Larson is now a three-time NASCAR champion. Larson clinched his third Cup Series title in six years early in the 400-mile season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. He became the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson in 2010; Johnson won five in a row beginning in 2006. The 34-year-old Larson also became the 11th driver in NASCAR history with three Cup titles, joining a list that includes seven-time champs Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Johnson. Jeff Gordon has four. Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough. Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano have three. Larson was the overwhelming favorite to hoist the Bill France Cup in Homestead long before the green flag dropped. He entered the weekend with a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell and needed only nine points to wrap up the title. He got one point for starting the race and seven more by finishing fourth in the opening stage. But because Bell didn't win the stage, he had no path to catch Larson the rest of the day. Larson responded to crew chief Cliff Daniels dropping the news over the radio by saying, “That was anticlimactic.” Larson put himself in position for his latest title with a historic postseason, dubbed NASCAR’s Chase for the championship. He ended a 51-race winless skid by winning three of the previous nine playoff events and finished in the top 10 in eight of them. He enjoyed a similar finish while winning it all in 2021, his first season at Hendrick. He won four of the last five races — including the finale at Phoenix Raceway — while still dealing with questions about how his time ended at Chip Ganassi Racing. His second title came in stunning fashion last year at Phoenix. He took advantage of a late caution — his crew put on two new tires instead of four — and leaped sentimental favorite Denny Hamlin on pit road with two laps to go. Hamlin didn’t have enough time to catch Larson. Larson’s third title was far less shocking. Securing the title was so much of a slam dunk that Larson was the only Cup driver invited to NASCAR’s championship media day Thursday, leading to a parade event that Larson called awkward. The biggest question was how Larson and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team would handle the pressure. Larson put that to rest during qualifying Saturday. “They were debating on if a hot dog is a sandwich and if cereal is a soup,” Larson said. “So I would say they were pretty relaxed. I was surprised by all that.” A better question: How does Larson compare to the best drivers in motorsports history? Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Tony Stewart are widely regarded as the best of the best, guys who proved their worth by winning across varying racing series. Jones won in sprint cars and stock cars around the same time he won the 1963 Indianapolis 500. Andretti won four IndyCar titles, the 1967 Daytona 500 and the 1969 Indianapolis 500. Foyt won four Indy 500s and the 1972 Daytona 500. Stewart won the 1997 IndyCar championship, three Cup Series titles and is currently racing dragsters at the top level, the NHRA. Larson raced twice at the Indy 500 and has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three Chili Bowls and four Knoxville Nationals. And now he's in elite company with three Cup titles. “He wins in everything he does, and they’re all completely different cars and tracks,” retired driver and current NBC Sports race analyst Jeff Burton said. “And he’s racing against the best in every discipline.”

Kyle Larson claims 2nd straight NASCAR champioship
Nov 8, 2026

Kyle Larson claims 2nd straight NASCAR champioship

HOMESTEAD, Florida — Kyle Larson is now a three-time NASCAR champion. Larson clinched his third Cup Series title in six years early in the 400-mile season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. He became the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson in 2010; Johnson won five in a row beginning in 2006. The 34-year-old Larson also became the 11th driver in NASCAR history with three Cup titles, joining a list that includes seven-time champs Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Johnson. Jeff Gordon has four. Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough. Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano have three. Larson was the overwhelming favorite to hoist the Bill France Cup in Homestead long before the green flag dropped. He entered the weekend with a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell and needed only nine points to wrap up the title. He got one point for starting the race and seven more by finishing fourth in the opening stage. But because Bell didn't win the stage, he had no path to catch Larson the rest of the day. Larson responded to crew chief Cliff Daniels dropping the news over the radio by saying, “That was anticlimactic.” Larson put himself in position for his latest title with a historic postseason, dubbed NASCAR’s Chase for the championship. He ended a 51-race winless skid by winning three of the previous nine playoff events and finished in the top 10 in eight of them. He enjoyed a similar finish while winning it all in 2021, his first season at Hendrick. He won four of the last five races — including the finale at Phoenix Raceway — while still dealing with questions about how his time ended at Chip Ganassi Racing. His second title came in stunning fashion last year at Phoenix. He took advantage of a late caution — his crew put on two new tires instead of four — and leaped sentimental favorite Denny Hamlin on pit road with two laps to go. Hamlin didn’t have enough time to catch Larson. Larson’s third title was far less shocking. Securing the title was so much of a slam dunk that Larson was the only Cup driver invited to NASCAR’s championship media day Thursday, leading to a parade event that Larson called awkward. The biggest question was how Larson and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team would handle the pressure. Larson put that to rest during qualifying Saturday. “They were debating on if a hot dog is a sandwich and if cereal is a soup,” Larson said. “So I would say they were pretty relaxed. I was surprised by all that.” A better question: How does Larson compare to the best drivers in motorsports history? Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Tony Stewart are widely regarded as the best of the best, guys who proved their worth by winning across varying racing series. Jones won in sprint cars and stock cars around the same time he won the 1963 Indianapolis 500. Andretti won four IndyCar titles, the 1967 Daytona 500 and the 1969 Indianapolis 500. Foyt won four Indy 500s and the 1972 Daytona 500. Stewart won the 1997 IndyCar championship, three Cup Series titles and is currently racing dragsters at the top level, the NHRA. Larson raced twice at the Indy 500 and has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three Chili Bowls and four Knoxville Nationals. And now he's in elite company with three Cup titles. “He wins in everything he does, and they’re all completely different cars and tracks,” retired driver and current NBC Sports race analyst Jeff Burton said. “And he’s racing against the best in every discipline.”

UAAP: Redemption fueled NU win over La Salle, says Jumamoy
Nov 8, 2026

UAAP: Redemption fueled NU win over La Salle, says Jumamoy

MANILA, Philippines—Reinhard Jumamoy had plenty of motivation on Sunday when National University took on defending champion La Salle in the second round of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament. Aside from wanting to avenge the Bulldogs’ first-round loss, Jumamoy recalled how the Green Archers broke their hearts last year in the Final Four. “I

Spikers’ Turf: Alpha Insurance, Savouge stretch streak to 3
Nov 8, 2026

Spikers’ Turf: Alpha Insurance, Savouge stretch streak to 3

MANILA, Philippines — Alpha Insurance and Savouge extended their respective winning streaks to three games, boosting their semifinals chances in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Sunday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. Alpha Insurance hosted a block party with 14 rejections to sweep 3B, 25-16, 25-20, 25-22, and take the No.4

A life-changing season: Why Alex Eala remains a 'champion' despite her HK Open loss
Nov 8, 2026

A life-changing season: Why Alex Eala remains a 'champion' despite her HK Open loss

HONG KONG -- Alexandra Eala came up short against Claire Liu in the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open final, but the proud Filipina's remarkable start-to-finish 2026 campaign secured her status as a true champion in the hearts of her compatriots.

UAAP: Late 3s by Amiel Acido help UST clip FEU to stop slide
Nov 8, 2026

UAAP: Late 3s by Amiel Acido help UST clip FEU to stop slide

MANILA, Philippines—University of Santo Tomas snapped a three-game losing streak after escaping Far Eastern University, 86-85, in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at Araneta Coliseum. It was a crucial win for the Growling Tigers, who moved within a game behind FEU and La Salle for a place in the Final Four

Football fixtures and results
Nov 8, 2026

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Catch up with all the week’s football fixtures and results here.

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