MARIE June Adriano secured the Philippines’ second karate medal and fifth overall medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, capturing the bronze in the women’s kumite -50kg division on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Toyohashi City, Japan.
The 22-year-old Asian Games first-timer dominated Chinese Taipei’s Chung Ya-chi in the bronze-medal bout with a decisive 10-3 victory.
The win served as sweet revenge for the Human Kinetics student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), who had lost to Chung in their previous two encounters.
Adriano, a native of Llanera, Nueva Ecija, said she heavily reviewed their past matchups to make the necessary tactical adjustments.
She credited her composure to trusting her training, relying on her technique, and heeding her coach’s advice to control the center of the mat while waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
“I just trusted my technique, what I prepared, and what I trained for this competition,” Adriano said. “This is ours. I just needed to put in the work.”
Her path to the podium included gritty preliminary victories over Cambodia’s Srey Phea Chonn, 4-3, and South Korea’s Yang Yewon, 4-0.
Her push for gold was narrowly halted in the semifinals following a tight 5-4 loss to Hong Kong’s Tsang Yee Ting.
Expressing immense gratitude for the opportunity, Adriano embraced the pressure of her international debut.
“It’s a huge deal for me. As a first-timer, the pressure was really there,” she shared. “I’m so happy I was chosen and that I could bring home a medal for the Philippines.”
Adriano’s victory keeps the momentum going for Philippine karate.
Just a day earlier, the Philippine women’s kata team — composed of rising Rebecca Cyril Torres, Samantha Emmanuelle Veguillas, and Ysabielle Arrogante — also secured a bronze medal for the country. / POC MEDIA