Two international competitions have helped shape Filipino sprinter Pi Durden Wangkay into peak form as he prepares for his first-ever appearance in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
The 16-year-old standout, one of the youngest members of Team Philippines’ track and field delegation, said he feels more confident heading into his final foreign campaign before the year ends.
“Malakas ang mga kalaban ko. Nagulat ako kasi kaya ko pa palang makapag-keep up sa kanila,” Wangkay said, reflecting on his recent performances abroad.
Wangkay was part of the Philippine U-18 4x100m mixed relay squad that bagged the silver medal at the SEA U18 and U20 Athletics Championships in Medan, Indonesia. Teaming up with Ivan Cabanda, Jhobie Rosario, and Ma. Lhynette Libranda, the quartet clocked 45.30 seconds to finish second.
Just last month, Wangkay delivered a breakthrough performance at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain, where he captured the gold medal in the 200 meters with a time of 21.76 seconds. He outran Chu Chang Feng of Taipei (21.90) and Korea’s Kim Sun Woo (21.93), with his winning mark now recognized as a new Philippine U-18 record.
Wangkay will join fellow youth standout Naomi Cesar in the SEA Games delegation. Cesar recently secured a silver medal in the girls’ 800 meters at the Asian Youth Games, clocking 2:08.69, just behind China’s Jinping Song (2:07.84).
To stay fresh for the SEA Games, Wangkay opted to skip the ASEAN School Games scheduled from Nov. 21 to 29 in Brunei.
“Kinancel ko po ang ASG sa Brunei kasi kasunod lang ng date. After ng Indonesia, maghahanda na kami for SEA Games,” said his mother and coach, Jonah Genilza-Wangkay, herself a former multi-medal winner as a student-athlete at De La Salle University.
It has been a whirlwind season for Wangkay, a student at La Salle Zobel. He earlier dominated the UAAP Season 88 junior division, winning gold medals in both the 200 meters (21.85) and 100 meters (10.88).
A second-generation sprinter, Wangkay’s rise accelerated after grabbing three gold medals in the recent Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte—solidifying hi s status as one of the country’s brightest young track stars heading into the SEA Games.
