SIKHAIR, Bahrain – It runs in their genes.
Hardly was it a surprise that some of the standouts for Team Philippines in the 3rd Asian Youth Games come from a family of athletes, whose members had one time or the other became part of the national team.
Take a bow, Charlie Ratcliff, PI Durden Wangkay, Naomi Cesar, and Lyre Anie Ngina.
READ: Charlie Ratcliff secures PH's second gold in Asian Youth Games
Ratcliff, Ngina, and Wangkay all bagged gold medals in their respective fields, while Cesar snatched a silver in athletics after narrowly missing winning the gold in the girls’ 800meter run.
And their common denominator? Either their mother or father was once a Philippine team member.
“It’s amazing. My dad competed for the Philippines and my sister is with the national women’s football team, so it’s always a thought people look up to and it’s just amazing to be able to follow their footsteps,” said 16-year-old Naomi Cesar.
Also a bronze medalist in the last Asian U18 Athletics Championships in Saudi Arabia, Naomi is the daughter of former national team sprinter Ben Cesar (1991-97) and sister to Maleah Cesar, a member of the Filipinas team that broke through and saw action in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Cesar patriarch, who’s long been based in the US and currently works as part of Asics Sports Management team, was actually in the stands to personally see her daughter ran her event.
Her teammate with the track and field team, Wangkay, 16, is also the son of former national trackster Jonah Genilza, who acts as personal coach of the current De La Salle-Zobel student.
Like her son, Jonah was a Palarong Pambansa standout, whose stint in the 1998 edition of the meet served as her ticket meal in becoming a member of the national track and field team.
READ: PI Durden Wangkay wins third PH gold medal in Asian Youth Games
From time to time, the elder Wangkay still competes in local and international Masters Athletics Championships
“Super saya kasi sinasabi niya sa akin, ‘O PI hindi ka pa naka gold (international tournament), ako naka-gold na ako dati,” shared Wangkay, who took home the gold medal in the boys’ 200 meter sprint, about her mother teasing him for not yet winning a gold in overseas competitions.
“Pero sabi ko maka-gold din ako one day. Ito naka-gold na ako kaya sobrang saya na kaming dalawa, hindi lang po siya yung nag-excel, ako rin po nag-e-excel na rin.”
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Ratfcliff gave traditional MMA its lone gold by ruling the girls -45kg with her mother and coach Maria Aisa working on her corner.
The elder Ratcliff was with the Philippine wrestling team for five years, who specializes in grappling.
She didn’t get to compete in the Southeast Asian Games, but she was good enough to see action in world and continental championships.
Ratcliff was also in jiu-jitsu, a sport that took the interest of the young Charlie and her elder brother Travis.
“Dati nung bata pa sila (Charlie and Travis), nagte-train talaga ako ng jiu-jitsu. Tapos yun ang parang naging bonding namin, kasi every time na magte-train ako andun sila. So sabi ko sige sama na rin sila. Kaya every time, kaming tatlo yung magte-training,” recalls mommy Ratcliff, who was a double gold medalists in the United World Wrestling Asian Grappling Championships in 2023.
It could have been a history actually for the Ratcliffs in the Asian Youth Games had Travis also won a gold in the boys’ 60kg class. But he lost to Amirmohammad Hatamianafshari in a closely-fought finals that was decided in overtime and took home the silver medal.
And Ngina?
The 14-year-old lass from Baguio City gave muay the first of its three gold medals in Wai Kru, ruling the girls’ 14-15 year old category.
It didn’t come as a surprise too, that the sport runs in her blood as Lyre’s father is former national player and now muay coach Edzel Ngina.
“Napunta ako sa muay dahil player yung father ko ng mga combat sports dati,” she said of his father.
Edzel was also around when her daughter was announced the gold winner as he sits as among the panel of judges who works the different fights here – of course, not those involving his daughter.
The gold was the highest feat achieved by Lyre at such a young age as she competed against the best Asian athlete of her same age.
She still has a long a way to go in trying to approximate what her father achieved in the past, but is keen on improving and honing further her skills.
“Plans after this is mag-reflect sa performance ko and continue practicing,” said the muay athlete.
And basically what’s the advice of their parents to their kids whose athletic career is full of promise at this early stage?
“Just go out there and believe in myself,” said Cesar of what her father always tells her. “That I can do whatever I put my mind to as long as I believe that anything can happen.”
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