Tagaytay city: Maritanya Krog in cycling and Pi Durden Wangkay and Naomi Marjorie Cesar in athletics are three of nine Filipino athletes who will be competing in the 4th Youth Olympics Games (YOG) in Senegal this October, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham 'Bambol' Tolentino said on Thursday.

According to Philippines News Agency, these athletes have been nominated by their respective national sports associations and the POC is awaiting six more nominations. The announcement was made during the inaugural Philippine National Speed Cubing Open 2026 at the Tagaytay City Combat Sports Center, which was organized in partnership with the Asian Mind Sports Association. The International Olympic Committee has allocated nine Universitality Places for the Philippines for the YOG, which will be held in Dakar from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13.

The athletes' slots include two in athletics, one woman cyclist for road and individual time trial, one man and woman in artistic gymnastics, one man in windsurfing, one in women's taijiquan combined in wushu, one in men's 100 meters butterfly, and one in women's 100 meters breaststroke in swimming. The YOG is intended for athletes aged 15 to 18.

Krog was nominated following her sixth-place finish at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain last year. She has consistently won gold medals at the Batang Pinoy and National Cycling Championships and finished just outside the podium in the women's elimination race at the Asian Cycling Confederation Track Championships in Tagaytay last March. Tolentino mentioned the need to elevate her training program for the upcoming competition in Senegal, highlighting her potential.

Wangkay secured the men's 200 meters gold medal while Cesar earned a silver medal in the girls' 800 meters during the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain in October 2025. Wangkay also claimed gold in the same event at the Bangkok Southeast Asian Games in December 2025. Like Krog, both Wangkay and Cesar are 17 years old.