The Philippines achieved its best showing yet at the Asian and Oceania Sambo Championships after improving on last year’s gold-medal haul and finishing fifth overall in the 2026 edition held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Backed by home support, the national team closed the tournament with three gold, four silver, and eight bronze medals, surpassing the two-gold performance it delivered in the previous championships. The result placed the host nation fifth overall among the 22 participating countries in the tournament organized by the Pilipinas Sambo Federation, Inc.
The country’s breakthrough began on Saturday when Jomary Torres and Princess Aumagel Cortez delivered back-to-back gold medals in the women’s combat sambo division.
Torres wasted little time asserting her dominance in the women’s -50kg final, overwhelming Kazakhstan’s Zhadyra Paiyz in just 17 seconds—one of the fastest victories recorded during the tournament—to secure the championship.
While simply reaching the podium would have been enough for some, Torres admitted she entered the tournament with only one goal in mind.
The momentum continued moments later as Cortez defeated Kazakhstan’s Mervet Berdikhanova, 9-2, in the women’s -59kg combat sambo final.
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Aislinn Yap celebrated in style after defeating Kazakhstan’s Zamzagul Faizollanova to capture the women’s 80kg combat sambo gold medal, giving the Philippines a perfect ending to its #AOSC2026 campaign on home soil! | via LJ Abadinas/One Sports#SamboManila2026 pic.twitter.com/KZO1VCtS6V
— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) June 28, 2026
Cortez dictated the match from the opening exchange, building a comfortable advantage before successfully fending off Berdikhanova’s late armbar attempt to preserve the seven-point victory.
The Philippines completed its golden campaign on Sunday through reigning champion Aislinn Yap, who successfully defended her women’s -80kg combat sambo crown with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Zamzagul Faizollanova.
Yap secured the lone point of the match with a well-executed takedown midway through the contest against the five-time Kazakhstan national champion. Although Faizollanova’s corner challenged the scoring, tournament officials upheld the call after a video review, allowing Yap to retain her title.
The host nation also collected three silver medals across different divisions as defending women’s +80kg combat sambo champion Sydney Sy settled for silver after falling 6-0 to former world champion Arailym Abenova of Kazakhstan in a rematch between familiar rivals.
National team newcomer Jasmaine Henryk Ching also finished runner-up after losing by submission to Kazakhstan’s Gulo Almukhanbetova in the women’s -54kg sport sambo final.
The Philippines’ silver haul was completed by Sophia Nicole Novino, who earned runner-up honors in the women’s youth -47kg division, and Christi Espolong, who likewise captured silver in the juniors combat -59kg category.
Beyond the medal count, the tournament highlighted the continued rise of Philippine sambo, with established champions successfully defending their titles while emerging athletes delivered podium finishes against some of Asia and Oceania’s strongest competitors.
By surpassing last year’s gold-medal total and finishing inside the top five of the overall standings, the Philippines leaves the 2026 Asian and Oceania Sambo Championships with renewed momentum as it continues building its presence on the international stage.
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