Nag-uwi ang Pilipinas ng silver at bronze medal sa katatapos lamang na Beach Teqball International Cup sa Rushan, China na nagpalakas sa kumpiyansa ng mga atleta.
Umakyat sa finals sina Anel Pacis Jr. at Prince Agustin ngunit natalo kina Hungarian Adam Bako at Polish Bartlomiej Franczuk, 3-12, 7-12, upang makuha ang silver medal.
Kapwa 14-anyos sina Pacis at Agustin at mga Grade 9 student ng Buttong Integrated School sa Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. Sila ang pinakabatang manlalaro sa torneo.
Sina Jhoana Abulencia at Rizzalyn Amolacion, na unang beses sumabak sa isang international tournament, ay nakakuha ng bronze matapos matalo sa Chinese pair na sina Yanbing Ning at Cuiyangyi Zhan, 8-12, 12-11, 8-12, sa semifinals.
“A bronze medal and a journey we’ll never forget. It was our first time playing women’s doubles,” ani Abulencia sa isang panayam.
“The first time we tried teqball, we fell in love with the sport, and we brought home a medal for the Philippines,” dagdag ni Abulencia, na nagtapos na magna cum laude sa kursong Bachelor Technology and Livelihood Education, major in Industrial Arts, sa Lyceum Northern Luzon sa Urdaneta, Pangasinan.
“We are deeply grateful to everyone who believed in us and supported us throughout this journey. This is only the beginning, and we will continue working harder to make our country proud,” dagdag ni Amolacion, isang tourism student na nag-aaral din sa Lyceum Northern Luzon.
Pinuri ni national coach George Balanay ang kanyang mga atleta.
“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. Yet, they held their own against — and even defeated — veteran players from various countries, many of whom were in their 30s and 40s,” ani Balanay, na nagtuturo rin ng sepak takraw.
“Bringing home the silver medal proves that age is no barrier when accompanied by hard work, discipline, courage, and self-confidence. You have a bright future ahead, and I believe this is just the beginning of even greater success for Philippine teqball.”
Bumalik na sa training ang mga manlalaro para sa Asian Games na nakatakdang idaos sa Aichi-Nagoya, Japan mula Setyembre 19 hanggang Oktubre 4.
Kasama sa koponan ang 2025 Thailand Southeast Asian (SEA) Games veteran na si Dailan Christoffe Montenegro, na makikipagpares kay Pacis sa doubles, habang sasabak si Agustin sa singles at mixed doubles kasama si Abulencia.
“We’re hoping for the best. Our athletes will be facing a tougher challenge. There are many countries which are good in teqball,” ani Balanay.
Nanguna ang China, Thailand at Iran sa 6th Asian Beach Games sa Sanya, China, kung saan unang naging medal sport ang teqball.
Ang teqball ay nilalaro sa isang kurbadong mesa na pinagsasama ang mga elemento ng soccer at table tennis.
Ginagamit ng mga manlalaro ang anumang bahagi ng kanilang katawan maliban sa mga kamay at braso upang patalbugin ang standard size-5 na soccer ball sa ibabaw ng plastic net papunta sa panig ng kalaban.
Isa itong demonstration sport sa 2023 Cambodia SEA Games at naging medal sport sa 2025 Thailand.
Kasama ang teqball bilang regular sport sa Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games sa Saudi Arabia ngayong Disyembre.