Manila: The future is bright for Filipino teqball athletes who are gearing up for the Asian Games. Last week, the Philippines won a silver and a bronze at the Beach Teqball International Cup in Rushan, China, an achievement that boosted the players' morale.

According to Philippines News Agency, Anel Pacis Jr. and Prince Agustin advanced to the finals but lost to Hungarian Adam Bako and Polish Bartlomiej Franczuk, 3-12, 7-12, to settle for silver. Pacis and Agustin, both 14, are Grade 9 students of the Buttong Integrated School in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, and were the youngest players in the tournament.

Jhoana Abulencia and Rizzalyn Amolacion, playing in their first international tournament, settled for the bronze after bowing to Chinese pair Yanbing Ning and Cuiyangyi Zhan, 8-12, 12-11, 8-12, in the semis. "A bronze medal and a journey we'll never forget. It was our first time playing women's doubles," Abulencia said in an interview.

Abulencia, who graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Technology and Livelihood Education (BTLEd) major in Industrial Arts at Lyceum Northern Luzon, expressed gratitude for the support they received. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who believed in us and supported us throughout this journey," she added.

National coach George Balanay praised his athletes for their impressive performance in China. "As a coach, I cannot express how proud I am of them - Rizzalyn and Jhoana, and especially Anel and Prince, who, at just 14 years old, are the youngest players in the tournament," said Balanay, who also teaches sepak takraw.

The players are back in training for the Asian Games scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4. Joining the team is 2025 SEA Games veteran Dailan Christoffe Montenegro, who will play doubles with Pacis, while Agustin will compete in singles and mixed doubles with Abulencia. "We're hoping for the best. Our athletes will be facing a tougher challenge," Balanay said.

Teqball, a fast-rising European spectator sport, combines soccer and sepak takraw agility skills played on a slightly curved ping-pong table. It was a demonstration sport at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games and will be a medal sport in the 2025 edition. Teqball has been included as a regular sport at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Saudi Arabia this December.