Pool player Carlo Biado was the toast of The Philippines, as he dramatically broke the medal drought that has never seen the Asian island nation top the podium at a global multi-sport event. When Carlo, nicknamed “Lucky Luke” potted the last yellow ball on the table, to complete a stirring 11-7 comeback victory in The World Games 9 ball Pool final against British player Jayson Shaw, he instantly became a national hero.
No Filipino has ever won gold at the Olympic Games, three times they have collected silver; the most recent being when Hidilyn Diaz was a Weightlifting runner up in Rio last year. Prior to that, Atlanta 1996 was the last time The Philippines had last collected an Olympic medal; flyweight boxer Mansueto Valasco making it to the middle step of the podium. The Asian Games, where the islanders compete against other countries from their continent, has proved to be a similarly barren hunting ground. The most recent edition, three years ago in South Korea, saw The Philippines pick up just the solitary gold in BMX Cycling. The sports mad Filipinos, who love their Boxing and Basketball, have been continually disappointed and frustrated by their lack of international sporting success.
Yet now in Wroclaw, Poland for the first time ever a gold medal will be placed around the neck of a Filipino who has beaten the world, for the first time the national anthem of The Philippines will be played. Filipino athletes have been involved in podium ceremonies before at The World Games, the multi-sport event held every four years to showcase non-Olympic sports. They have picked up silvers and bronzes (five of each kind) over the nine previous editions of The World Games, but Biado becomes the first athlete to handle gold!
The 33-year-old former Golf caddy, whose last tournament win was back in 2013, picked the ideal moment to record the biggest victory of his, what till now had been a less than illustrious, professional career. Initially things looked unpromising, Shaw opened up a gap of several frames and it seemed the Filipino cue wizard would have to content himself with the silver medal. However the Pinoy athlete, who only earned $21,500 last year, started to find his rhythm, and cut the deficit to just six frames to five. The next frame he was level and starting to sense this could be his opportunity to create sporting history.
Shaw took the next frame, then came the turning point; Biado living up to his nickname, as his break saw the yellow 9 ball sink sweetly into the pocket, giving the Asian the frame with just a single shot! This so rattled the British player that he gave the Filipino the chance to take a frame against the break, and amazingly Biado now led for the first time 8-7. The Quezon City resident gave his fans a scare in the next frame with the 9 ball rattling the jaws of the pocket, but nevertheless disappearing from the table. Shaw failed to make a pot from his break and then fouled, Biado having to deal with a tricky black ball to move to one frame short of victory. A Filipino break and a straightforward clearance, just the final historic ball left. As it embraced the pocket, the ball changed colour from yellow to brightest GOLD.
