AICHI, Japan — Indonesia landed a super-effective blow that Sibol Pokémon UNITE could not recover from.
The Philippines squandered a huge lead in the opening game and never found its footing in the second, suffering a 2-0 semifinal defeat to settle for the bronze medal in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Sunday at Aichi Sky Expo here.
Although falling short of the gold medal match, Sibol remained proud of its achievement, particularly after securing the Philippines’ first-ever Asian Games medal in Pokémon UNITE.
“Still, sobrang happy. I’m still in awe kasi first time and sobrang happy ako sa boys ko kasi nga lifetime na nilang dadalhin ‘to — na nagdala sila ng medalya para sa bansang Pilipinas,” said head coach Albert Camp.
Spearheaded by Robert Mempin’s Cinderace, Sibol, which is backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, built a comfortable lead and appeared poised to take the opening game.
However, just as the Philippines looked ready to close out the opener, Indonesia secured Kyogre in the final two minutes, turning the powerful late-game objective into the spark for a stunning comeback.
With Kyogre providing a crucial boost for the final push, Indonesia erased the Filipinos’ lead and escaped with a 312-277 victory. The loss left the Philippines trailing 0-1 after holding a commanding advantage for most of the opening eight minutes.
“Actually, nung Game 1, sobrang swerte nung kalaban. If you notice, sobrang low health nung mga kalaban. It’s just that kinapos tayo,” explained Camp.
Sibol never regained its footing after the heartbreaking opener.
Indonesia carried its momentum into the second game and pulled away early, leaving the Philippines unable to mount another comeback as it suffered an 887-204 defeat.
Despite the semifinal setback, Sibol secured a historic bronze medal, giving the Philippines its first medal in Pokémon UNITE at the Asian Games.
