Every Asian Games cycle brings the same question for the Philippine delegation: which names actually give the country a genuine shot at gold, and which ones are simply along for the experience? Heading into Aichi-Nagoya 2026, the picture is clearer than it’s been in years—and it starts with a gymnast who’s already conquered the world stage and rising star in the world of tennis.
Good Chance of Gold
Carlos Yulo tops every list for a reason. The defending Asian Games champion and reigning double Olympic gold medalist from Paris 2024, having won both floor exercise and vault, arrives as the single strongest gold bet the Philippines has. He’s also a multiple-time world champion, which makes betting against him at the continental level a genuinely difficult proposition.
EJ Obiena isn’t far behind him. The defending Asian Games gold medalist from Hangzhou 2022 and a world championship medalist, Obiena has carried real momentum into 2026, winning the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in February and backing that up with fantastic results across multiple European meets through the middle of the year. Arguably no one in Asia currently vaults better than he does.
Alex Eala represents something different—a breakout star rather than a defending champion, but no less of a threat. With a WTA-level win already and strong runs in Grand Slams against elite competition, the 21-year-old enter Asian Games tennis as one of the favorites—if not the one to beat.
Rounding out the top tier is Annie Ramirez, the defending Asian Games gold medalist in jiu-jitsu’s ne-waza 57kg division from Hangzhou. Jiu-jitsu has quietly become one of the country’s most reliable gold sources across recent Asiads, SEA Games, and Asian Beach Games, and Ramirez remains the face of that success.
Next Tier: There’s a Path to Gold
Below that top group sits a tier of athletes with realistic, if slightly less certain, routes to the podium’s top step. Eldrew Yulo, Carlos’s brother, has emerged as a genuine contender in his own right after winning bronze medals in floor exercise and horizontal bar at the Junior World Championships and then nabbing gold in the men’s floor exercise in the 2026 World Cup Antalya in Türkiye. A tantalizing prospect would be the Yulo brothers tag-teaming for podium finishes in gymnastics.
Kayla Sanchez, the Filipino-Canadian Olympian, is expected to lead the swimming charge after a string of medal-winning performances at recent SEA Games, with regional-level gold plausible in her stronger events. The competition is certainly much better in the Asian Games, but Sanchez has been steadily improving.
Boxing brings two credible threats. Nesthy Petecio, a two-time Olympic medalist with silver from Tokyo and bronze from Paris, plus a past world title to her name, has beaten elite Asian opposition before—meaning gold is within reach even against the deep boxing pedigree of countries like China, Kazakhstan, and India. Aira Villegas, a Paris Olympic bronze medalist with continued strong SEA Games form, presents a credible gold threat of her own in the 50kg division.
Beyond Ramirez, the broader jiu-jitsu squad—Kimberly Anne Custodio, Yman Baluyo, and others—carries outside gold shots as well, an extension of the program’s consistent overachievement at multi-sport Games.
The Dark Horses
A handful of names sit further down the list but shouldn’t be dismissed. Eumir Marcial, an Asian Games silver medalist from Hangzhou and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, carries a genuine gold ceiling if he competes at full readiness—though his largely professional status now raises real questions about form and eligibility. Further complicating matters is questions about his availability, as he is scheduled to fight Omar Huerta in a professional bout on September 19, or just a couple of days before boxing competitions begin.
Margaret Fajardo represents kurash, a sport where Filipino athletes have found regional podium success and where the smaller international depth makes an upset more plausible than it might look on paper. Skateboarders Renz Gelig and Mazel Alegado have posted strong continental results in recent cycles, giving them an outside shot at gold as the sport’s depth continues to grow. In wushu, Agatha Wong remains one of the country’s most decorated athletes, a past Asian Games and SEA Games gold medalist still very much in the conversation.
The 20th Asian Games officially unfurls on September 19 and will run until October 4 in Nagoya, Japan. The Philippines will be looking to surpass its medal haul from the Hangzhou Games, where the country won 4 gold, 2 silver, and 12 bronze medals. The four gold medals were courtesy of Obiena, Ramirez, Maggie Ochoa, and the Gilas Pilipinas 5×5 team.
