Emerging Force: Filipino Duo Win Gold in Bali, Prove Philippines Is Force to Be Reckoned with in Pickleball
Don’t sleep on the Philippines when it comes to pickleball talent because the Pearl of the Orient has a lot of it. Two of them are Bambi Zoleta and Patricia Raymundo, who recently showed out at the World Pickleball Championship 2025 Tier 5, in Bali, Indonesia, by winning the gold medal in the Women’s Doubles 19+ 4.5 category.
Zoleta and Raymundo didn’t just win, though. They showed out in the Final and left no doubt about who was the better pair as they dominated the duo of Marine Demol and Mila Yatmi, 21-6, to capture the championship over the weekend. The Filipino tandem’s smashing victory in the Final was a fitting end to what was a dominant tournament for Zoleta and Raymundo, who were hardly challenged in their golden run.
“We are incredibly happy and proud to give this gold medal to the Philippines. All our hard work and training paid off,” said Zoleta, whose gold medal moment is a milestone in her young pickleball career and is yet further proof that athletes can seamlessly transition from other sports to pickleball.
Zoleta is Exhibit A in that regard, as she was a decorated soft tennis player previously. In fact, she won gold for the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games as a soft tennis athlete. Now, she is focusing on pickleball, and her win in Bali with Raymundo shows she made the right choice.
Part of what made Zoleta and Raymundo such a dominant duo in Bali was their undeniable chemistry on the court, and the latter acknowledged it later as she and her teammate basked in the glow of their newly won gold.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be a world champion. Bambi and I have great chemistry on the court, and we supported each other every step of the way,” Raymundo said.
Zoleta and Raymundo are the latest Filipinos to achieve regional success in pickleball, following in the footsteps of the talented Anna Clarice Patrimonio and the consistent Dino Jimenez.
