John Cabang Tolentino delivered a historic moment for Philippine athletics, capturing bronze in the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the Asian Games. The Filipino hurdler clocked a season-best 13.48 seconds Sunday night, September 27, in Nagoya.

The result ended a medal drought stretching back 71 years for Filipino male hurdlers at the continental level. It also marked the country’s first Asian Games hurdles medal since Elma Muros won in 1990.

A Historic Bronze Decades in the Making

Cabang Tolentino competed under the lights at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, finishing behind two rivals from the region. China’s Chen Yuanjiang won gold in 13.15 seconds, while Japan’s Rachid Muratake took silver in 13.29 seconds.

The bronze represents the first Asiad hurdles medal for a Filipino male athlete since 1954. That gap underscores just how significant Sunday’s result was for the sport back home.

The breakthrough comes months after Cabang Tolentino set a new record at the Southeast Asian Games. On December 12, 2025, he won gold in Bangkok with a time of 13.66 seconds, breaking a mark held since 2015.

That previous record belonged to Thailand’s Jamras Rittidet, who set it in 2015 at 13.69 seconds. Cabang Tolentino’s run in Bangkok signaled the form that would carry him to Nagoya.

From Heartbreak in Hangzhou to Redemption in Nagoya

Cabang Tolentino had narrowly missed the podium at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, finishing fourth. He said that disappointment fueled the mindset that carried him through Sunday’s race.

“I came here … to any competition, always to win,” Cabang Tolentino said after clinching bronze. He added that self-imposed pressure had weighed on him heading into the final.

“I’m very happy. It was just a lot of self-pressure, and I just did it,” he said. He credited persistence through difficult stretches of training for helping him reach the podium.

“Even in the hard times, I kept pushing … I was always dreaming about this,” Cabang Tolentino said. He dedicated the win to his coach, his family, his girlfriend, and the country.

With the Asian Games bronze now secured, Cabang Tolentino said his focus has already shifted toward the next major goal. “I’m gonna go for LA Olympics,” he affirmed, looking ahead to the 2028 Games.