Gilas Gold, Fourth for the Philippines:
The Philippines men’s basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, won the gold medal against Jordan in the finals of the basketball competition in the Asian Games with the final score of 70-60 to end the gold medal drought of the Philippines in the country’s most popular sport.
Gilas brought home the precious gold medal and showcased one of its most excellent basketball wins in the history of the Asian Games with a victory against a team that defeated them earlier en route to the finals.
Gilas Pilipinas worked behind their rock-solid defense in the final canto of the match against the hostile Chinese crowd who supported the Jordanians after their humiliating loss against the Filipinos in two successive international basketball competitions.
The Philippines’ win is considered the sweetest victory of all the sports competitions in the Asian Games after the team was assembled barely two weeks before the continental meet that started last September 23, 2023.
Gilas’ latest addition to their long list of game heroes came from the impressive performance of Ange Kouame, Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and Chris Newsome, who played their hearts out almost the entire game to end the country’s hunger for Asian basketball glory.
The Filipino basketball team celebrated with glee alongside the entire bench and the Filipino athletes, witnessing the historic victory of the Philippines against Jordan in the men’s basketball finals of the Asian Games.
Gilas captured the gold medal in the men’s basketball competition after 61 years of waiting for the elusive gold medal for the Philippines.
The Gilas gold medal for the Philippine team is the country’s 5th gold and 8th overall since ruling the first four stagings of the event. The last gold medal of the Philippines in the Asian Games was captured way back in 1961, during the time of legendary basketball star Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga.
The Philippines men’s basketball team won a medal during the 1998 Bangkok edition, a bronze for the country awarded to the Centennial Team, also handled by Tim Cone, after they defeated Kazakhstan, 73-68.
The Gilas gold medal victory of the Philippines under the tutelage of Coach Tim Cone is revenge in the making and only proved that Tim Cone’s basketball prowess as a tactician shines bright in the Asian Games.
Coach Tim Cone was ecstatic for the Gilas gold medal win. He even shouted “Six Decades,” celebrating the victory on his way to the team dugout, where a more extensive, rowdier celebration awaited him.
The last day of the Asian Games was a big day for the Philippines as Jiujitsu star Annie Ramirez also triumphed against a familiar foe early in the day and captured the third Gold medal for the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China.
