In a triumphant start at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Team Philippines has already secured its first medal, thanks to taekwondo athlete Patrick King Perez who won the bronze in Men’s Individual Poomsae on Sunday, Day 1 of competitions in the 15-day continental tilt which kicked off on September 23 and will run until October 8, 2023.
With a total of 395 Filipino athletes competing across 40 sports, the nation is keen to outdo its performance from the 2018 Jakarta Games where it won four gold, two silver, and 15 bronze medals. Leading the charge are Olympic gold medalist weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, Olympic silver medalists boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, World No. 2 and Asia’s No. 1 athlete pole vaulter EJ Obiena, and Asia’s champion skater Margielyn Didal.
Taekwondo athlete Patrick King Perez placed the Philippines on the medal tally board of the 19th Asian Games after winning the bronze in Men's Individual Poomsae @OlympicPHI @19thAGofficial @AsianGamesOCA #AsianGames https://t.co/leYBjgj8Xa pic.twitter.com/jI1wvbMkyP
— GoodNewsPilipinas.com (@GoodNewsPinas_) September 25, 2023
Team Philippines: Athlete Highlights
- Patrick King Perez in Taekwondo:
- Claimed the first medal, a bronze for the Philippines in men’s individual poomsae
- Scored 94.1 points in the semifinals before losing to Taiwan’s Ma Yun Zhong who scored 104.2
- The 23-year-old Filipino martial artist defeated Laos in the Round of 16 and Nepal in the Quarterfinals
- Kayla Sanchez in 50m Backstroke Final:
- Kayla Sanchez reaches Women’s 50m Backstroke finals after a Top 8 finish in preliminary heats.
- Teia Salvino in 50m Backstroke Final:
- Teia Salvino also reaches the Women’s 50m Backstroke finals.
- Women’s 4×100-Meter Freestyle Relay Final:
- Jasmine Alkhaldi, Xiandi Chua, Teia Salvino, and Chloe Isleta have advanced to the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay finals after finishing fifth overall in the heats.
- Kiko Francisco in Skate Men’s Final:
- Landed 4th with just 0.8 difference from a podium finish.
- Agatha Wong in Taijijian and Taijiquan Final:
- Secures 4th place.
- Joanie Delgaco in Singles Sculls 2000m Final A:
- Placed 5th place overall.
- Cris Nievarez in Singles Sculls 2000m Final B:
- Placed 8th place overall.
- Mazel Paris Alegado in Skateboarding Final:
- The youngest athlete in the games, 9-year-old Alegado qualified for the finals in the women’s park event and placed 7th overall.
- Alex Eala in Tennis:
- Won her match in Women’s Singles Round 2, moves on to next round.
- Mark Ashley Fajardo in Men’s 63.5kg Boxing:
- Wins against Bhutan in Preliminaries to book ticket to Round of 16.
- Eumir Marcial in Men’s 80kg Boxing:
- Wins against Mongolia in Preliminaries to book ticket to Round of 16.
- Pilipinas Football Team in Round 1:
- Wins against Hong Kong in first match of Group E.
- Kiyomi Watanabe in Judo Women’s 63kg:
- Wins against Vietnam to secure Quarterfinals spot.
- Ryoko Salinas in Judo Women’s 70kg:
- Wins against India to secure Quarterfinals spot.
The Asian Games 2023, originally scheduled for 2022, had its grand opening on September 23rd after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the Philippine delegation aims to surpass its 19th-place finish in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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