MANILA – Nine Filipinos are ready to compete in the 4th Youth Olympic Games (YOG) scheduled Oct. 31-Nov. 13 in Dakar, Senegal.
Carrying the country’s colors are Pi Durden Wangkay (men’s 200m) and Naomi Marjorie Caesar (women’s 800m) in athletics, Jamesray Mishael Ajido (men’s 100m butterfly) and Riannah Chantelle Coleman (women’s 100m breaststroke) in aquatics, Maritanya Krog (women’s road and individual time trial) in cycling, Tchelzy Maayo and Hillarion Palles III in artistic gymnastics, Angel Polo (women’s Taijiquan combined) in wushu and Jade Justiniane in windsurfing of sailing.
“They are the future Olympians, future world champions and the Dakar YOG will provide them the platform to follow the footsteps of the Diazes and Yulos,” said Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in a news release Tuesday, referring to the country’s Olympic gold medalists Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and Carlos Yulo.
Wangkay won the men’s 200m gold medal and Caesar clinched a silver medal in the girls’ 800m last October at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain. Wangkay also ruled the same event at the 2025 Bangkok Southeast Asian Games.
Ajido won the 50m butterfly bronze medal at the 12th Asian Age Group Championships in Bangkok, Thailand last July.
Philippine Taekwondo Association Secretary-General Raul “Rocky” Samson is the Chef de Mission of the delegation.
The YOG come off the heels of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games where the country posted an improved performance with four gold, nine silver and 16 bronze medals, and before the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 13-21.
The Philippines has so far bagged two medals in the YOG.
Luis Gabriel Moreno won the mixed international team event of archery with China’s Li Jiaman in Nanjing (2014) while Christian Tio got the silver in boys’ twin-tip racing of kiteboarding in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2018).
The YOG, first hosted by Singapore in 2010, is staged every four years. The Dakar edition is the first time that the event is being held on African soil.
Some 2,700 athletes from more than 200 National Olympic Committees, including a Youth Refugee Olympic Team, are seeing action in 25 competition and 10 engagement sports. (PNA)
