Nicole Tabucol and Crystal Carino win bronze for the Philippines in teqball at Asian Youth Games

The Philippines continue to make their mark at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, which features over 4,300 athletes competing in 253 events across 24 sports. The Filipino contingent, composed of 141 athletes, is targeting podium finishes in volleyball, athletics, boxing, cycling, and swimming, among other disciplines.

Seventeen-year-old Kram Airam Carpio emerged as the country’s brightest star so far, delivering the Philippines’ first gold medal of the Games in pencak silat. Carpio showcased her mastery of the traditional martial art with a dominant 33–19 victory over Indonesia’s Qiken Dwi Tata Olifia—a formidable opponent from the sport’s country of origin. The win not only highlighted Carpio’s technical prowess but also cemented her status as one of Asia’s rising young martial artists.

Team Philippines also celebrated another podium finish after the Pangasinan duo of Nicole Tabucol and Crystal Carino captured the bronze medal in teqball. The pair stunned home favorites Rawan Abdulaziz and Fatima Albanna in a thrilling 10–12, 12–10, 14–12 comeback victory on Thursday, October 23, at Exhibition World Bahrain.

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Tabucol admitted she had modest expectations heading into the tournament, given the sport’s relative obscurity in the Philippines.

🥉 MEDAL ALERTS – Nicole Tabucol and Crystal Cariño has grabbed bronze in girls’ doubles Teqball, notching it upon pulling off a reverse sweep against Bahrain’s homebets Rawan Abdulaziz and Fatima Albanna at 10-12, 12-10, 14-12.#AYG2025 #WhereHeroesRise pic.twitter.com/ACWd0WyHG6

— Archive (@ArchiveInt) October 23, 2025

“Ang expectations ko po wala po kaming makukuha kasi alam ko po malalakas ‘yung mga kalaban. Pero mayroon po pala kaming makukuha,” Tabucol said after the match.

Interestingly, both Tabucol and Carino are former sepak takraw players from Ranao National High School. They transitioned to teqball only after being discovered by coach George Balanay, who was scouting for new talent in the emerging sport.

“Hindi ko po in-expect na pupunta kami sa ibang bansa para sa Asian Youth Games,” Tabucol added.

Their bronze-medal win was especially sweet, as it came against the same Bahraini duo that swept them in the group stage.

“We were nervous, but when we realized we had won, we were overjoyed. We cried tears of joy,” Tabucol concluded.

With Carpio’s gold and the teqball duo’s bronze, the Philippines continue to build momentum in Bahrain—showing that the nation’s young athletes are ready to compete on Asia’s grand stage.

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