Spearheading this success was gymnast Carlos Yulo, alongside boxing talents Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas. The 22-member Centennial Team secured two golds and two bronzes as the Games concluded on Sunday, 11 August.

Yulo dominated in the men’s floor exercise and vault, becoming the first Filipino male athlete to win a gold medal and the first Filipino gymnast of any gender to medal at the Olympics. His dual golds also marked him as the first Filipino Olympian to win multiple golds.

Petecio, a silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, made history again by earning a bronze in the women’s 57kg category, becoming a two-time Olympic medalist.

Villegas impressed in her Olympic debut, taking bronze in the women’s 50kg division.

Their achievements placed the Philippines in a tie with Hong Kong for 37th place in the overall medal standings, making it the highest-ranking country in Southeast Asia.

A few additional medal opportunities were narrowly missed, with pole vaulter EJ Obiena and golfer Bianca Pagdanganan both finishing fourth in their respective events.

Moreover, the team set new milestones as fencer Samantha Catantan and rower Joanie Delgaco became the first Filipino women to compete in their sports at the Olympics, while gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Jung-Ruivivar ended a 60-year absence of Filipina gymnasts at the Games.