Best-ever showing for Philippines Youth Olympians

DAKAR – The Philippines – behind the silver medal won by Naomi Marjorie Cesar and the bronze of Pi Durden Forward Wangkay in athletics – booked its best performance in the fourth edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that came to a close on Friday night at the YOG Athletes Village in Diamniadio.

For Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino, the 14-day campaign in the Senegalese capital was an accomplishment, a proof of progress and a beacon to invest more on grassroots.

“It’s the best performance, these two medals,” Tolentino said. “The level of competition in the YOG is high, the young athletes from the powerhouse countries are as high in their age group as their elite counterparts.”

Cesar’s silver and Wangkay’s bronze surpassed the silver won by Christian Tio in boys’ twin-tip racing of kiteboarding at the 2018 Buenos Aires Games. The gold Luis Gabriel Moreno shared with China’s Li Jiaman in mixed NOC in archery at Nanjing 2014 didn’t officially count.

The Philippines qualified nine athletes in Dakar – the first time an African country hosted an Olympic competition – in six sports where they faced opponents who’re also as young as 14 and no older than 17, but equipped with more superior skills culled from elite training programs particularly those from the Americas and Europe and the top countries in Asia.