Silver, bronze, heartbreakers

NAGOYA – A silver lining, a kata bronze, and a handful of heartbreakers – Team Philippines had a full day here yesterday.

It was the busiest day yet for the Philippines at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, headlined by Jean Claude Saclag’s silver in MMA and the women’s karate kata team’s bronze, big statements on the court and a near-miss in the pool.

Jean Claude “The Dynamite” Saclag came one win away from history – a possible first gold in this Asiad and the first-ever Asian Games gold in MMA for the country – only to see it buried on the mat.

The 31-year-old Baguio fighter fell to Tajikistan’s Otabek Rajabov, 0-3, in the men’s traditional -65kg final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.

Saclag scored an early knockdown but Rajabov bounced back and turned the fight into a ground game which he dominated. It mirrored Incheon 2014, when Saclag also settled for silver in wushu.

“Well-fought match. Saclag showed a big heart. He apologized (with the loss). I said ‘this is a rare silver,’ be proud,” said Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio.

The PSC chair said it’s still a big day for Team Philippines, the third day of full action where the Nationals raised their haul to one silver and three bronzes – thanks to Saclag’s showing and the kata women’s contribution.

Kata women deliver bronze

Hours earlier, the women’s team kata gave the country its third medal of the Games.

Samantha Emmanuelle Veguillas, Ysabielle Arrogante and Rebecca Cyril Torres captured bronze, beating Thailand 4-1 in the bronze-medal match at the Toyohashi Gymnasium.

The trio won four of the five judges’ decisions after falling 0-5 to powerhouse Iran in the semis.

It has now produced three straight bronzes in the Asian Games – starting with Junna Tsukii in Jakarta 2018 and Sakura Alforte in Hangzhou 2023, and now Torres, Veguillas and Arrogante in Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

Women power in 3X3

Women’s power was also in play in 3x3 basketball on a day that Team Phl suffered crushing blows in boxing, swimming and gymnastics.

Gilas Pilipinas Women 3x3 opened with a statement.

Kacey dela Rosa steered the women to two dominant wins in the opener Tuesday at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue, stunning powerhouse and last edition’s silver medalist Mongolia, 17-12, then Macau-China, 21-4.

The men had set the tone a day earlier. Gilas Pilipinas Men’s 3x3 opened its campaign beating Mongolia, 19-12, and Sri Lanka, 21-12, to go unbeaten in Pool A Monday at the same venue.

Ending a long spell

The Philippine men’s U23 football team bowed out of Aichi-Nagoya on a positive note, beating Kuwait, 2-1, on Andres Aldeguer’s spot-kick in stoppage time.

The victory marked the Philippines’ first in the Asiad since the 1958 edition in Tokyo, where it edged the host Japanese in group play, 1-0, en route to the quarterfinals.

Painful losses

Kayla Sanchez suffered the most painful near-miss over in Tokyo.

The Fil-Canadian tanker set a new Philippine national record twice in a single day in the women’s 50m backstroke at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, but ultimately finished just fourth in the final.

She clocked 28.24 seconds to place fourth in the prelims, surpassing her previous record of 28.47 from the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, then lowered it again to 28.19 in the final. Both efforts erased her old mark but left her just outside the podium.

There was lowlight in boxing. Paris Olympic bronze medalist Aira Villegas suffered a stunning 0-5 loss at the hands of India’s Sakshi Chaudhary for the Philippine boxing team’s first casualty at the Nishio Gymnasium.

Tipped as the favorite in the women’s 51kg division, Villegas was unable to overcome the tall and lanky Chaudhary, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. The defeat ended Villegas’ run in the Round of 32.

It was the second straight time that Villegas failed to move past the first round in the Asian Games after losing in the Round of 32 in 2023.

“She lost to a better fighter, and she herself knew she lost to a better fighter. Her opponent had all the advantage in height and reach,” said boxing president Marcus Manalo.

At the Nagoya General Gymnasium, Olympian gymnast Levi Ruivivar and teammates Lauren Supnet, Haylee Garcia and Kylee Ann Kvamme did well in the morning subdivision.

Then came the big guns in the afternoon. In the end, not a single Pinay made the finals in any apparatus.

A consolation is the chance to compete in team final. In the qualification, the Philippines was seventh with 144.563, finishing behind Japan (166.363), China (165.697), North Korea (159.595), South Korea (157.297), Malaysia (147.864) and Singapore (144.696).