For Filipino skateboarder Jericho Francisco, simply enjoying the experience and competing without pressure is enough, even after finishing fourth in the men’s park final at the 2026 Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines – There is usually a tinge of regret when athletes fall agonizingly short of a medal, especially in a prestigious competition like the Asian Games, but skateboarder Jericho Francisco feels no such thing.

Just the fact that he enjoyed himself and competed without pressure is enough for the Filipino even as he finished fourth in the men’s park final at the Aichi Sky Expo in Nagoya, Japan, on Friday, September 25.

Francisco earned a best score of 84.41 out of his four runs, coming just less than two points short of the bronze won by Japan’s Gunjo Shiji (86.03). 

Another Japanese topped the competition, with Izuru Nagahara capturing the gold with 88.96 points, while Chinese Taipei’s Ku Yong-yan claimed the silver with 87.33 points. 

“For the past 10 years, I’m always nervous and I’m always trying to do stuff I don’t want to do,” said Francisco, a two-time Southeast Asian Games champion. “I had a lot of fun. Completely. No regrets.”

“I had a great time. This is probably one of the most fun competitions I’ve had in the past 10 years probably.”

Francisco admitted he came into the Asian Games with hardly any expectations, having little time to prepare for the quadrennial showpiece.

But the 24-year-old, the oldest competitor in the eight-man final, showed he can still hold his own in a sport where the winners are getting younger and younger. Japan’s Nagahara and Shiji are both only 15, while Chinese Taipei’s Ku is just 12. 

For Francisco, the experience proved more meaningful than the result. 

“I am beyond happy with my performance. I could not be any happier. Dude, I came into this with literally no expectations,” he said. “I’ve put in maybe 10 hours of practice…so I was not expecting much.”

“Everything I did out there on that course was something I wanted to do and it felt amazing.”

Francisco also cherished sharing the Asian Games stage with his students Mazel Paris Alegado and Elizabeth Amador, just like they did in the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok, Thailand, where they all won medals.

Alegado finished fifth in the women’s park final, just over two points behind the bronze medalist, while Amador saw action in the heats. 

“To see that we are competing at the top level of skateboarding, it’s really incredible,” said Francisco. 

Similar to what he has done with Alegado and Amador, Francisco hopes to mentor more skateboarders as he shifts his focus back to coaching through his business in the United States, First Class Skate. 

“I really want to take kids all over the world to the next level just so they can compete at this type of stage,” said Francisco. – Rappler.com