THE Philippines’ women’s sprint team captured the silver medal in the 4x60-meter relay at the 6th Asian Beach Games on Sunday, April 26, 2026, at Phoenix Island in China.
Buoyed by her bronze-medal finish in the women’s 60-meter dash on Saturday, Jessica Rose Laurance teamed up with Shane Joy Ponce, Lianne Diana Pama and Olympian Kristina Marie Knott to deliver another podium finish for Team Philippines in the resort city.
The Filipino quartet clocked 29.73 seconds, finishing just milliseconds behind Thailand, which won gold in 29.46 ticks. Host China took bronze with a time of 30.42 seconds.
Supported by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, the silver medal boosted the country’s medal tally to three golds, two silvers and two bronzes.
“It’s so different. There’s no baton. The exchange zone is three meters versus 30 meters. So, I think our only enemy in the race was the zone,” Knott said.
It was double the joy for Laurance.
“It feels great. Honestly, I came here not knowing what to expect. I really just wanted to have fun and see what I could do on sand,” Laurance said.
“I’ve never run on sand and I really beat my expectations. So, I’m really happy,” she added.
The country’s campaign in beach athletics was highlighted by Leonard Grospe, who won the Philippines’ second gold medal on Friday after topping the men’s high jump at the start of the competition.
Mariel Abuan, meanwhile, fell short of a podium finish in the women’s high jump, placing sixth after clearing 1.60 meters. / POC