Manama: The Philippines kicked off its campaign at the 3rd Asian Youth Games on a high note after Kram Airam Carpio triumphed in the pencak silat girls’ 51-55 kg division at the Exhibition World Bahrain in Manama. The native of Sta. Cruz, Laguna drubbed Qiken Dwi Tata Olifia of Indonesia, 33-19, in the championship round on Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, on her way to the final, Carpio defeated Nazaninfatemeh Kolasan of Iran with a score of 36-22 and Sakshi Thakur of India with a decisive 83-17. Carpio, a silver medalist at the Asian Pencak Silat Championships, expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much for your support. I hope our Filipino fans will continue to cheer for the entire team. We’re here to represent the Philippines and together we can make the country proud.”

Meanwhile, representatives from boxing, taekwondo, mixed martial arts, muay, and track and field arrived Tuesday in time for the opening ceremony on Wednesday night. Taekwondo produced one of two Philippine gold medals in the last staging of the event in 2013, courtesy of Pauline Lopez.

The Philippine team comprises 16 athletes in taekwondo, followed by muay with 12, athletics with eight, boxing with six, and mixed martial arts with five. These athletes joined the advanced Philippine delegation that included participants from volleyball, teqball, pencak silat, kurash, and golf.

Arriving in the next few days are athletes from triathlon, cycling, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton, wrestling, swimming, and jiu-jitsu, further bolstering the Philippine contingent’s presence at the Games.