Kristen Ambriel Aguila gave the Philippine taekwondo team a strong start at the 3rd Asian Youth Games after capturing a silver medal in the girls’ individual recognized poomsae on Thursday, October 23, in Bahrain.

The 15-year-old Filipina fell to Iran’s Zeinab Shahriari, 8.86–8.60, in the gold medal match at the Exhibition World Bahrain Hall 2 but still secured a proud runner-up finish for the country.

Aguila’s steady rise to the podium

Aguila, who won two golds at last year’s World Taekwondo Grand Slam Youth League in Wuxi, China, earned her spot in the final after edging China’s Yuqi Li, 8.52–8.51, in a tight semifinal duel. She earlier defeated Datkaiym Aibekova of Kyrgyzstan, 8.44–8.14, in the quarterfinals and began her campaign with a solid win over Bangladesh’s Suha Rayefa Syeed, 8.51–8.39, in the round of 16.

Her silver marked the third taekwondo medal for the Philippines in the history of the Asian Youth Games, following Pauline Lopez’s gold and Francis Aaron Agojo’s silver during the 2013 edition in Nanjing, China.

Mixed results for Philippine jins

In other events, Caleb Angelo Calde bowed out in the quarterfinals of the boys’ individual recognized poomsae after falling to Iran’s Behdad Naghiee, 8.51–8.39.

The mixed pair of Alfonzo Gabriel Tormon and Angel Lyn Yvainne Dacanay also ended their run in the quarterfinals, losing narrowly to Thailand’s Suchanang Injang and Nitikon Yimprasert, 8.5000–8.4300.

Former World Taekwondo Poomsae champion Rani Ann Ortega Lagman serves as coach of the Philippine team, guiding the young jins in their quest for glory in Bahrain.