CHENGDU, China — Kickboxer Hergie Bacyadan was denied a bronze medal despite being far superior in the bronze medal match, suffering a stunning 1-2 loss to Aleksandra Krstic of Serbia in the women’s -70kg event of the 2025 World Games on Thursday here.
With all her heavy punches, high kicks, and knees connecting to the Serbian’s face and body, Bacyadan looked ready to bag a medal and add to the Team Philippines’ collection of two silvers and one bronze.
But the judges awarded the victory to Krstic, who was visibly shaken and grimacing in pain during the match.
Bacyadan won on the scorecards of the three judges — from Slovakia, South Korea, and the USA — in round one, but lost in the next two.
Among the three, the Korean gave the Serbian a pile of advantage in the second despite Bacyadan’s clear activity and ring control.
It was a controversial result for the Paris Olympian who has a wealth of international fighting experience from wushu, vovinam and boxing.
The national team decided not to pursue a protest and instead move on.
Aislinn Yap, ranked No. 1 in the world, also absorbed a shocking 0-2 loss to Ulbossyn Adilova of Kazakhstan in their women’s sambo combat -80kg semifinal bout at the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Adilova had total control on the mat and was the aggressor from the start, denying Yap her takedown attempts and putting up a wall of defense when the Filipina switched to striking to steal the match.
Yap was relegated to the bronze-medal match where she will fight Nicole Castro of Costa Rica at 6:12 p.m. later in the evening.
In the men’s individual duathlon, Franklin Yee crossed the line six minutes and 23 seconds behind gold medal winner Benjamin Choquert of France (1:14:14) and was the best finisher for the Philippine team at the Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena.
Landing at 24th spot among 34 athletes, Yee (1:20:37) placed better than his teammates Maynard Pecson (1:23:59, 28th) and John Patrick Ciron (1:26:50, 30th).
Triathlon Association of the Philippines President Tom Carrasco Jr. said the female participants, who will go into action on Friday, are eyeing a top 10 finish in the ultra-competitive field usually dominated by European bets.
“We really have to go harder after the results today (Thursday). After these races, we will assess ourselves and look for a system of international coaches who can guide us well,” Carrasco said.
Bannering the squad is Merry Joy Trupa, who finished second in last February’s Asian Duathlon Championships in Bahrain. Joining her are six-time Southeast Asian Games champion Kim Mangrobang and stalwart Bea Quiambao.
