After their ates and kuyas made headlines on the international stage at the recent Asian Games, it is now time for the next generation of Filipino sports stars to take the spotlight.
Pi Durden Wangkay, Photos: Tchelzy Mei Maayo, Riannah Chantelle Coleman/Instagram
Nine promising athletes—all 17 years old and younger—are officially set to represent Team Philippines at the upcoming fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar, Senegal.
Leading the charge for the national team is 17-year-old track sprinter Pi Durden Wangkay. Expectations are high for the speedster from Biñan, Laguna, who previously won gold in the boys’ 200-meter dash at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain and the Southeast Asian Games. Wangkay will be competing in his signature 200-meter event in Dakar.
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Joining Wangkay on the track is fellow 17-year-old runner Naomi Marjorie Caesar. The talented Filipino-American middle-distance runner clinched a silver medal in the girls’ 800-meter event at the Asian Youth Games and will aim for a podium finish in the women’s 800 meters in Senegal.
The Philippines will also showcase a formidable pair in the pool.
Multi-titled swimmer Jamesray Mishael Ajido, 16, from La Salle Green Hills, returns to the international arena following standout performances at the 11th and 12th Asian Age Group Championships.
Ajido, who captured gold in the boys’ 100m butterfly and silver in the 50m butterfly in 2024, will also hold the distinct honor of serving as the official flag bearer for Team Philippines during the opening ceremony in Dakar.
Joining Ajido in the aquatic events is 17-year-old breaststroke phenom Riannah Chantelle Coleman. Representing the Philippine National Academy of Sports, Coleman earned Most Outstanding Swimmer honors at the Asian Open Swimming Championships in Thailand.
She also recently broke her own Palarong Pambansa record in the secondary girls’ 100-meter breaststroke in Agusan del Sur, stopping the clock at a blazing 1:12.99.
Gymnastics will also feature two young contenders. Fourteen-year-old Tchelzy Mei Maayo ruled the Singapore Open, taking gold in the Junior 13-Under Individual All-Around and Vault, and sweeping gold in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Hilarion Palles III punched his ticket to Dakar after an impressive routine on his signature apparatus, the parallel bars, at the 19th Junior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Zunyi, China.
Rounding out the national delegation across cycling, combat sports, and water sports are:
- Maritanya Krog (17, Cycling): The road and track cycling prodigy earned her Olympic spot after delivering a stellar 6th-place finish among 47 world-class continental entries at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.
- Angel Polo (15, Wushu): Polo secured her qualification following a bronze-medal performance at the 9th World Junior Wushu Championships in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
- Jade Justiniane (16, Windsurfing): The young sailor clinched a crucial victory by taking home the gold medal in the Techno 293 U17 Men’s division at the Thailand Windsurfing Championships.
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Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino expressed confidence in the youth delegation.
“They are the future Olympians, future world champions, and the Dakar YOG will provide them the platform to follow in the footsteps of the Diazes and Yulos,” Tolentino shared.
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The Philippines previously captured two medals in Youth Olympic Games history: archer Luis Gabriel Moreno took home gold in the mixed international team event alongside China’s Li Jiaman at the 2014 Nanjing Games, while kiteboarder Christian Tio earned silver in the boys’ twin-tip racing event at the 2018 Buenos Aires Games.
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The 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games mark a historic milestone as the first Olympic event hosted on African soil. The competition will run from October 31 to November 13, 2026, in Senegal.
ALSO READ: Team Philippines Delivers the Largest Medal Haul at the Asian Games Since 1966
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