Saso designated flag-bearer for Philippine team to Youth Olympics

Yuka Saso displays the Philippine red-white-and-blue with pride after winning the gold medal in the women’s individual golf in the 2018 Asian Games. Musong R. Castillo/INQUIRER

After conquering the Asian Games, Yuka Saso had her sights set on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. On the way there, her next major stop will be the Youth Olympics.

The 17-year-old Asiad double gold medalist has been handpicked as the country’s flag-bearer when the seven-athlete Philippine squad competes in the 2018 YOG scheduled Oct. 6 to 18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Saso created history for the Philippines when she bagged the first-ever gold medals in the Asian Games golf competitions for both women’s individual and women’s team events.

Chef de mission Jonne Go is pinning her hopes on Saso, Jann Mari Nayre of table tennis, Christian Tio of sailing-kiteboarding and archer Nicole Tagle to deliver in the Games featuring the world’s best junior athletes aged 17 and below.

Archer Gab Moreno seized the first gold medal for the Philippines with China’s Li Jiaman when they won the mixed international team event at the 2014 YOG in Nanjing, China.

“I hope this batch of Filipino athletes (in the Youth Olympics) can also bring home a medal similar to what we had accomplished in the previous YOG,” said Go, who was also the chef de mission back in 2014.

Go, president of the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation and Philippine Olympic Committee auditor, said fencer Lawrence Everett Tan, golfer Carl Jano Corpus and swimmer Nicole Justine Oliva are also capable of a podium finish.

Oliva will compete in eight events—women’s 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 200m free, 200m back, 400m free, 50m free and 800m free.

Joining Go and the seven athletes in the Buenos Aires trip funded by the Philippine Sports Commission are POC secretary general Patrick Gregorio, six coaches and three officials from the PSC.