Team Philippines, led by medalists Jenna Kaila Napolis, Chezka Centeno, Carlos Baylon Jr., and Aislinn Agnes Yap, capped its World Games (WG) 2025 campaign with four podium finishes in Chengdu, China, on August 17.
Claiming the country’s first WG 2025 medal, Napolis struck silver in the women’s jiu-jitsu ne-waza 52kg finals. She bowed to South Korea’s Eon Ju Im via advantage after their gold-medal bout ended in a 2 – 2 draw — the same opponent she had earlier lost to in the preliminaries.
Adding to the silver haul, billiards ace Chezka Centeno secured the Philippines’ second silver in the women’s 10-ball event after a tense 6 – 7 loss to China’s Han Yu in the final round.
With this feat, Napolis and Centeno join Marlon Manalo, Arriane Cerdena, Jorge Fernandez, Arnold Baradi, and Mike Ventossa as the only Filipino athletes to ever win a silver medal on this prestigious global stage.
Meanwhile, Baylon clinched bronze in the men’s wushu sanda 56kg with a 2 – 0 win over Kazakhstan’s Islam Karimov. He pulled off two decisive lifts out of the mat in the second round, sealing the Filipinos’ second medal.
Filipina sambist Yap claimed bronze as the country’s last medal in the Women’s Combat -80kg, after a 3 – 1 win over Costa Rica’s Nicole Castro.
Team Philippines placed 60th in the overall standings, while host nation Republic of China topped the tally, followed by Germany and Ukraine. Filipino athletes aim for a stronger stint when the World Games head to Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2029.
