The Philippines has wrapped up its campaign in the recently concluded 32nd Southeast Asian Games, ending in fifth place in the medal tally.
The country accumulated a total of 58 golds, 85 silvers, and 117 bronzes, surpassing its previous record of 52 in the previous edition of the biennial meet held in Hanoi.
Vietnam emerged as the overall champion with a total of 136 gold medals, followed by Thailand with 108, Indonesia with 87, and Cambodia, which recorded its best performance in the SEA Games with 81 golds.
Despite the ranking, the Philippines had many notable performances throughout the games.
In particular, Taekwondo made waves by taking home six gold medals, an impressive improvement from the two medals it got in Hanoi. Veterans Kirstie Elaine Alora and Samuel Morrison delivered in what could be their final SEA Games, while Kurt Barbosa and Arven Alcantara ruled their respective events.
Poomsae also pocketed two from Patrick King Perez in the men’s recognized poomsae individual and the women’s recognized poomsae team in Jocel Lyn Ninobla, Aidaine Laxa, and Maria Nicole Labaye, despite the organizers putting a cap on the number of events each country can participate in.
Another standout performance came from the Philippine boxing team, which captured four gold medals in Phnom Penh, one more than in Hanoi. Tokyo Olympics silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio and Ian Clark Bautista won golds, while prospect Paul Julyfer Bascon claimed gold in his first SEA Games appearance. Five boxers reached the finals but ultimately fell short.
The Philippine athletics team also showed impressive performances, falling just one gold medal short of their five-gold haul in Hanoi.
EJ Obiena set a new SEA Games record, while Eric Cray captured his sixth straight 400m hurdles crown. The men’s 4x400m relay team also won gold for the first time in a decade, while Janry Ubas gave the Philippines its first gold in the men’s long jump after ten years.
In weightlifting, Elreen Ando ruled Hidilyn Diaz's weight class, the women’s 59kg division, by shattering SEA Games records in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total, while Vanessa Sarno also set a new SEA Games mark in the snatch for her second straight title in the women’s 71kg division.
In arnis, the Philippines made its SEA Games debut outside the country and claimed six gold medals from Dexter Bolambao, Crisamuel Delfin, Maria Ella Alcoseba, Charlotte Ann Tolentino, Jedah Mae Soriano, and Trixie Lofranco.
Basketball fans back home were also delighted as Gilas Pilipinas reclaimed the gold medal with an 80-69 win over Cambodia, one of the most challenging SEA Games tournaments it had won.
Although it failed to capture its third straight title, Gilas Women still had a solid silver finish, while the 3x3 teams also took home a silver medal, including the men’s team that faced Cambodia in the final.
