IN a rare and extraordinary achievement in regional competition, the Philippines’ lean 12-member delegation to the Southeast Asian U18 and U20 Athletics Championships in Medan, Indonesia, delivered a perfect performance—every single athlete climbed the podium.
Despite being one of the smallest teams in the tournament, the young Filipino tracksters produced a remarkable 16-medal haul—11 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze—propelling the country to a strong third-place finish among 10 participating nations. The feat stood out in a field dominated by much larger contingents, with Indonesia and Vietnam deploying more than 30 athletes each.
The PH squad capped its campaign with a triumphant run in the U20 4×100-meter mixed relay, where the quartet of Kharis Pastonial, Jecel Vivas, Alfred Talplacido and Jeralyn Rodriguez clocked 44.94 seconds to edge out host Indonesia. The U18 team nearly displayed the same magic, settling for silver after a tight duel with Vietnam.
Two athletes powered the medal machine with triple-gold performances—FEU’s Jecel Vivas and UE’s Jeralyn Rodriguez—while UST’s Lhynette Libranda, Mapúa’s Alfred Talplacido and NU’s Kharis Pastonial added two gold medals each.
UST standout Ivan Cabanda, a World Junior Championship qualifier, reset the Championship Record in the U18 400 meters after clocking an impressive 52.83 seconds. Pastonial, Vivas, Talplacido and Rodriguez also erased the Philippine national mark in the U20 4×400-meter mixed relay with a new time of 3:31.61.
Also contributing gold medals were FEU’s Ana Bhianca Espenilla (U20 javelin throw), Courtney Jewel Triangia (U20 discus throw), Eric Hechanova (U18 3000 meters) and Jhobie Rosario (U18 200 meters).
The exceptional 12-for-12 podium sweep was guided by coaches Sean Guevara, Roselyn Hamero and Junrey Ocampo Bano, with athletics secretary-general Jasper Tanhueco serving as head of mission.
