Pi Durden Wangkay and Naomi Cesar — both medalists in the recent third Asian Youth Games (AYG) in Bahrain — will be both the youngest members of the Philippine athletics team in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand from 9 to 20 December.
For winning the gold in boys’ 200-meter dash with a time of 21.76 in Manama, Bahrain in October, the Philippine Track and Field Association (Patafa) gave the 16-year-old De La Salle Zobel standout the green light to compete in the 200-meter dash at SEA Games.
“Young faces of Philippine athletics have already arrived, and they delivered gold and silver medals in Bahrain’s third Asian Youth Games. They are the future of Philippine athletics, and we are all excited to see them compete,” Patafa secretary-general Jasper Tanhueco said.
Cesar, 16, copped the silver medal in the girls’ 800m final after trailing by just a second to China’s gold winner Jinping Song, who clocked in 2:07.84 in the third Asian Youth Games that automatically secured her the SEA Games slot.
Despite hitting the 2:08.69 mark — her personal best in Bahrain — Cesar set up a new record that reset her 2:17.87 time in the 2025 Asian U18 Athletics Championships that won her the bronze in Saudi Arabia last April.
She also qualified for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, Portland, USA from 5 to 9 August 2026.
“They are the youngest and we are all proud to give them the opportunity to compete in SEA Games this December to boost their morale and confidence,” Patafa president Terry Capistrano added.
Tanhueco also shared that Wangkay would be a reserve for the 4x100 relay, and both young athletes will be preparing to qualify as well for the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal from 31 October to 13 November.