The Philippines delivered a historic performance at the 10th Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships on Thursday, August 6, capturing gold and bronze medals in the youth mixed pairs category at the Tagaytay CT Velodrome.
Fourteen-year-old Palarong Pambansa standouts Rhimel Daniel Cabides and Antonette Amante led the national team, scoring 17.80 points to win the gold medal in their international debut. Performing first among the six finalist duos, Cabides and Amante set the standard across difficulty, execution, and artistry.
Vietnam’s Ann Thinh Tran and Ngoc Gia Ngueyen matched their overall score of 17.80 but took silver due to a lower execution rating (7.450 to the Filipinos’ 7.50).
”Napatunayan namin maari kaming makapasabayan internationally,” said Amante, a Grade 8 student at Teodoro Alonzo High School. “Maganda na mapakinggan yung national anthem ng Pilipinas.”
teammates Rhys Enoch Balmayor and John Mikaela Ladaran of General Santos City secured the bronze medal with a score of 17.150.
”This is all too surreal. We really did not expect it. It was only a dream,” said the 11-year-old Ladaran.
Head coach and former SEA Games bronze medalist Carlo Joshua Tangonan commended both tandems for their resilience throughout a tough training cycle.
”I am very proud of both pairs. Naging mahirap din yung journey ng mga bata and their training so I am very happy with the result,” Tangonan said. “We would like to thank the GAP for the opportunity it gave our junior athletes to show their mettle against top caliber gymnasts from Asia.”
The tournament was organized by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP), sanctioned by the Asian Gymnastics Union, and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and PAGCOR.