Blu Girls out to mend Asiad heartache

If the Blu Girls are going to shed more tears at the Asian Games, they will make sure it is out of joy.

The Philippines heads to the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan determined to finally end a string of heartbreaking near-misses and capture its first softball medal in the continental meet.

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The Blu Girls have reached the semifinals three times, only to fall short in the bronze medal game each time, including a 3-2 loss to Chinese Taipei in Hangzhou in 2023.

“We promised ourselves that if we’re going to cry again in the Asian Games, they’ll be tears of joy this time,” team captain Charlotte Sales said on Tuesday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

“We’re still heartbroken over what happened in Hangzhou because we lost the bronze medal match.”

The disappointment has only strengthened the resolve of a squad made up of 12 local players and five Filipino-Americans.

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“We’ve never lost hope,” cocaptain Royevel Palma said. “We’re working hard to finally achieve our goal of reaching the podium.”

The Blu Girls hope another training camp in Japan will help them clear that hurdle.

Assistant coach Rizza Bernardino said the team will leave on Aug. 21 for the camp before heading straight to Nagoya, where the softball tournament begins on Sept. 26.

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The Philippines is coming off a fifth-place finish in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup in Lima, Peru, a campaign preceded by a similar training camp in Japan.

“The training camp really helped because we improved a lot,” Bernardino said. “The Japanese team taught us so much. They were generous in sharing skills and everything that could help us become better.”

The Blu Girls are currently training at the Manila Polo Club as they prepare for another shot at history.

Japan enters the tournament as the overwhelming favorite, seeking a seventh straight Asian Games gold medal after beginning its championship run in Busan in 2002.

Meanwhile, four of the country’s top collegiate basketball teams face a serious challenge when they vie in the National Student-Athletes Championships (NSAC) World Invitationals from Aug. 14 to 16 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Representing the Philippines in the event are University of Santo Tomas, San Beda, Far Eastern U and Jose Rizal University.

Jai Reyes, UAAP commissioner and chief organizer of the NSAC event, said two teams from Japan and one each from Australia and Chinese-Taipei will compete in the tournament that will be played using Fiba rules.