Sport Banter

PTVPhilippines

Sport Banter  Sa ating Sports Banter ay makakausap natin live via Zoom si Eddie Torres, former president ng Powerlifting Association of the Philippines.  For more news, visit:  ►https://www.ptvnews.ph/  Subscribe to our DailyMotion Channel: ►http://www.dailymotion.com/peoples-television-incorporated  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: ►http://www.youtube.com/ptvphilippines  Like our Facebook pages: ►PTV: http://facebook.com/PTVph  ►Rise and Shine Pilipinas: https://www.facebook.com/riseandshinepilipinas  Follow us on Twitter:  ►http://twitter.com/PTVph  Follow us on Instagram: ►https://www.instagram.com/ptvph  Watch our livestream on:  ►http://ptvnews.ph/livestream/ ►https://www.dailymotion.com/PTVPhilippines  Watch our News Programs, every Mondays to Fridays  Rise and Shine Pilipinas - 6:00 - 7:00 am | 7:30 - 8:00 am Balitang Pambansa - 7:00 - 7:30 am | 12:00 - 12:30 pm | 6:00 - 6:30pm | 9:30 - 10:00 pm PTV Sports - 8:00 - 9:00 am Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon - 12:30 - 1:00 pm Sentro Balita - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Ulat Bayan - 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm PTV News Tonight -  10:00 pm - 10:30 pm  Saturday & Sunday: ►Sentro Balita Weekend - 1:30 - 2:00 pm ►Ulat Bayan Weekend - 6:15 pm - 7:00 pm

Transcript

00:00PTV Sports is back!

00:03In our sports banter, we will talk to Mr. Eddie Torres,

00:07of course, the former president of the Powerlifting Association of the Philippines.

00:12Good morning, Sir Eddie!

00:14Hi, Sir!

00:17Good morning, everyone!

00:19Good morning, Sir!

00:21Sir, while powerlifting is very popular,

00:24my first question to you is,

00:27can you explain when the Powerlifting Championships were established

00:31and the reason behind its creation?

00:35Yeah, the Powerlifting Association of the Philippines,

00:38or PAP for short,

00:40was established in 1982.

00:44So, this was more than 40 years ago.

00:46And the people who helped grow that,

00:50the former president, Fidel Ramos,

00:53supported that.

00:55So, in the early 1990s,

00:58it was recognized by the Philippine Sports Commission.

01:03So, from there, the sport really grew.

01:08Since your time, Sir Eddie,

01:10how big has powerlifting become in the country?

01:15Alright, back in the 1980s,

01:18there were around 20 people,

01:2230 people at most.

01:24Now, we have several hundreds that are joining already.

01:28Even in the regional competitions,

01:31we started the Mid-and-Out Championships

01:34around 20 years ago.

01:36There were 5 or 8 people joining.

01:39It has grown to more than 10-fold now.

01:44And besides championships,

01:46we started in 1998.

01:49Around 30 people joined.

01:52Around 200 people joined.

01:56So, if you look at the growth,

01:58it's been very good.

02:00The growth was slow in the beginning,

02:03but in the past 10 years, it has accelerated.

02:06Alright, Sir Eddie.

02:08And of course,

02:09knowing that you are the record holder up until now,

02:13and with all your achievements, Sir Eddie,

02:16what is the meaning of powerlifting for you?

02:22Well, since I was in college,

02:25that was a long time ago,

02:27when I got into the sport.

02:29Of course, everyone starts out weak.

02:33A lot of people will lose to you.

02:35And considering,

02:36there were only a few people joining in the past,

02:39and then someone lost to you,

02:41it's just like that.

02:43You can't start out good right away.

02:46But later on,

02:48everyone can grow into the sport.

02:50And in my case,

02:52I was privileged to be part of the national team

02:54for about two decades.

02:57I have received a lot of blessings in the sport.

03:01And from here,

03:03I just want to give back to the kids now.

03:07Yes, Sir Eddie,

03:08you mentioned that you were in college.

03:11So, it's been a long time.

03:13And now, it's 2024.

03:15Of course,

03:16there are a lot of kids

03:18who are young and capable of powerlifting.

03:22Who are the powerlifters

03:24that people should look out for?

03:26And what extent of potential

03:28do we see in them?

03:31Alright, well,

03:32we just came back from the World Championships

03:35in Iceland,

03:36about two weeks ago.

03:38So, the kids,

03:41the teenagers back then,

03:43who were trying to develop,

03:45were divided in the World Championships.

03:48Number one was Reggie Ramirez

03:51from Ormoc.

03:54During his junior years,

03:58and there were also sub-junior years

04:00for the teens,

04:03he wasn't able to...

04:06Yes, he was able to break Asian records there.

04:09He just got his world record

04:12when he was around 30 years old.

04:16Because the peak of a powerlifter

04:19can be in your 40s.

04:21So now,

04:22even though he wasn't able to break

04:24world junior records back then,

04:26two weeks ago,

04:27he broke a world open record.

04:30So, gold medal

04:31in the world record.

04:34And of course,

04:35that was an Asian record.

04:36Something he could not achieve

04:38at a younger age.

04:40Then second,

04:42another medalist in the World Championships,

04:44Veronica Umpon.

04:47She's from Tacloban.

04:50During her junior years,

04:53in teen years and sub-juniors,

04:55she wasn't able to become a world champion.

04:58Although she was able to win medals

05:00in other events.

05:02She remembers,

05:04when she entered her junior years,

05:07she became a world champion twice.

05:09So,

05:10you don't have to start off

05:12with being a champion right away.

05:14If you work on it,

05:16you'll really improve.

05:18Veronica,

05:20last year,

05:21was her last year in the juniors.

05:24Now, she's only in the open category.

05:27Her first World Championships match,

05:29she won a silver medal in the open category.

05:32And I would say she,

05:34she is the youngest ever Filipino,

05:37male or female,

05:38to win a medal at the World Open Championships.

05:41So, we start them young,

05:43and we'll make them proud.

05:45And they get older.

05:47Wow, Sir Eddie.

05:48We have a lot of national team battles.

05:51Veronica Umpon,

05:52and the one you mentioned.

05:54But, Sir,

05:55last year,

05:57Dinawleg was just over,

05:59if I'm not mistaken.

06:00How did it turn out?

06:04So,

06:05Dinawleg,

06:07what we did in General Santos City,

06:10it's been growing fast

06:12the past few years.

06:14That's where it started.

06:16It used to be eight lifters.

06:18And then, last year,

06:20the jump was big.

06:22More than double

06:23the number of participants.

06:25And then this year,

06:26just last weekend,

06:27another 50% went up.

06:30So,

06:32of course,

06:33it's tiring for the officials,

06:34but we enjoy it

06:35because we can see the growth.

06:37And it's not just the quantity,

06:39but also the quality of the powerlifters

06:43in Mindanao.

06:44There's a lot of hope.

06:46Actually, I was surprised

06:47by their performance last weekend.

06:49For the first time,

06:51they lifted 300 kilos

06:54that we've never done before

06:56in Mindanao.

06:57And two of them actually lifted 300 kilos.

07:01Sir,

07:02Sir Eddie,

07:03for the audience to understand,

07:06what's the difference, sir,

07:07between powerlifting and weightlifting?

07:12Weightlifting is overhead lifts.

07:15So, as you can see,

07:16they need to be lifted.

07:18The first event is snatch,

07:21where you lift it from the floor,

07:23directly overhead,

07:25in one motion of the bar.

07:28In clean and jerk,

07:30two motions.

07:32You lift it,

07:33put it on your clavicle,

07:35and then lift it overhead.

07:37That's weightlifting.

07:39As for powerlifting,

07:42powerlifting movements

07:43are actually training exercises

07:45also for weightlifting.

07:47The first event is squat.

07:51Maybe you've seen it in my video before.

07:53That's deadlift.

07:54It's like a partial weightlifting movement.

07:57But since it's partial,

07:59you can lift a lot heavier.

08:02Usually more than double

08:03what you can lift in snatch.

08:06In this event,

08:07you can see the bench press.

08:09That's the upper body strength.

08:12Maybe that's a bit different from weightlifting,

08:14where you bring the bar down to your chest,

08:17lying on the bench.

08:18And then you press the weight up

08:21while lying on the bench.

08:22That's why it's called bench press.

08:25In squat,

08:26what you just saw

08:27is having the bar behind you,

08:30slightly below the traps,

08:32instead of in the front,

08:33like in clean and jerk.

08:35So just squat.

08:37Squat deep enough

08:38to the legal depth,

08:39then lift it up.

08:41So movements in powerlifting

08:42can be a lot slower

08:44than weightlifting.

08:46In weightlifting,

08:47you can't do it in slow motion

08:49because you're putting momentum on the bar.

08:53In powerlifting,

08:54you can struggle to bring it up

08:56and be successful.

08:58That's why the weights

09:00in powerlifting

09:01are a lot more than weightlifting.

09:04It's not easier or harder.

09:05It's just a different way of lifting.

09:09But technique-wise,

09:10powerlifting is a lot easier.

09:12The movements are simpler.

09:15Sir Eddie,

09:17you were coined as the strongest man

09:20in the Philippines

09:21during your time.

09:22You were in the national team

09:23for two decades.

09:24But a lot of people wonder

09:26or ask,

09:27how did you start powerlifting?

09:30And how were you able

09:31to get the title

09:33of strongest man in the Philippines?

09:36The strongest man title

09:41is the highest powerlifting total

09:44of the three events.

09:46The squat, the bench press,

09:47and the deadlift combined.

09:50So at that time,

09:51I had the highest total.

09:54Although a lot of people

09:55were close to breaking it.

09:58But now,

09:59there are two formats

10:00of powerlifting.

10:02Before, powerlifting

10:04had knee wraps

10:05and bench shirts.

10:07It helps with the weight.

10:09So it depends on the person.

10:10The equipment

10:12helps differently.

10:15Now, there is a new,

10:16not new,

10:18in 2011,

10:19they started the raw powerlifting.

10:20There are no knee wraps

10:21and bench shirts.

10:23They lift less.

10:26So,

10:27the strongest man title

10:29becomes a bit different now.

10:31Before, it was equal

10:33where you can wear

10:34certain equipment.

10:36Now, there are two formats

10:38of powerlifting.

10:40In the format

10:41of the equipment,

10:44my record hasn't been exceeded.

10:47But,

10:48you can't say

10:49you're the strongest man now

10:50because some of those lifts

10:51although lower weights

10:52in raw powerlifting

10:55have the potential

10:56to lift over

10:57what I did before.

11:00So,

11:01that took a long time

11:02to do before.

11:04We started

11:05when I was in college.

11:07My brother taught me.

11:10Patrick.

11:11And then,

11:12in the early 90s,

11:14Ramon Rebuque coached me.

11:17He was also in the national team

11:19for a long time.

11:21And,

11:22after a few years,

11:23I got into

11:25self-learning also.

11:27Based on my experience,

11:28I was able to

11:30self-coach

11:32and pass on the knowledge

11:33to some younger lifters

11:35who made the team

11:36later on.

11:38Sir Eddie,

11:39is age a big factor?

11:42If an athlete

11:43started early

11:44or if an athlete

11:45is a late bloomer,

11:47is there an effect

11:48or factor

11:49on the strength of an athlete?

11:52Yes.

11:53We have

11:55examples of those

11:56who started very late

11:57and very young.

11:59Maybe,

12:00those who started

12:01very late

12:02and achieved

12:05a lot

12:06and reached the world level.

12:08Anita Coyta,

12:09believe it or not,

12:10she started powerlifting

12:11when she was

12:12around 48 years old.

12:15For some people,

12:16they think 48 years old.

12:17You know,

12:18that's what kids think.

12:20But she became

12:21very strong

12:23and qualified

12:24for the

12:26international

12:27open category.

12:28Not just the masters,

12:29but the open category.

12:31And eventually,

12:32she was able to

12:33break the world records

12:34in the masters.

12:36So,

12:37never too late.

12:38Of course,

12:39it's better if you start young.

12:40So,

12:41we have

12:42powerlifters

12:43who started

12:44even below 10 years old.

12:45Raymond

12:46Debuque

12:48started when he was

12:49about 7 years old.

12:51And later on,

12:52he went on to

12:53win a gold medal

12:54in the world championships

12:55in GVC's

12:57legal competition

12:58years.

12:59And he even

13:00broke the Asian record.

13:01So,

13:02that's our extreme.

13:03Some are 7 years old,

13:04some are 48 years old.

13:06It's never too late.

13:08Just get started

13:09and just try to be

13:10as good as you can.

13:12Now,

13:13for those who started

13:14very young,

13:16as long as

13:17you can

13:18keep getting stronger

13:19and stronger

13:20even up to your 40s.

13:22Most of the people I know,

13:23unless they

13:24decide to retire early,

13:26they're still picking

13:27in their 40s.

13:28So,

13:29Reggie Ramirez

13:30who's 31 years old,

13:31Veronica Ompod

13:33who's 24 years old,

13:35you know,

13:36they have

13:37one or two decades

13:38to keep getting better.

13:39So,

13:40if they're winning medals

13:41now in the world,

13:42I expect they will

13:43win a lot more

13:44for the next 10-20 years.

13:46But, of course,

13:47there are still

13:48Filipino kids

13:49who are growing up.

13:50They will add up.

13:52Last, sir,

13:53Reggie,

13:54if you have any

13:55upcoming events

13:56or if you have

13:57a message

13:58to our promising

13:59athletes or

14:00those who want to try

14:01or do powerlifting,

14:02this is your chance

14:03to invite and

14:04give a message.

14:06Well,

14:07one of the

14:08latest

14:09new things

14:10for our

14:11MSA,

14:12powerlifting

14:13will be

14:14in the

14:15NCAA

14:16Centennial

14:17Season

14:18Sports Festival.

14:19So, this is not

14:20a regular sport

14:21but it's getting

14:22people very

14:23excited.

14:24Then,

14:25we will also have

14:26the

14:28National

14:29Bench Press

14:30Competitions

14:31Championships

14:32in December,

14:34National

14:35Interschool

14:36Championships

14:37sometime

14:38in January,

14:39and then

14:40we will have

14:41the National

14:42Open East

14:43Cup Championships

14:44in February.

14:46So,

14:47we have a lot

14:48of events

14:49that you can

14:50join.

14:51We also have

14:52categories for

14:53novice.

14:54So,

14:55those who are

14:56first-timers.

14:57You can join

14:58and compete

14:59as first-timers.

15:00Then,

15:01as you develop,

15:02you can start

15:03being competitive

15:04in the other

15:05categories.

15:06Thank you

15:07so much,

15:08sir,

15:09Eddie Torres,

15:10for your time.

15:11It's early

15:12this morning

15:13Thank you, sir,

15:14Eddie.

15:15Okay, thank you.

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