In sports, it’s not uncommon for the United States or European countries to have sports icons by the dozens.
Long established and well-funded sports in those countries have allowed athletes to be trained as early as childhood, producing world class players in almost every discipline.
Unlike the First World, the Philippines or other their world countries in Asia do not have a regular stream of dominating world champions. They come as rarely as comets streaking across the sky in a flash. But when they do emerge, they hold us all in awe.
Last week, while lazily flipping through television channels, I chanced upon a documentary on one such comet.
Discovery Channel presented the rise of Kim Yu-na, South Korea’s teenage figure skating sensation, who recently set records to win an Olympic gold in Vancouver.
It follows the 19-year-old’s journey from obscurity to dominance in a sport that is excruciatingly difficult to master.
Being a nation unfamiliar with winter sports, the Philippines can sidestep the technical aspects of this lithe yet strong phenom, although we can appreciate what pundits of her sport call her: A “total package” of athleticism, grace, strength and gritty determination.
She makes the difficult seem easy as she slices the ice with consecutive triple spins and a captivating choreography that envelopes even those clueless about her discipline.
The documentary was not merely a sports highlight film. It emphasised that Kim represents the new outlook of the Korean woman, long restricted by society’s norms and now stepping out with individuality at pace with the country’s 21st-century beat.
It may seem a little too much for a woman so young but that is what achievements in sport can do – thrust you to the forefront of a nation’s collective dreams.
Kim holds her country’s breath when she competes in the same way Manny Pacquiao holds ours whenever he steps into the ring.
For the Filipinos, boxer Manny Pacquiao represents the impossible becoming possible that through hard work and being at the right place and the right time, a Filipino can be the world’s best.
This is sports’ contribution to the nation with its heroes inspiring people burdened by survival’s demands.
The achievements of Kim and Pacquiao, although worlds apart in terms of their demands, are on the same page as far as showing that there are no limits on dreams.
Setbacks and challenges are part of the game and should not deter us from making our own lives better.
Kim and Pacquiao now challenge us to not simply find the replacements for them when their time is up but to open doors for others to shine in sports, not necessarily their own.
Let this be a challenge not only to the sports leaders and movers of the Philippines but to all of us who have children or work with young people.
Let us continue to provide the playgrounds and projects that will inspire the next generation of Filipinos to not only be world class athletes but to make them believe what they can achieve in their professions and other fields as well.
May there be more comets like Kim and Pacquiao streaking across our skies to help us along the way.
