By: Gil Moriones
MANILA --- The Philippines will close the 20th Asian Games chapter bringing home four gold, nine silver, and 16 bronze medals, placing 17th overall in the medal tally and fourth in the ASEAN zone.
The four gold medals were produced by 2024 Olympians Carlos Yulo and EJ Obiena, along with Asiad newcomer Jeus Yape, which officially tied the Philippines’ streak of four-gold finishes for the third consecutive Asian Games since 2018.
The Philippines sent 440 athletes, the largest delegation so far since the 1994 Asiad - fielding 524 athletes, produced 29 total medals marking the biggest medal haul since the 1966 Bangkok Games, where the Philippines acquired 42 total medals.
Earlier, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino set an ambitious target of eight gold medals in Aichi-Nagoya, aiming to surpass the seven-gold medal record set in 1962.
Yulo duplicated his 2024 Olympic double-gold performance in the Finals for Floor Exercise and Vault, earning two gold medals with ease in his gymnastics career.
In his second Asian Games appearance, he became the second Filipino athlete to win more than one gold medal in a single Asian Games edition since Yuka Saso in 2018.
Meanwhile, Obiena set a new Asian Games record after clearing 5.91 meters in the Pole Vault Final. He successfully defended his gold-medal title, becoming the second Filipino athlete to achieve back-to-back Asian Games gold medals (2022/23 and 2026) since the late Lydia de Vega.
Finally, Yape won the Taekwondo Virtual Mixed Individual event, an inaugural competition, after defeating Vietnam in the Gold-medal match. He earlier earned a bronze medal after placing third in Men’s Poomsae.
The Philippine Taekwondo Team was hailed as the most successful squad, producing five total medals — one gold, two silver, and two bronze. Through Yape, this is their first-ever Asiad gold medal since the team earned its first medal in 1986.
The Philippines also claimed nine silver medals for the first time since the 1970 Asiad, when the Nationals recorded the same number, and 16 bronze medals, which matched the country’s last 16-bronze finish in the 2002 multi-games.
However, no Filipino athlete in this edition secured a direct ticket to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, which was expected from Alex Eala’s campaign in Tennis Women’s Singles.
Doha, Qatar is set to host the 21st Asiad, which has been set to reschedule from 2030 to 2031.
