Aichi-Nagoya, Japan — The Philippines is officially on the medal board at the 2026 Asian Games, with Team PH securing its first medal of the competition as the women’s soft tennis team captured bronze.
The medal breakthrough came on Sunday, September 20, after the Philippine women’s soft tennis team lost 2-0 to host Japan in the semifinal round. Because the losing semifinalists are awarded bronze, the Philippines secured its first medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The Philippine team began its campaign strongly, beating Mongolia, 3-0, and Thailand, 2-1, before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei in the preliminary round. The team featured Princess Catindig, Noelle Mañalac, Christy Sanosa, Shyryn Salazar and Hilary Paas.
Japan, meanwhile, advanced to the soft tennis final.
Current Asian Games 2026 medal tally
The latest available medal tables show five countries on the board:
| Rank* | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | China | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Philippines | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | South Korea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
*The ordering can vary between medal tables when countries are tied on gold, silver and bronze totals. The figures above reflect the latest available updates checked for this report.
Japan claimed the Games’ first gold medal through Takumi Hojo, who won the men’s individual triathlon. Hojo overcame a fifth-place position after the cycling leg and surged during the run to defeat China’s Zhang Xirui by nine seconds. Kazakhstan’s Arlan Zhanabay took bronze.
China has two silver medals so far, including the silver from Zhang in men’s triathlon and another from cycling road competition, according to the latest medal tally. Kazakhstan and South Korea have also opened their medal accounts with bronze medals.
Philippines gets an early medal boost
For the Philippines, the soft tennis bronze provides an early boost to a delegation seeking to build on its medal haul from the previous Asian Games.
The Philippines won four gold, two silver and 12 bronze medals for 18 total medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which were held in 2023. The country is aiming to improve on that performance in Aichi-Nagoya.
Team Philippines has sent 447 athletes to the 2026 Asian Games, according to Olympics.com, with competitors spread across numerous sports.
The Philippine campaign continues with medal opportunities across several disciplines, including triathlon, wushu, teqball and other events. GMA News reported that Sunday’s schedule includes individual triathlon events for Inaki Lobres, Raven Faith Alcoseba and Kim Mangrobang, while other Philippine athletes are also beginning their respective campaigns.
A golden start for host Japan
The opening weekend has already produced a major moment for the host nation.
Hojo’s triathlon victory gave Japan the first gold medal of its home Asian Games. Reuters reported that the Japanese athlete’s victory came after a strong final running leg, with Hojo finishing nine seconds ahead of China’s Zhang.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games officially opened on September 19 and will run through October 4. The Games feature athletes from 45 countries and regions, with competition spread across Aichi-Nagoya and other locations in Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka.
The 2026 edition features 43 sports and 469 medal events, according to Reuters, with new additions including mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, virtual taekwondo and teqball.
The medal race is only beginning
With the Games still in their opening stages, the medal table is expected to change rapidly as more events reach their finals.
For Team Philippines, however, the first objective has already been achieved: the country is officially on the medal board.
The bigger question now is whether that opening bronze will be the start of a much larger medal haul before the Asian Games conclude on October 4.
The Philippines has its first medal. The race for the next one has already begun.
