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| John Cabang Tolentino put an end to a seven-decade drought for an Asian Games men's hurdle medal. POC Media Pool |
NAGOYA—Olympian John Cabang Tolentino has officially conquered the Asian Games podium, delivering a historic bronze medal for the Philippines in the men's 110-meter hurdles final on Sunday night.
Competing under the lights at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, the Filipino track star clocked a season-best time of 13.48 seconds to secure his highly coveted medal.
He finished closely behind China's Chen Yuanjiang, who captured the gold with a blazing 13.15 seconds, and Japan's Rachid Muratake, who took silver at 13.29 seconds.
The hard-fought victory marks a monumental milestone for Philippine athletics, ending a decades-long medal drought in the continental hurdles events.
The milestone marks the country's first Asiad hurdles medal since Elma Muros in 1990, and the first for a Filipino male hurdler since 1954.
This breakthrough in Nagoya builds on the hurdler's incredible recent momentum. On December 12, 2025, Cabang Tolentino captured gold at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Bangkok, Thailand, where he set a new SEA Games record of 13.66 seconds.
His performance shattered the previous record of 13.69 seconds, which had been held by Thailand's Jamras Rittidet since 2015.
"I'm very happy. It was just a lot of self-pressure, and I just did it," an emotional Cabang Tolentino shared after the race.
Having narrowly missed the podium with a heartbreaking fourth-place finish at the previous Hangzhou Games, the hurdler emphasized the unyielding mindset that fueled his redemption arc.
"I came here... to any competition, always to win," he declared.
Acknowledging the grueling physical and mental journey required to compete against Asia's elite, he reflected on what kept him moving forward.
"Even in the hard times, I kept pushing... I was always dreaming about this," he added.
Cabang Tolentino dedicated the historic triumph to his core support system: his coach, his family, his girlfriend, and the entire nation.
With an Asian Games bronze and a SEA Games record now firmly in his grasp, the athletic standout is already looking toward the ultimate sporting stage.
"I'm gonna go for LA Olympics," he affirmed.
