Philippines chef de mission Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla expects a better performance from the 56-athlete national contingent vying in the Asian Youth Games set Aug. 16 to 24 in Nanjing, China.
“I don’t want to put pressure on the athletes but this team is more prepared than the athletes in the last AYG,” Padilla said in Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s Ermita, noting that the country managed just a silver and a bronze in the first AYG held in Singapore in 2009.
Padilla, a bemedalled rapid fire pistol shooter, said judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, shooters Amparo Teresa Acuña and Celdon Jude Arellano, lifter Marko Llena, Jurence Mendoza of tennis, swimmers Jeremy Bryan Lim and Catherine Bondad and tracksters Kyla and Kayla Richardson are strong medal hopes.
Rupert Zaragosa.
The other contenders are the 3-on-3 basketball team, the rugby football squad, and the golf team composed of Gabriel Manotoc, Rupert Zaragosa, Princess May Superal, Clare Amelia Legaspi, Samantha Andrea Martinez and Bianca Isabel Pagdanganan.
“If they win a medal here, these athletes will go to the Youth Olympics,” said the 48-year-old Padilla.