Filipino teens prove they’re oh-so-golden with best PH gold haul
ISA TOWN—Sports officials said the Philippines wasn’t done winning gold medals at the Asian Youth Games just yet.
Boy, they weren’t kidding.
For starters, a night of reflection became the fuel for Pi Durden Wangkay’s moment of redemption.
Wangkay, just 16, shook off the sting of a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter dash and roared to gold in the 200m at Bahrain National Stadium, a victory that gave the Philippines its third gold medal in the continental meet—and signaled that the delegation wasn’t done chasing history.
“At first, when I didn’t win the 100, I was really sad,” said Wangkay in Filipino. “I thought about it all night, even on the way home.”
By the next day, the sprinter from La Salle Zobel had reworked his mindset.
“I told myself to imagine this was just a local meet—that I deserved to win this,” he said.
And he did. Wangkay surged from the turn and hit another gear with 40 meters left, pulling away from his rivals as the small Filipino crowd erupted. He clocked 21.76 seconds, ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Chu Chao-Feng (21.90) and South Korea’s Kim Sun-woo (21.93).
“It feels amazing to win not just in the Palarong Pambansa but here as well,” Wangkay said.
His win joined earlier golds by Kram Airam Carpio in pencak silat and Charlie Ratcliff in MMA.
That gold also came after Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the country was due for more wins.
And the Philippines came back with more golds on Sunday.
On Sunday, Lyre Anie Ngina and Zeth Gabriel Bueno delivered twin Muay Thai triumphs in the Wai Kru division, dominating their respective finals. Ngina scored 9.00 points to top the girls’ 14-15 class, while Bueno earned 9.17 to win the boys’ event, outclassing rivals from Thailand and Malaysia.
Jan Brix Ramiscal, meanwhile, added to the tally and turned the Muay Thai squad into the most successful group for the Philippines, winning gold with Tyron Jamborillo in the mixed team May Muay. That made up for a heartbreak in the boys 1-17 Wai Kru final where finished tied for first with Thailand’s Pimpichien Chaiwan with 9.23 points, only to slide to silver on tiebreak.
Those victories boosted the Philippines’ gold tally to six—smashing expectations and matching the buzz set by officials before the Games began. The last time the country won two golds in the Asian Youth Games, it marked its best finish. This edition, Team Philippines has already rewritten that script.
The Philippines is now fifth on the medal tally, behind China, Thailand, Uzbekistand and Iran after a strong day that began with Wangkay.
“I changed my mindset,” he said. “I imagined myself winning. I reminded myself that I deserve this.”
