The Philippines won its first medal at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, after Kaila Napolis won the silver in jiu-jitsu ne-waza -52kg. Napolis fought hard but lost in the final match against Im Eon Ju of South Korea.
Before the finals, Napolis defeated Pnina Aronov of Israel in the semifinals. She was aiming to do well against the Filipinos who won gold in the World Games like Carlo Biado and Junna Tsukii, but she struggled with the aggressive moves of the Korean opponent.
Meanwhile, Annie Ramirez, gold medalist in the Asian Games, lost two matches and missed out on a medal in the women’s -57kg. Ralph Trinidad nearly won the bronze in wakeboarding but due to a mistake in the last stunt, he finished in fourth place with 56.60 points. France’s Loic Deschaux led the way with 95.00 points, while Germany’s Max Milde (92.80) and Florian Weiherer (65.00) took silver and bronze.
In billiards, Chezka Centeno defeated Savannah Easton of the USA, 7-2, and will next face Yu Han of China. Rubilen Amit lost to Pia Filler of Germany, 4-7, and will face Shasha Liu of China.
In wushu, Krizan Faith Collado defeated Elisabetta Sirto of Italy, 2-0, in the women’s sanda -52kg. Filipino athletes continue to battle in various sports to add more medals for the country.
