EJ Obiena defends his crown and smashes his own Asian Games record

A TOUGH START FOR GILAS GIRLS. 🇵🇭🏀

The Gilas Pilipinas Girls opened their Division A FIBA Women’s U18 Asia Cup campaign with a brutal reality check, falling to defending champion Australia, 102-47, at the Karisma Arena in Seremban, Malaysia on Sunday, Oct. 4.

The Australian Gems wasted no time showing why they are the defending champions, exploding to a 30-8 lead after the opening quarter and putting the Filipinas in a hole they could never escape.

By halftime, the damage was already done.

Australia stretched its advantage to 60-20, effectively putting the game out of reach after two quarters.

Tiffany Reyes and Zaydhen Rosano led Gilas with 10 points apiece, but Australia’s depth proved too much. Five Australian players scored in double figures, led by Sophie Richardson with 18 points and Isabel Smith with 17.

But there’s no time to dwell on the loss.

The Filipinas return to action Monday, Oct. 5, against South Korea, before wrapping up the Group A preliminaries against New Zealand on Tuesday.

THE AUSTRALIAN WALL WAS TOO HIGH. NOW COMES THE RESPONSE.

The score is final.

THE FIGHT ISN’T.

The Philippines didn’t just leave Aichi-Nagoya with medals.

IT ALSO LEFT ITS MARK IN ASIAN SPORTS LEADERSHIP.

Philippine Olympic Committee President and Olympic Council of Asia Executive Board Member Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino attended the closing ceremony of the 20th Asian Games at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium on Sunday, October 4.

Seated alongside fellow OCA Executive Board Member HRH Prince Sufri Bolkiah of Brunei, Tolentino represented the Philippines as the continent’s biggest multi-sport event came to a close.

On the field, Team Pilipinas finished with 4 GOLD, 9 SILVER, AND 16 BRONZE MEDALS in Olympic disciplines.

But beyond the medal count, the closing ceremony also underscored something else:

THE PHILIPPINES HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE OF ASIAN SPORTS GOVERNANCE.

Athletes fight for medals.

Leaders help shape the environment in which those athletes compete.

And as the Asian Games flame goes out in Nagoya, the work continues—not just for the next medal, but for the next generation of Filipino athletes.

THE GAMES MAY BE OVER.
THE MISSION ISN’T.

Khy Progella and Sofiah Pagara didn’t just win a medal.

THEY OPENED A DOOR PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S BEACH VOLLEYBALL HAS NEVER WALKED THROUGH BEFORE. 🇵🇭🔥

The young Filipinas captured the PHILIPPINES’ FIRST-EVER ASIAN GAMES BEACH VOLLEYBALL MEDAL, rallying from a set down to stun China, 13-21, 23-21, 15-13, and seize bronze in Aichi-Nagoya.

But bronze shouldn’t be the finish line.

IT SHOULD BE THE LAUNCHPAD.

They swept Japan to reach the semifinals, pushed Thailand in a tight battle, then showed nerves of steel when the bronze was on the line.

That wasn’t a lucky run.

THAT WAS A STATEMENT.

A statement that Filipino women can fight—and win—on Asia’s biggest beach volleyball stage.

And now?

THE NEXT STAGE IS LOS ANGELES.

LA28. 🇺🇸🔥

The Olympic dream suddenly doesn’t feel so far away.

Because the question is no longer:

“CAN FILIPINO WOMEN COMPETE IN BEACH VOLLEYBALL?”

They already answered that in Aichi-Nagoya.

The question now is:

“HOW FAR CAN THEY GO?”

That answer won’t come from one medal.

It will come from more international tournaments. More world-class opponents. Better preparation. Stronger support. And the resources to turn Asian Games potential into Olympic-level performance.

Because you don’t build an Olympic team by celebrating a breakthrough and moving on.

YOU BUILD IT BY INVESTING IN WHAT COMES NEXT.

🥉 BRONZE TODAY.

🇺🇸 LA28 TOMORROW.

And maybe—just maybe—this is where the Philippine women’s beach volleyball Olympic story begins.

PROGELLA. PAGARA. REMEMBER THE NAMES.

THEY MADE HISTORY IN ASIA.
NOW LET’S HELP THEM MAKE NOISE IN THE WORLD.

World titles made Gerry Peñalosa a champion. 

But what he does today could help create the next one.

A two-division world champion, Peñalosa earned his place among the Philippines’ boxing greats by proving himself against the best inside the ring.

Now, he’s trading his fighter’s role for that of a trainer and promoter, helping young Filipino boxers chase the same dream that once drove him: to become a world champion.

The gloves may serve a different purpose now. The mission remains the same.

Because boxing greatness isn’t measured only by the belts you win or the opponents you defeat. It’s also measured by the knowledge you pass on, the careers you help build, and the young fighters you inspire to believe they belong on the world stage.

Peñalosa has already conquered two divisions.

NOW, HIS NEXT LEGACY COULD BE THE CHAMPIONS HE HELPS CREATE. 🥊🔥

The champion’s next fight? Building the next champion.

Now you know.

Every league. Every athlete. Every story.

Some athletes spend years chasing their first major breakthrough. Others arrive on the biggest stage and announce themselves immediately.

Meet Juliana Mykhail Candelaria, the Igorot taekwondo jin who turned her Asian Games debut into a silver-medal statement in women’s individual poomsae at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

Her score? 9.1300. 🥈

Only South Korea’s Jung Hae-un finished ahead of her.

At just 18, Candelaria stepped onto one of the biggest stages in Asian sport, faced the pressure of continental competition, and delivered a performance good enough to put her on the podium.

First Asian Games. First appearance. First major statement.

And the most exciting part? Her journey is only beginning.

Imagine what more international experience, quality coaching, and sustained support could do for a young athlete who has already shown she can compete with Asia’s best.

Her silver is more than a medal. It is a glimpse of what Philippine taekwondo could become—and a reminder that the next generation is already knocking on the door.

But potential needs support. Breakthroughs need follow-through. And young champions deserve more than applause after the medals are won.

SHE ARRIVED AS A ROOKIE. SHE LEFT AS AN ASIAN GAMES MEDALIST.

Juliana Candelaria, keep chasing that next level. The future is yours to fight for. 🇵🇭🔥

Athletes are people first. Celebrate the breakthrough. Support the journey.

OFF COURT ONLY. COOL THINGS ONLY.