ASIAN GAMES: PH ends Japan Asiad with best performance in 64 years

MANILA – Team Philippines added a final silver to its medal haul at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, ending the quadrennial tournament with its best performance in 64 years — four gold, nine silver and 16 bronze medals.

Alexandria Luz Enriquez defeated Mongolia's Narankhishig Baasanjargal to reach the jiu-jitsu women's -63kg final, where she lost to Thailand's Senathan Orapa.

Baasanjargal downed Filipino Andrea Lois Lao in the battle for the bronze medal.

With the total 29 medals, it was the finest Team Philippines' achievement since the 1962 Jakarta, Indonesia Games that produced 37 medals (7-6-24).

Thailand is the top performer among Southeast Asian countries at No. 7 with 18 golds, 13 silvers and 21 bronzes.

Malaysia (No. 11) has 9-7-16 and Indonesia (No. 15) has 5-11-23. China ruled the Games with 169-89-63, host Japan produced 83-94-91 and South Korea 38-43-68.

Meanwhile, taekwondo gold and bronze medalist Jeus Gabriel Derick Yape will carry the Philippine flag during the parade of athletes in Sunday’s closing ceremony set at 5 p.m. (PH time) at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium.

Yape topped the mixed virtual taekwondo, an open gender event that combines the combat sports with virtual reality and motion-tracking technology, on Friday to highlight a best-ever 1-3-1 gold-silver-bronze haul by Filipino jins.

He also clinched bronze in men’s individual poomsae.

Also joining the closing ceremony are silver medalist Juliana Mykhail Candelaria, ⁠Tachiana Keizha Mangin and Kurt Barbosa of taekwondo; and ⁠Carlo Paalam of boxing.

Paris Olympics boxing bronze medalist Aira Villegas and weightlifting world junior champion Albert Ian de los Santos were the flag bearers during the Sept. 19 opening ceremony. (PNA)

*medal tally updated Sunday (Oct. 4, 2026); 1:58 a.m.