The medal race is tightening, and the Philippines still has five gold medals to find
𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗦. 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦. 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗨𝗦𝗛.
With only three days remaining in the 2026 Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, the country remains short of its eight-gold target.
The road has not been perfect. Some medal hopes have fallen short, opportunities have slipped away, and the shocking quarterfinal exit of Sibol Mobile Legends: Bang Bang against Indonesia left another painful “what if” hanging over Team Philippines.
But with the finish line approaching, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is choosing to look forward.
“Napipitasan tayo, pero may umaangat. May awa ang Diyos.”
And there is still plenty to fight for.
At the center of the final push is Alex Eala, already assured of at least a bronze medal but chasing something much bigger — an Asian Games gold that would make her the first Filipino tennis player to reach the top of the podium since the legendary Johnny Jose in 1962.
Then there is Carlo Paalam.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist is the Philippines’ lone boxer still standing and is set for a gold-medal showdown with Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi in the men’s 55kg division. Despite the bruises accumulated along the way, Paalam remains determined to give everything in what he calls a “mother of all battles.”
For Philippine boxing, the stakes are even bigger: a victory would finally end a 16-year wait for an Asian Games gold medal in the sport.
The country’s jiu-jitsu hopes are equally formidable.
Annie Ramirez, the defending champion and two-time world champion, is chasing another Asian Games crown, while Kimberly Custodio, a four-time world champion whose latest title came just last August, is also in the hunt.
And the list does not stop there.
Chino Sy carries the country’s hopes in judo, while taekwondo veterans Tachiana Mangin and Kurt Barbosa begin their campaigns with gold on their minds.
There have been disappointments.
There have been medals that slipped away.
But the Asian Games are not decided by what has already happened.
They are decided by what comes next.
Three days remain.
Five golds remain on the target.
And for Team Philippines, the final push begins now.
NO LOOKING BACK. NO COUNTING OUT. JUST ONE MORE FIGHT AFTER ANOTHER. 🇵🇭🔥
