𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: "Fernandez bids PH first skate gold; Guimba, Zurbito clinch silver and bronze" by Macky Louize Sablaon

Layout by: Monique Baban

Published by: Kyla Shane Recullo

Date Published: September 7, 2026

Time Published: 11:12 AM

There is Gold in the Freezing Cold.

 

In the thrilling display of skill and prowess, skating prodigy Keirsten Fernandez outshone everyone as she made history for Philippine skating, clinching 1st ever gold on Asian Open Short Track Skating at Himadri Ice Rink in India last August 18, 2026.

 

Fernandez conquered the Juniors C Girls 1000-meter category to pull off a stellar 1:44.307, topping the podium and surpassing Indonesia's Matsuri Kinasih, 1:44.635 in second place while Hong Kong's Jacey Yeung placed third in 1:45.727.

 

The prodigy also captured gold at the 777-meter category, commanding the ice rink at 1:19.989 to complete a golden double.

 

Fernandez's triumph marked a major milestone for Philippines' winter arsenal, etching her legacy as the first-ever filipina achieve a two-gold slate in skating history.

 

The Philippine roster also added a silver through Xsandrie Guimba in the Senior Women’s 1,000-meter event and bronze for Zymone Zurbito in the Juniors Boys 333-meter to complete Philippines' four medal haul.

 

23-year-old Xsandrie Guimba registered 1:52.003, behind Thailand’s Thanutchaya Chatthaisong, who captured the gold in 1:45.602 ,while China’s Yuchen Liu settled for the bronze medal with a time of 1:53.031.

 

Eight-year-old Zymone Zurbito then secured bronze medal in the Junior F boys’ 333-meter event.

 

Guimba and Zurbito further strengthened the Philippines' skating bid, with their silver and bronze finishes adding to the country’s medal tally, highlighting the rising talent of Filipino skaters on the Asian stage.

 

REFERENCES:

Caluag, R.  (2026, August 26). PH skaters make history at Asian meet. Manila Standard. https://manilastandard.net/sports/active/314783991/ph-skaters-make-history-at-asian-meet.html

 

Montejo, M. R. (2026, August 19). Keirsten Fernandez makes skating history, wins PH's first-ever gold in Asian. Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/19/keirsten-fernandez-makes-skating-history-wins-phs-first-ever-gold-in-asian-open