Photo credit: POC

In Chengdu, China, at the 2025 World Games, Hergie Bacyadan stepped into the ring with the same fire that has defined her career. Facing Serbia’s Aleksandra Krstic in the bronze medal bout of the Women’s Kickboxing K1 -70 kg event, the Filipino warrior seized the early momentum, taking control in a tightly contested first round.

But the Serbian contender rallied back, turning the tide and clinching the match, 2-1, to secure her country’s first medal of the Games. For Hergie, it meant finishing just shy of the podium in fourth place.

While the result may not have brought home hardware, it hardly dims her stature. Hergie has already carved out a unique place in Philippine sports history: the nation’s first-ever vovinam world champion, a proud Olympian in boxing at Paris 2024, and a fierce competitor whose spirit transcends the scorecards.

Her journey from vovinam mats to the Olympic boxing ring, and now to the global kickboxing stage, speaks of an athlete who refuses to be confined by limits. Each match, win or lose, is another chapter in a career built on