At A Glance
- With pole vault ace EJ Obiena still to compete, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann strongly believes Team Philippines is still on track of beating the previous 4-gold haul in the 19th Asian Games here.
HANGZHOU, China – With pole vault ace EJ Obiena still to compete, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann strongly believes Team Philippines is still on track of beating the previous 4-gold haul in the 19th Asian Games here.

“I am still confident that we will still beat the last edition’s medal of four golds,” said Bachmann on Wednesday, Sept. 27, three days before Obiena launches his gold medal bid.
And he expressed his optimisn a little over an hour after skateboarding sensation Margielyn Didal was dethroned by Cui Chenxi who led China’s 1-2 finish.
In the 2018 edition held in Palembang, Indonesia, Team PH produced 4 gold, 2 silver and 15 bronze medals.
Bachmann is supremely confident that Obiena will deliver the precious gold this time after a disappointing showing in the Palembang edition.
“I’m looking at EJ , I’m looking at Alex (Eala) and other athletes who can pull off a surprise,” added the former La Salle basketball player.
Obiena is the overwhelming favorite to rule pole vault owing to his impressive showing – the highlight of those was joining the elite 6.0-meter club.
Going into Thursday’s action, Team PH is already assured of a silver courtesy of wushu sanda warrior Arnel Manda of Iloilo apart from already clinching four bronze medals.
For booking a semis berth, Eala is already assured of a bronze although she will have a dangerous rival in US Open quaterfinalist and top seed Zheng Qinwen of China in the round-of-4.
Bachmann, who has been going around to give PH athletes the needed morale support, is also looking at weighlifting, a team bannered by Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz.
Diaz, however, struggled in the recent World Championships in Riyard, Saudi Arabia after moving up to a heavier division. She nailed the country’s first Olympic gold at 54-kilogram division, but she’s now competing in 59kg., an event not to her liking.