From a mall ice rink to two Asian golds: Cagayan skater makes PH history

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 02, 2026

Photo courtesy: Cagayan Provincial Government

MANILA, Philippines — What started as a young Cagayana’s curiosity at a shopping mall ice rink has developed into a historic international run for Philippine short track speed skating.

Keirsten Layne Fernandez, a 13-year-old skater from Lal-lo, Cagayan, captured two gold medals at the 2026 Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy held in Dehradun, India, in August. 

Fernandez delivered the Philippines’ first gold medal in the tournament when she won the Junior C Girls’ 1,000-meter event in 1 minute, 44.307 seconds.

Indonesia’s Matsuri Kinasih finished second in 1:44.636, while Hong Kong’s Jacey Yeung took third in 1:45.727.

Fernandez was not finished.

She returned to win the Junior C Girls’ 777-meter event, clocking 1:19.989 for her second gold. Australia’s Rachel Yi Lin Tan placed second in 1:20.749, while Kinasih and Yeung were credited with third in 1:20.779. 

Her success came only a few years after she first stepped onto the ice.

The Provincial Government of Cagayan reported in 2024 that Fernandez began skating in 2022, after lining up at a mall ice rink. Her family encountered a skating coach there, opening the door for Fernandez to begin training and eventually competing internationally. Her two victories led a four-medal Philippine campaign in Dehradun.

Xsandrie Guimba, 23, won silver in the senior women’s 1,000 meters, finishing in 1:52.003 behind Thailand’s Thanutchaya Chatthaisong.

Meanwhile, eight-year-old Kurt Zymone Zurbito captured bronze in the Junior F Boys’ 333-meter event, giving the Philippines four medals from three skaters. 

The Asian Open was staged at the Himadri Ice Rink in Dehradun from Aug. 17 to 20. The official competition announcement identified the venue as an indoor, artificially refrigerated rink at the Maharana Pratap Sports College complex. 

Fernandez’s roots provide a striking contrast to her chosen sport. Cagayan is home to Tuguegarao City, where PAGASA recorded 42.2 degrees Celsius on May 11, 1969, a temperature widely cited by the weather bureau as the Philippines’ highest recorded temperature. Fernandez, however, is specifically from Lal-lo, not Tuguegarao City. 

Her performance has also drawn recognition from Philippine lawmakers. A House resolution commending Fernandez and the Philippine delegation for their showing at the Asian Open was filed on Sept. 1 and referred to the House Committee on Youth and Sports Development. 

From discovering skating at a mall rink in 2022 to standing atop an international podium four years later, Fernandez’s two-gold performance gave Philippine short track speed skating its breakthrough at the Asian Open.