Kram Airam Carpio clinches Philippines’ first gold medal at Asian Youth Games as Alas Pilipinas, young athletes shine

Under the bright lights of Manama, Bahrain, a 17-year-old Filipina proved that the next generation of national athletes is ready to take center stage. Kram Airam Carpio, the fiery phenom from the national pencak silat team, delivered a performance for the ages — clinching the Philippines’ first gold medal at the 3rd Asian Youth Games with power, precision, and poise beyond her years.

Carpio turned the final into a statement match, overwhelming Indonesia’s Qiken Dwi Tata Olifia — a contender from the birthplace of pencak silat — with a commanding 33-19 victory that sealed her rise as one of Asia’s brightest young martial artists.

For the Philippine delegation, her golden moment wasn’t just about winning. It was proof that the nation’s grassroots sports programs are beginning to produce international-caliber talents capable of standing toe-to-toe with the best.

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PH’S FIRST GOLD IN ASIAN YOUTH GAMES 2025

The Philippines has secured its first gold medal at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, thanks to the outstanding performance of Kram Airam Carpio in Pencak Silat. (Video courtesy of Princess Jacel Kiram) | via Diana Lhyd Suelto pic.twitter.com/WeDa3zKZoJ

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) October 20, 2025

From the stands, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and chef de mission Tatz Suzara watched with pride as the national flag soared to the top of the pole. The POC hailed Carpio as “one of the future stars of pencak silat in Asia” — a fitting recognition for a teenager who dominated her bracket from start to finish.

And dominate she did. Carpio’s path to gold was nothing short of ruthless — dismantling Iran’s Nazaninfatemeh Kolasangiani (36-22) in the Round of 16, unleashing a jaw-dropping 83-17 rout over India’s Sakshi Thakur in the quarterfinals, and cruising past Kazakhstan’s Aliyam Azizova (46-27) in the semis before completing her golden sweep.

Her victory lit up a banner day for Team Philippines, whose 141-athlete delegation is now making waves across multiple fronts in Bahrain.

Over at Isa Sports City, Alas Pilipinas — composed mostly of National University high school standouts — stunned continental powerhouse South Korea in a thrilling five-set war, 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-10, marking one of the biggest volleyball upsets of the Games.

 The young Filipinas are now one win away from a clean Group D sweep and an outright quarterfinal berth as they face regional rival Thailand next.

Not all stories ended in triumph, however. Pencak silat’s Jelou Eluna fell to Uzbekistan’s Muhammad Raqib Darwisy (40-13) in the 59–63kg division, while kurash athletes Elijah Mendoza and Syrine Mae Bacani bowed out early to opponents from Tajikistan and Iran.

Still, there’s plenty of fight left in Team Philippines. Khian Alcala and Zeus remained in contention as of press time, battling their way through the later rounds in their respective divisions.

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