Carlos Baylon Jr. (center) won the men’s 56kg gold medal in the IWUF 10th Sanda World Cup held in Jiangyin, China on April 5-10, 2025. He beat Saydullo Abdurashitov of Uzbekistan, 2-o, in the final. (Photo courtesy of IWUF)
Wushu standout Carlos Baylon Jr. has been named the top honoree in the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s (PSA) list of monthly achievers for April.
Hailing from La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Baylon delivered a breakthrough performance at the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) 10th Sanda World Cup in Jiangyin, China. He spearheaded the country’s campaign with a gold and two bronze medals.
Baylon, competing in the men’s 56kg division, stunned 2024 Wushu World Championship bronze medalist Hio Lam Ku of Macau with a 2-1 semifinal victory before dominating Uzbekistan’s Saydullo Abdurashitov, 2-0, in the final.
“After so many years of competing, I’m just so happy to finally win a gold medal and the World Cup,” said the 27-year-old, who has been a member of the national team for 11 years.
Joining Baylon on the PSA honor roll are Sydney Sy Tancontian (sambo), Allain Ganapin (para taekwondo), and members of the Philippine surfing and kickboxing teams.
Sy Tancontian captured gold in the women’s +80kg division at the Asia and Oceania Sambo Championships in Uzbekistan, overpowering Mongolia’s Ser-Ochir Buyanzaya, 3-0. Teammates Aislinn Yap and Richmond Revina also earned podium finishes, with Yap taking gold in the women’s -80kg combat category and Revina earning silver in the men’s -64kg SVI-1 sport sambo class.
In para taekwondo, Ganapin brought home a bronze in the men’s K44 -80kg category at the 7th World Taekwondo President’s Cup – Asian Region in Tai’an, China. The 2024 Paris Paralympian continues to be a strong contender on the international stage.
The Philippine surfing team also made waves, finishing third overall in the ISA World Longboard Championship in El Salvador with 2,288 points, behind only France (2,865) and the USA (2,335). Jay-R Esquivel contributed to the team’s success with a bronze in the men’s individual event.
Meanwhile, the national kickboxing team impressed at the 1st Thailand Kickboxing World Cup in Bangkok, racking up a total of eight golds, four silvers, and ten bronze medals.
World No. 4 pole vaulter EJ Obiena also continued to shine, capturing gold at the Taiwan International Pole Vault Championship after clearing 5.50 meters in foggy conditions, outjumping American Matt Ludwig (5.30m).
Tennis ace Alex Eala made headlines with a series of stunning victories on the WTA Tour. The 19-year-old climbed from world No. 140 to No. 75—reaching a career-high of No. 72 last month—after defeating three Grand Slam champions, including world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, at the Miami Open. Eala advanced to the Round of 32 at the Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal and also recorded a straight-sets win over No. 64 Viktoriya Tomova in the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, before falling to Swiatek in a tightly contested three-set match.
