Kram Airam Carpio tops the podium in pencak silat for the Philippines' first gold of the 3rd Asian Youth Games. Handout/POC Media
MANILA -- The Philippines already has a gold medal in hand ahead of the formal opening ceremonies of the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain.
Kram Airam Carpio delivered the Philippines' maiden gold, clinching the top honors in the girls' 51–55 kg division with a 33-19 victory over Indonesia's Qiken Dwi Tata Olifia late Monday.
"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," said Carpio, who is part of a 141-strong delegation.
The Philippines has entries in volleyball, teqball, golf, triathlon, mixed martial arts, taekwondo, muay, athletics, boxing, cycling, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton, wrestling, swimming, jiujitsu and kurash.
The major youth sporting spectacle features over 4,300 athletes competing across 253 events in 24 sports.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino lauded Carpio for providing the spark for the delegation, and expressed confidence in the team's potential to surpass its previous performance.
"Sobrang taas ng morale natin nito. Definitely, this will be far different from the previous one, in 2013, when we had two gold medals. With this opening salvo malamang malalampasan natin yan,"
Half of the Philippine delegation has arrived in Manama, with contingents from combat sports and athletics all accounted for.
Representatives from boxing, taekwondo, mixed martial arts, muay, and track and field had checked in just in time for the opening ceremony set at the Exhibition World Bahrain on Wednesday night.
Taekwondo Lopez, has one of the biggest Filipino delegates competing with 16 athletes, while boxing has six, mixed martial arts with five, muay with 12, and athletics with eight.
In the 2013 Nanjing Games, the last Asian Youth Games before a long hiatus, taekwondo jin Pauline Lopez and golfer Mia Legaspi delivered the gold medals for the Philippines.
The Philippines is competing in the Asian Youth Games for the first time under Tolentino.
READ: Alas Pilipinas off to winning start in Asian Youth Games
"Iba yung spirit this time, we're focusing on teamwork with the Philippine Sports Commission and lahat ng delegates," said Tolentino.
Still, Tolentino urged restraint in pushing the young athletes beyond their limits.
"Safety is still our top priority. Bata ang mga ito, hindi naman yan yung mga beteranong matigas na ang katawan," Tolentino said.
Carpio, who had dominant wins over Iran's Nazninfatemeh Kolasangiani in the Round of 16, India's Sakshi in the quarterfinals and Aliyam Azizova of Kazakhstan in the semifinals, admitted some nerves entering the gold medal match.
"I knew I had a chance, I kind of expected to win. But then again, it's a crowded field, a lot of nations competing so there's also a chance of not making it to the top," said Carpio
"I felt a little nervous before the final match, we were facing Indonesia, the birthplace of the of the sport," Carpio said.
"But when the match started, I just focused on what I needed to do to finish the job and deliver for the Philippines."
"It has always been my dream to compete for the Philippines and I will work harder to be able to perform even better in future events," said Carpio.