From the Philippines to the world: All the Physical: Asia women athletes with Filipino roots

Physical: Asia premiered on Netflix with top athletes, sports personalities, and iconic figures representing eight nations in the Olympic-style reality competition series.

It is a spinoff of Netflix's Physical: 100 franchise with the same format but with a twist that the teams would represent nations, adding a new touch of patriotism and national pride to the Netflix competition.

The eight teams that participated were: Team Korea, Team Australia, Team Mongolia, Team Japan, Team Philippines, Team Thailand, Team Türkiye, and Team Indonesia. 

Each team included six members, with one of them leading the group as they competed in gruesome challenges and difficult tasks in an aim to finish first in the competition, winning the title of Physical: Asia along with 1 billion Korean won.

The one thing that is to be noticed in this series is the presence of Filipino blood dominating in the contestants, with a lot of athletes coming from either the Philippines or they share a history with the nation.

While many talks have been done about the Filipino men, especially boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, along with other players from the Philippines like SEA Games sambo champion Mark "Mugen" Striegl, national rugby player Justin Coveney, strongman Ray Querubin, and CrossFit champion Justin Hernandez.

It is time to focus on the female athletes who have lived in the Philippines or have Filipino roots participating in Physical: Asia ​​​​​​on Netflix.

Here are the female athletes with Filipino roots who participated in Netflix's Physical: Asia

1.) Lara Lorraine Deang‑Liwanag (Team Philippines)

Team Philippines member in Physical: Asia, Lara Lorraine Deang Liwanag, is one of the top-ranked CrossFit athletes, consistently ranking among the best females in the Philippines.

Based on official CrossFit records, she consistently ranks among the Philippines' strongest, ranking first in the 2020 and 2021 CrossFit Games Open. She later ranked second and eighth in the 2025 and 2024 CrossFit Opens in the Philippines.

A registered nurse earning her nursing degree from Angeles University Foundation, Lara is a proud Kapampangan, where she was born and raised, while she is a pure Filipina. 

Apart from her athletic career, Lara Lorraine Deang‑Liwanag is also a businesswoman as she co-owns a gym in Angeles, Pampanga, Barn Fitness, while also helping manage Kalye Sikanan Café; however, she left the business after some time.

2.) Robyn Lauren Brown (Team Philippines) 

Robyn Lauren Crisostomo Brown is a 31-year-old Filipino-American hurdler who won gold in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

The win ended the Philippines' 14-year wait for a gold medal in women's track and field, shattering a 30-year national record, which was once held by Elma Muros-Posadas.

Born in California, Robyn is of mixed Filipino heritage as her mother is a Philippines-based nurse from  Los Angeles, while her father, Kurtis Brown, was a respiratory therapist from America.

3.) Alexandra Milne (Team Australia) 

Representing Team Australia, Alexandra Milne is a half-Filipina, half-Australian who grew up in North Queensland and now lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

She’s a certified fitness coach and influencer for Move With Us (MWU), a global women’s training platform, who brings with her the experience of weight training and cheerleading to Physical: Asia.

According to her MWU blog, she has always been athletic, and played netball along with dancing, track, competitive cheerleading, and doing gym in high school, which she describes as her favourite thing to do, noting:

The gym was a place where I could go to and feel like I accomplished something, and have goals.

4.) Fina Philippe (Team Indonesia)

La Tania Finanda Phillipe Putri, better known as Fina Phillipe, is a 35-year-old Indonesian actress, presenter, and athlete who is of  Filipino heritage on her father’s side and Minangkabau ancestry from her Indonesian mother.

Fina Phillipe is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, winning a gold medal for Indonesia at the 2019 Jakarta Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open and now representing Team Indonesia in Netflix's Physical: Asia.

Apart from her television and athletic career, she is a businesswoman as well, with a portfolio that includes a Korean barbecue restaurant, Insadong, popular in Bali.

Stay tuned for more updates.