THE Philippine national Muay Thai team rode on the heroics of Islay Erika Bomogao to deliver an impressive performance at the 2025 International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) Senior World Championships held in Antalya, Turkey.
Collectively known as Team Bagsik, the Filipino muay thai squad hauled a total of 10 medals—five golds, two silvers, and three bronzes.
Islay Erika Bomogao emerged as one of the tournament’s standout athletes, claiming two gold medals.
She first triumphed in the Mai Muay Duo event alongside Rudzma Abubakar, before defeating Vietnam’s Lieu Pham Thi Bich in the Senior Female Wai Kru final to capture her second gold.
LJ Rafael Yasay successfully defended his U23 Male Wai Kru title with a commanding win over Vietnam’s Son Nguyen Hoang, adding another gold to the country’s tally.
Veteran fighter Philip Delarmino earned a silver medal in the Senior Male Wai Kru after a tough final match loss to Chinese Taipei’s Shih-Wei Kao. Rhichein Yosorez also took silver in the U23 Female Wai Kru, falling to Malaysia’s Yan Jia Chi in the final.
In the combat division, Alyssa Kylie Mallari claimed a bronze medal after a closely contested 27-30 semifinal defeat against Vietnam’s Bui Hai Linh in the Female -51kg category.
Earlier in the tournament, Filipino athletes had already secured three additional gold medals and another bronze. Delarmino and Ariel Lee Lampacan dominated the Senior Male combat category, while Bomogao and Abubakar secured gold in the Senior Female division.
Yosorez and Mallari also delivered strong performances in the Female U23 category. Yosorez earned a bronze medal in the U23 -45kg combat division, narrowly losing 28-29 to Uzbekistan’s Maftuna Xusanova in the semifinals. Abubakar also bagged the bronze in the -48kgs.