Team Philippines added three more medals at the Asian Youth Games in Manama, with young standouts Jhodie Peralta and Leo Mhar Lobrido turning in strong performances in weightlifting and boxing.

Peralta, a 16-year-old talent from Hidilyn Diaz’s Zamboanga training program, delivered a silver in the snatch and a bronze in the clean and jerk in the girls’ 53-kilogram division. Her lifts kept her in close contention for gold, but she ultimately fell just short against North Korea’s Pak Hae Yon.

Peralta pushes for gold but settles for two podiums

Peralta lifted 87 kilograms in the snatch, just one kilogram shy of Pak’s winning mark. She briefly held a clean-and-jerk meet record at 100 kilograms after early misses from rivals but was unable to convert on her final attempts at 106 and 107 kilograms as Pak took the event with 107 kg.

“Sayang, nakuha pa ng North Korean ng one kilo,” Peralta said. “Pero okay lang, kung ano’ng binigay ng Diyos, tatanggapin ko.”

The result boosted the Philippines to six golds, seven silvers, and eight bronzes, though the contingent slipped to ninth place after peaking at fifth earlier in the tournament.

Lobrido battles hard for boxing silver

Meanwhile, flag bearer Lobrido secured silver in the boys’ 46-kg class after a gritty performance against Uzbekistan’s Abdugani Yorkinjonov. He absorbed a unanimous decision loss but remained optimistic about his future international bouts.

“Tinatamaan ko naman siya, pero iba tingin ng judge,” Lobrido said. “Hindi pa siguro tamang panahon. Baka sa susunod na laro, makaginto na ako.”

Philippine chef de mission Ramon “Tats” Suzara expressed confidence that more medals are within reach, with Filipino athletes still competing in jiu-jitsu, wrestling, swimming, and cycling.