TAGAYTAY, Cavite — Competing on the international stage for the first time, the Philippine senior aero dance team captured the silver medal at the 2026 Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships on Friday at the Tagaytay CT Velodrome here.
Performing last among the four groups, the eight-member team of Arcenio Cadlos, Charmaine Dolar, Enrico Ostia, Danielle Asuncion, Dorothy Asuncion, James Yray, Princess Pama, and Jhon Cañones brought the performance to life with the music of “Piliin Mo Ang Pilipinas” and incorporated the Tinikling folk dance.
The Philippines scored 16.600, leapfrogging Mongolia’s 16.475 and Thailand’s 16.450 to secure the silver medal in the continental competition presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.
(C) GAP
“We worked hard sa bawat araw hanggang makaabot dito sa competition na ito. Sobrang saya namin na nagkaroon kami ng ganitong opportunity na makakuha ng ganitong silver,” said Dorothy Asuncion after the medal ceremony.
“Bilang huling nag-perform, hindi mawawala yung kaba na hindi kami makakasama. Pero wala sa bokabularyo namin ang ‘hindi kami makakasama,’ so nilagay namin lahat sa puso namin na hindi kami uuwi na walang laman ang aming mga kamay,” she continued.
Vietnam claimed the gold with a score of 17.250, marking its first of four gold medals in the senior division.
Two hours later, Cadlos and Dolar returned to the competition floor and added another medal for the Philippines, capturing bronze in the senior mixed pair category with a score of 18.300.
The results completed the Philippines’ medal haul across the youth (12 to 14 years old), junior (15 to 17), and senior (18 and above) divisions, with the country finishing with one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals.
The championships were supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and the Tagaytay City government led by Mayor Brent Tolentino. The competition was organized by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, led by president Cynthia Carrion, and sanctioned by the Asian Gymnastics Union.
(C) GAP
Vietnam also secured a 1-2 finish in the senior mixed pair category.
The Vietnamese then added another gold in the senior trio category, with South Korea taking silver and Cambodia settling for bronze.
Lian-Jun Wei of Chinese Taipei ruled the senior individual men’s category, while Vietnam’s Che Thanh Nguyen and Thailand’s Chanokpon Jiumsukjai took silver and bronze, respectively.
Ariha Pangambam gave India the gold medal in the senior individual women’s category. Thailand’s Kanokpit Mali won silver, while Japan’s Mahiro Kishibe claimed bronze.
Vietnam capped its dominant campaign by winning gold in the senior group category, followed by silver medalist Thailand and bronze medalist Cambodia.
