TAGAYTAY, Cavite — Vietnam dominated the qualification round of the 2026 Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships, topping seven of the 11 youth and junior events on Wednesday at the Tagaytay City Velodrome here.
Meanwhile, the Philippines secured spots in seven finals, with the hosts hoping to capitalize in Thursday’s medal round of the competition presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.
The hometown duo of Rhimel Cabides and Antonette Amante delivered a graceful routine in the youth mixed pair event, finishing third with a score of 16.800 built on 8.000 in artistry, 7.050 in execution, and 1.750 in difficulty.
Cabides and Amante later teamed up with Mico Vistal in the youth trio event, where they also placed third with a score of 16.400, trailing only Vietnam’s two entries.
Cabides and Vistal likewise advanced to the finals in the youth individual men’s event. Cabides finished sixth while Vistal placed seventh among 10 competitors in the tournament organized by the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, led by president Cynthia Carrion, and sanctioned by the Asian Gymnastics Union.
Amante also booked a finals berth in the youth individual women’s event after scoring 17.275 to finish sixth in the continental meet, which is supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and the Tagaytay City government led by Mayor Brent Tolentino.
The Philippines’ youth aerodance squad, composed of eight athletes, also squeezed into the finals after placing fourth among five competing teams.
In the junior division for athletes aged 15 to 17, the Filipinos advanced to the finals in two events.
Christian Monreal turned in a strong performance in the junior individual men’s event, placing fourth out of 13 competitors with a score of 17.500, highlighted by 8.000 in artistry, 7.000 in execution, and 2.500 in difficulty.
The junior mixed pair of Marvelous Gomez and Jasmine Fronda also reached the finals in dramatic fashion. Tied with Mongolia’s Chinguun Amgalan and Egshiglen Tulga at 16.000 for the final qualifying spot, the Filipino pair advanced on the tiebreak after earning a higher execution score of 6.750 compared to the Mongolians’ 6.500.
Vietnam led the qualifying round in the junior mixed pair, trio, and group events, while also finishing on top of the youth individual men’s, mixed pair, trio, and group categories for athletes aged 12 to 14.
