PH pairs win gold, bronze in Asian aerobic gymnastics tilt

Rhimel Cabides and Antonette Amante, Rhys Basmayor and Mikhaela Ladaran sing the national anthem during the awarding ceremony of the 2026 Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Two rookie Filipino pairs made the most of their international debuts, capturing gold and bronze in the youth mixed pairs event of the 10th Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships on Thursday at Tagaytay CT Velodrome.

Palarong Pambansa standouts Rhimel Daniel Cabides and Antonette Amante topped the event with 17.80 points, while General Santos natives Rhys Enoch Balmayor and John Mikaela Ladaran claimed the bronze with 17.150.

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“We proved that we can compete internationally,” said Amante, a triple Palarong Pambansa gold medalist. “It’s a great feeling to hear the Philippine national anthem.”

Ladaran, 11, said the result exceeded their expectations.

“This is all too surreal. We really didn’t expect it. It was only a dream,” she said.

Rhimel Cabides and Antonette Amante win gold in the youth mixed pair category at the 2026 Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Coach and former national team member Carlo Joshua Tangonan credited the athletes for overcoming a challenging buildup.

“I’m very proud of both pairs. The journey and training weren’t easy for these kids, so I’m very happy with the result,” Tangonan, who won mixed pairs bronze with Charmaine Dolar at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.

Competing first among six finalists, Cabides and Amante ruled the event based on the combined scores for difficulty, execution and artistry.

Vietnam’s Ann Thinh Tran and Ngoc Gia Nguyen matched the Filipinos’ total but settled for silver after receiving a lower execution score, 7.450 to the Philippine pair’s 7.500.