Hillarion Palles III finished 49th among 60 competitors in the men’s all-around qualification at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Saturday, Nov. 7, missing out on the final but providing a major boost to Philippine gymnastics.
- Palles ranks alongside Carlos Yulo and Eldrew Yulo as a key name to watch in the development pipeline of Philippine gymnastics.
- The 16-year-old athlete successfully increased the difficulty score (D-score) on his preferred apparatus, proving his competitive growth.
- Limited to individual all-around entry due to national athlete quotas, Palles maximized his international exposure in Diamniadio.
The 16-year-old athlete from Pasig City competed at the Dakar Exhibition Center in Diamniadio as part of Team Philippines, sent by the Philippine Olympic Committee and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, sportsbytes.com.ph reported. Because the Philippines lacks the numbers to field a full team event, Palles and fellow gymnast Tchelzy Maayo were limited strictly to the individual all-around brackets.
Despite missing the cut for the final, Palles stated that the international exposure proved invaluable for his development. “I had the best exposure I could ever get from these games and I got to meet some of the best gymnasts in the world my age, many of them even became my friends,” Palles said after the qualification round, as reported by sportsbytes.com.ph.
Palles focused his routine upgrades on the vault, high bar, and parallel bars. “I was able to apply what I learned in training and got the results I expected,” he added.
| Athlete | Event / Milestone | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Hillarion Palles III | Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games All-Around Qualification | 49th of 60 |
| Tchelzy Maayo | Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Women’s Qualification | Individual entry |
| Carlos Yulo | International Elite Competition | Double Olympic Gold |
Palles first emerged through the national ranks via Club Gymnastica before the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines brought him under the guidance of coaches Reyland Capellan and Munehiro Kugimiya. Capellan noted the rapid trajectory of the teenager. “He’s only trained seriously on the elite level the past nine months, and he already showed major improvements,” Capellan said, according to sportsbytes.com.ph.
As part of his final preparation before heading to Senegal, Palles spent two intensive weeks training in Japan under Coach Munehiro Kugimiya, who previously guided the Yulo brothers. “I trained two weeks under Coach Mune in Japan before I got here and I learned a lot,” Palles said, noting the strict and disciplined environment.
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