THE Philippines collected four golds, eight silvers and 16 bronzes as of 7 p.m. on Friday in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham Tolentino had initially set a target of eight gold medals but will have to settle with four, matching its tally in the 2022 Hangzhou Games.The Philippines, however, has more medals than in 2022, when its athletes bought home two silvers and 12 bronzes for a total of 18 medals.
Tachiana Mangin and Olympian Kurt Bryan Barbosa reached the finals in taekwondo Friday night, but had to settle for silvers.
Mangin bowed to world taekwondo champion Jingyue Ma of China in the women’s under-49-kilogram (kg), 2-0, and Barbosa lost to Tamirlan Tleules of Kazakhstan, 2-0, in men’s under-58 kg.
On Friday morning, Jeus Yape snared an unexpected gold for the nation after defeating Ngoc Tuyet Sang Chau of Vietnam, 2-0, in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo event at the Toyohashi Gymnasium.
The 22-year-old became the first athlete to strike gold in the taekwondo discipline.
He joins the elite club of gold medal finishers of this year’s Asiad with double-gold medalist Carlos Yulo and Ernest John “EJ” Obiena.
Yulo dominated the men’s vault and floor exercise events, replicating his feat in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Obiena claimed a new Asian Games record of 5.91 meters, in the process defending his pole vault crown.
Sports officials had targeted an eight-gold-medal haul in Nagoya, coming from jiu-jitsu, boxing, mixed martial arts, gymnastics, athletics, tennis and Esports.
In mixed martial arts, Jean Paul Saclag lost to Otabek Rajabov of Tajikistan, settling for silver.
The esports delegation, who received a special shout-out from the POC president during the send-off ceremony, finished with a bronze in Honor of Kings and Pokémon Unite.
In the tennis event, Alexandra “Alex” Eala lost some gas at the semifinal round, bowing to Chinese Xiyu Wang, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, to settle for third place.
Olympian boxer Carlo Paalam was expected to deliver the country’s fifth gold on Friday, but he lost by split decision to Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi.
In jiu-jitsu, 2022 Asiad gold medalist Annie Ramirez made an early exit, beaten by Thailand’s Nuchanat Singchalad in the Women’s –52 kg round of 16.
The jiu-jitsu team delivered a bronze medal as Jenna Kaila Napolis bested Mongolia’s Tsagaanbileg Altangerel.
The Philippines still hopes to add to its medal haul on Saturday when Andrea Lois Lao, Alexandria Luz Ramirez and Vito Luis Luzuriaga vie for a podium finish in jiu-jitsu.
Baby Jessica Canabal faces Thailand’s Natkamon Wassana in the round of 16 in taekwondo, hoping to advance in the next round and finish the day with a medal.
The women’s softball team looks to bag a bronze when it takes on Taiwan.
Pauline Del Rosario, Bianca Isabel Pagdanganan and Rianne Mikaela Malixi vie for a medal in golf.
The women’s pair of Danna Abbad and Joshea Malazarte guns for a bronze finish in padel.
