LIVE updates: Philippines' SEA Games medal haul

The Philippines is looking to surpass the 52 gold medals it won last year in the 31st Southeast Asian [SEA] Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. That haul was not nearly enough to push the Philippines to a top 3 finish, with the country settling for fourth place behind Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, which bagged 205, 92, and 69 gold medals, respectively.

This year, the Philippines sent 840 athletes to compete in 38 sports in the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is the third biggest contingent the country has sent in the last 10 editions of the biennial meet.

Here are the latest medal winners of the Philippines:

Updates as of May 16, 2023 | 9:34 p.m. 

May 16, 2023

The golds continue to come as Gilas reclaims SEA Games supremacy, Pinoy kickboxers beat foes 

Justin Brownlee adds another historic moment in his illustrious basketball career as he led Gilas Pilipinas against Cambodia to take back the gold medal that the country lost in the previous edition of the SEA Games in Vietnam. 

Like Gilas, kickboxer Gretel de Paz one-ups her silver finish in the Hanoi games to cop gold in the -56 kg event of women's low kick. 

Claudine Veloso also brings her own gold after ruling the -52 kg women's event of K1. 

Meanwhile, Carlo Von Buminaang and Daryl Chulipas also score bronze medals in the -67 kg division of kickboxing full contact and -51 kg event of K1, respectively.  

In the anyo non-traditional event, on the other hand, the women's and men's teams of the Philippines capture silver and bronze, respectively, in the performance category.

Late surge pushes gold tally to 55

Philippines ties 52-gold mark with golden finish in wrestling

Alvin Lobreguito has given the Philippines its 52nd gold medal, tying the mark it set last year in Hanoi. Lobrequito won the gold by topping the men’s freestyle 57 kg event.

Rush of bronze adds to medal tally

The Philippine taekwondo team has had quite the SEA Games, with Laila Delo, Baby Jessica Canabal, Joseph Chua, and Dave Cea all adding bronze medals to its impressive medal haul. Delo snatched bronze in the women's 67 kg class while Canabal and Cea copped bronze in the 53 kg category. Chua took home bronze in the men's 63kg class while Cea won his in the men's 80 kg division.

Elsewhere, John Viron Ferrer bagged bronze medal in the men's -90kg Judo event, while Abdul Barode captured a bronze mint in PUBG Mobile - Mixed Individual.

 May 15, 2023

More gold medals in arnis

Maria Alcoseba reigns over Vietnam in the -50 kg category of the female division. Dexter Bolambao bags his second SEA Games gold in the -60 kg category of the livestick. 

Meanwhile, Jude Rodriguez settles for silver after falling to Vietnam as well in the -55 kg event. 

Silver in kickboxing 

Renalyn Dacquel finishes second in the competition of women's full contact kickboxing (48 kg). 

Playing coach nabs gold after coming out of retirement 

Tina Vergara, 44-year-old playing coach, gets her third gold in wrestling 18 years after her last triumph. She came out of retirement to rule the -65 kg event in women's freestyle wrestling.  

Her first two SEA Games gold came in 2003 and 2005. 

Four more medals  in wrestling 

Jason Baucas, Michael Cater, and Noel Norada all won silver medals for the Philippines in  the 72 kg, 55 kg, and 63 kg categories, respectively. Chlovelle Adolfo, meanwhile, nabbed bronze in the 67 kg event.

Second SEA Games gold for Sarno 

Vanessa Sarno dominates the women's 71 kg category in weightlifting. She resets her own SEA Games record in snatch, lifting 105 kg in her third attempt. Afterwards, she only needed one attempt at clean and jerk to clinch the win. 

Four more bronze in taekwondo 

Laila Delo (-67 kg), Baby Jessica Canabal (-53 kg), Dave Cea (-80 kg), and Joseph Chua (-63kg) all scored third-place finishes on Monday for the national taekwondo team. 

Silver finish for Gilas Pilipinas Women

While the Filipina hoopers failed a golden three-peat, they managed to beat Malaysia, 77-63, to end the round robin tournament on a good note while officially securing silver.  

Bronze in fencing 

Philippine women's folil team bows to Vietnam, 45-35, to settle for bronze. 

Judo sees more bronze medals 

Judokas and sisters Jeanalane and Leah Jane Lopez get third-place finish in the -44 kg and -48 kg divisions, respectively. John Viron Ferrer also won the same medal color in the -90 category.   

May 14, 2023

Philippine boxing gold mine

Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam has now won a gold medal in the biennial meet twice after outclassing Indonesian foe Aldoms Suguro to ultimately conquer the 54 kg category. Following Paalam’s lead was Paul Bascon who captured the lightweight gold medal after eking out a split decision win over Thailand’s Rujakan Juntrong.

Another Filipino Olympic silver medalist who secured her second SEA Games gold medal is Nesthy Petecio as she scored a unanimous decision victory over Indonesia’s Ratna Sari Devi in the women’s bantamweight final.

A couple of Pinoy pugilists just came up short

Unlike their teammates, welterweight boxer Norlan Petecio (Nesthy’s brother) and light heavyweight pugilist John Marvin won’t take home SEA Games gold. Losing their final matches, Petecio and Marvin had to settle for the silver medal.

And still…

SIBOL, the Philippines’ esports team continued their dominance in the region as they retained the gold medal by sweeping Malaysia in the finals of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament. It was a sweet victory for the Filipino Gamers as they were able to avenge their lone defeat in Cambodia, which happened during the eliminations.

Queens of arnis

Introducing herself to the Philippine sporting landscape was arnisadora Charlotte Tolentino. Beating Moe Aye of Myanmar in the 50 kg final, Tolentino bagged the Philippines’ first gold medal in arnis.

Jedah Soriano added another gold medal from the padded stick competition as she captured her second SEA Games gold by outscoring Cambodian bet Suon Heangsla, 2-0 in the featherweight final.

The Filipino arnisadors ended the day winning two golds and 2 bronze medals.

Filipino judokas making their presence felt

Rena Furukawa led the way for the Filipino judokas in Day 2 of the judo competitions. Furukawa once again won the gold medal in the women’s 57-kilogram weight class with a finals win over Chu Wai of Myanmar.

In the men’s side, Shugen Nakano settled for silver in the 66-kilogam category, while Daryl Mercado earned the bronze medal in the 55-kilogram event.

Pinoy Wrestling

Not to be outdone, Filipino wrestler Jason Balabal maneuvered his way to a golden performance in the 82 kg category of the men’s Greco-Roman wrestling. Balabal’s triumph marked the country’s first gold medal win in wrestling.

Two more bronze medals for Philippine Taekwondo

Nicole Ann Soriano and Veronica Garces reaped two more bronze medals for the Philippine Taekwondo Team. Soriano got hers in the 57-kilogram event, while Garces made it to the podium in the 46-kilogram weight class.

New SEA Games record and a gold

Elreen Ando lifted a total of 216 kilograms in the weightlifting finals of the women’s 59 kg category to seal the gold medal and set a new SEA Games best. She lifted 98 kg in snatch, and 118 kg in clean and jerk. 

15-year-old wonder powers her way to a silver medal finish

Rosalinda Faustino might just become the heir apparent of Hidilyn Diaz. Coming into the 55-kilogram division, Faustino’s goal was to secure the bronze medal. But as the opportunity presented itself, the youngster was able to snatch a second-place finish.

The country’s master swordswomen, swordsmen deliver

Philippine women’s saber team made their first-ever finals appearance in the regional meet. They bagged the silver medal after losing to defending champion Vietnam, 45-36.

The Philippine men’s epee team failed to make it to the gold medal match after falling to Vietnam, 45-31. Nonetheless, the squad will take home a bronze medal.

May 13, 2023

Taekwondo delivers anew as Arven Alcantara gets gold again

Arven Alcantara beat his Thai foe in the men’s under 68 kg weight class in taekwondo to secure another gold medal for the Philippines. Make that back-to-back gold medals for the taekwondo team, after Kurt Barbosa's golden run earlier. 

Ian Clark Bautista, Kurt Barbosa deliver gold

Boxer Ian Clark Ladon and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa added a pair of gold medals in what has been a lean day for the Philippines in terms of golden finishes. Bautista, the reigning champion in the 57 kg category, defended his crown by outclassing Indonesia's Asri Udin via unanimous decision. Barbosa, on the other hand, took home his third straight gold medal by ruling the men’s under 54 kg in taekwondo.

Silvers galore for the Philippines

Boxers Riza Pasuit, Irish Magno, and Roger Ladon all settled for silver in the women's 63 kg category, the women's 54 kg division, and the men's 51 kg weight class, respectively.

Meanwhile, weightlifter John Febuar won silver in the men's 61 kg category in weightlifting to pad the country's silver medal total further.

Also adding silver for the Philippines was Sam Tranquilan, who secured a silver medal in the men’s foil-fencing event.

May 12, 2023

Double podium finish highlights the Philippines' athletics campaign

The country added two more medals to its tally, this time with a double podium finish in javelin throw, with 16-year-old Gennah Malapit, capturing silver in her first SEA Games outing, and veteran Evalyn Palabrica bagging  bronze

Team PH snags silver medal in the recognized men's poomsae event

The taekwondo team delivers another medal, a silver, in the men’s team recognized poomsae event. Making up the medal-winning trio are Patrick King Perez, Joaquin Tuzon, and Ian Corton.

Another gold medal in Taekwondo

Patrick King Perez gets the highest score in the men’s individual recognized poomsae event to give the country another gold in taekwondo. 

Philippines gets first gold in taekwondo in the 32nd SEA Games

The team composed of Aidaine Laxa, Jocel Ninobla, Nicole Labayne topped the women’s team recognized poomsae event to give the country its first gold in taekwondo—hopefully the first of several.

PH fencer Sam Catantan suffers injury to settle for SEA Games silver

Filipino fencer Sam Catantan succumbed to a knee injury one point away from entering the final of the women’s individual foil. Catantan recovered enough to finish and win the match, but was carted away to a waiting ambulance.

More medals in SEA Games athletics

Mark Harry Diones secured the bronze medal in the men's triple jump athletics competition.

Robyn Brown, meanwhile, took home the silver medal in the women's 400m hurdles event.

Sarah Dequinan likewise bagged the silver medal in the women's heptathlon.

Ronne Malipay also took home the silver medal win in the men's triple jump tournament.

PH wushu artists grab silver, three bronze medals

Gideon Padua settled for silver in the men’s sanda 60kg category after falling short against Vietnam’s Truong Giang Bui in the final.

Carlos Baylon secured the country’s bronze medal in the men’s sanda 56kg class.

Russel Diaz, meanwhile, copped the bronze medal in the men's sanda 52kg category, while Jennifer Kilapio also took home the bronze in the women's sanda 52kg category.

Agatha Wong strikes gold again

Agatha Wong claimed her 5th gold medal in wushu. The Filipina topped the taijijian+taijiquan event with a total of 19.623 points.

 May 11, 2023

PH swimmers add more medals in SEA Games

Jasmine Alkhaldi, Miranda Renner, Teia Salvino, Thanya dela Cruz capped of the swimming events with a silver in the 4x100 Medley Relay. 

Alkhaldi likewise another medal to her collection with a bronze finish in the women’s 50m butterfly.

PH bags silver medal in inaugural MLBB women's tournament

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang women’s team added a silver to the Philippines’ esports medal haul after a valiant effort vs Indonesia in the finals, losing 3-2 in their best-of-five series.

Women's swimming team notches a silver  

Jasmine Alkhaldi, Thanya Dela Cruz, Miranda Renner, and Teia Salvino ended the swimming delegation's Thursday with a second-place finish in the 4x100m medley relay. 

Alkhaldi wins another individual event medal 

Jasmine Alkhaldi finished third in the women's 50m butterfly event to bring home bronze. 

Bronze in men's 92kg boxing

Markus Tongco settled for the bronze medal after failing to advance in the men’s 92kg boxing final.

Sixth straight SEA Games gold medal for Eric Cray 

Eric Cray defended his men's 400m hurdles crown, bagging another SEA Games gold in the event.

Ronald Oranza gets bronze medal in cycling

Filipino cyclist Ronald Oranza took home the bronze medal in the men's road criterium race.

Philippine women's cricket team bags silver medal in SEA Games

The Philippines won its first-ever SEA Games medal in cricket, securing the silver in the women’s sixes.

PH fencers bag silver and bronze medals in SEA Games

Nicanor Porto fell short of advancing to the finals after losing to Jie Min Juliet Heng in the semifinals of the women’s sabre, 15-9. Porto secured herself at least a bronze medal finish.

Noelito Jose, meanwhile, fell to Jian Si To in the final of men’s epee, settling for the silver medal.

Jylyn Nicanor took home bronze in the women's sabre event. 

Silver in kun khmer 

Kristian Narca finished second in the 57kg male category of the Cambodian traditional martial art, kun khmer. He defeated the host country's Laingkousin Khun. 

May 10, 2023 

Philippine sepak takraw teams pluck silver medals

The men’s and women’s sepak takraw team notched two silver medals in the SEA Games.

PH swimmers bring home more medals from SEA Games

Jarod Hatch captured the bronze in the men’s 50m butterfly, clocking in at 23.89 seconds and overtaking Luke Gebbie’s national record of 24.34. 

Meanwhile, Chloe Isleta, Teia Salvino, Jasmine Alkhaldi, and Xiandi Chua took home the bronze in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, finishing behind Singapore and Thailand. 

SIBOL Valorant team clinches bronze 

After going undefeated in the group stage, the Valorant squad of SIBOL fell to Indonesia in the semifinals, but bounced back against Vietnam in its last match to win bronze. 

Joseph Arcilla wins historic gold in soft tennis

 Joseph Arcilla made history as he brings home the Philippines’ first ever gold in men’s soft tennis singles.

Shortly after that, Bambi Zoleta bagged the silver medal after a hard-fought game vs Indonesia.

Pencak silat delegation brings home multiple medals

Dines Dumaan brought the Philippines a silver medal after falling short to pencak silat powerhouse Indonesia. Dumaan was the last person to bring a SEA Games gold medal for the said sport back in 2017.

Denmark Abdurasad, meanwhile, claimed the bronze medal in the men's tanding class D (60kg-65kg), while Joash Cantoria added a bronze medal as well in the men's tanding class H (80kg-85kg).

Angel-Ann Singh also gave Team Philippines another bronze in the women's tanding class D (60kg-65g).

First medal in badminton

The Philippines earned its first podium finish in badminton since 2015 after Bianca Carlos settled for the bronze medal after losing to Indonesia in the singles match.

Three more silver medals in athletics

After ruling the long jump competition, Janry Ubas captured the silver medal in the men's decathlon final.

Along with that, Joida Gagnao and Sonny Wagdos also bagged silvers in the women's 3000m steeplechase final and the men's 5000m athletics event, respectively.

May 9, 2023 

Teia Salvino wins second gold for PH swimming, sets new SEA Games record

17-year-old swimmer Teia Salvino won the womens 100m backstroke while also setting a new SEA Games record of 1:01.64.

Janry Ubas clinches gold in men's long jump

Janry Ubas notched a 7.85-meter finish to rule the male category of the long jump, according to the Philippine Sports Commission.

Jasmine Alkhaldi adds bronze to medal collection

Finishing behind Singapore's bets, Jasmine Alkhaldi finished third in the 100m butterfly event. 

Jarod Hatch nets first medal in Cambodia with new national record 

Clocking in at 52.91 seconds, Jarod Hatch wins bronze in the men’s 100m butterfly event. He also breaks his own national record of 53.06. 

Two more medals in vovinam combat 

Hergie Bacyadan, after lodging a complaint, officially gets awarded a silver medal while Aimee Ramos takes home a bronze. 

Bronze in kun khmer 

Moises Ilogon places third in the men's 60kg  event of kun khmer. 

Filipinas are the queens of women's soft tennis

The Philippine women's team make history in soft tennis as they bring home the first ever SEA Games gold in the women's team event. 

Men's soft tennis team captures third place finish 

The men's team in soft tennis fell to Thailand in the finals to settle for bronze. 

Carlos Yulo gets another gold, one more silver to his trophy case 

After grabbing gold yesterday, bemedaled Carlos Yulo wins another gold in the men's parallel bars event. 

He, however, settles for a silver in the men's rings finals, bowing to Vietnam's Van Khanh.

Two more golds in artistic gymnastics, courtesy of Ivan Cruz and Juancho Miguel Besana 

Ivan Cruz fell into tears after a close win in the men's floor exercise. He scored 13.85 to outlast Vietnam's Tikumporn Surintornta, who scored 13.8 points. Indonesia's Joseph Judah Hatoguan finished third with a score of 13.6. 

Juancho Miguel Besana likewise toppled the competition in the men's vault finals with 14.425 points to claim gold. 

SIBOL Crossfire secures bronze 

Team Philippines wins another medal in esports after SIBOL defeated Laos, 3-0, in Crossfire. 

May 8, 2023

EJ Obiena dominates SEA Games, resets record to win third straight gold medal

World no. 3 EJ Obiena resets the men's pole vault record in the SEA Games after clearing 5.65 meters, breaking his own previous record of 5.46 meters. With the win, Obiena gets a golden three-peat. 

Gold, silver, and a new record in swimming 

Xiandi Chua gets the gold while setting a new SEA Games and national record in the women's 200m backstroke after clocking in at 2:13.20. 

Chloe Isleta, meanwhile, went right behind Chua and brought home the silver medal. 

Another SEA Games medal for Jasmine Alkhaldi

Jasmine Alkhaldi improves on her bronze finish in the 2019 SEA Games after winning the silver in the women's 100m freestyle in Cambodia. 

One more gold, two more silvers, and another two bronze medals in kun bukator 

Robin Catalan tops the kun bukator combat 50kg event after beating Indonesia. Ariel Lampacan and Alyssa Mallari won a silver medal each, while Richein Yosorez and Philipp Delarmino each got bronze.

Carlos Yulo strikes gold anew

Bemedaled SEA Games gymnast Carlos Yulo is back at dominating the games with a gold finish at the men's individual all-around event. He was also part of the team event which won silver. 

Men's artistic gymnastics team takes silver 

With a total score of 305.25, the Philippine men's artistic gymnastics team, which includes star gymnast Carlos Yulo, gets silver. 

Silver for Philippines in women's team kumite 

The karatekas challenged Vietnam for the gold, but ultimately bowed to the defending champs to settle for silver. 

Two Filipinos in triathlon podium  

Fernando Casares defended his title at the men's individual triathlon to give the Philippines its 15th gold medal. Kim Remolino, meanwhile, finished third for a bronze.

Kim Mangrobang bags silver for second SEA Games medal

With the men winning gold and bronze, Kim Mangrobang completed the colors with a silver finish in the women's individual triathlon. She earlier won gold in women's individual duathlon.

Kun bukator team bags three bronze medals 

The Philippines finished third in phkak form (women's) and in group barehand form (men's and women's) in kun bukator on Monday. 

May 7, 2023

SIBOL Wild Rift completes redemption tour, dethrones Vietnam for gold 

The Filipino gamers of SIBOL for League of Legends: Wild Rift led by Golden Hart Dajao and coach Van Alfonso defeated Vietnam, 3-1, to exact revenge after their finals loss in the last SEA Games. Dajao earned Finals MVP honors.

Marc Lim makes it 13 gold medals for PH 

A Filipino emerged at the top of the men's 69-kilogram ne-waza nogi final after Marc Lim won via submission against Vietnam. 

Jiu-jitsu team racks up three more bronze medals

Jan Cortez (men’s 56-kilogram ne-waza nogi), Estie Liwanen & Chris Gallego (mixed duo classic) and Lesly Romero & Ian Patrick Gurrobat (mixed duo show) all had podium finishes on Saturday. 

Meggie Ochoa settles for silver

A known children's rights advocate, Meggie Ochoa took on the mat to display her full prowess in sport, but falls to Cambodia's hero Jessa Khan in the final of the women’s 52-kilogram ne-waza nogi.

Khan gets a revenge on the Philippines after losing to Kaila Napolis in the ne-waga gi final.

Swimmer Jerard Jacinto sets national record en route to silver medal

A De La Salle Zobel alum now studying college in the states, Jerard Jacinto had an exam to think about while participating in the SEA Games. Despite juggling hats, he set a national record of 25.77 seconds in the men's 50-meter backstroke. The ace that he is, he breaks that record anew in the finale, clocking in at 25.56 seconds while bringing home the silver medal.

Teia Salvino swims to bronze medal 

Earlier in the day, Teia Salvino set a national record in the preliminaries with a 28.95 time in the women's 50-meter backstroke. She almost duplicated the feat in the final but fell short. Still, her 28.99 time was good enough to win bronze. 

12 golds for PH as Jamie Lim gets back on top  

Jamie Lim defeated Chakriya Vann of host Cambodia in the final of women's -61kg kumite to get her second SEA Games gold. 

The daughter of PBA legend Samboy Lim, Jamie won gold in the 2019 SEA Games and ended up with two bronzes last year in Vietnam. 

Four silvers in karate

Matthew Manantan (-75 kg), Ivan Agustin (-84 kg), Ariane Brito (+68 kg), and Remon Misu (-68kg) each all won silver medals in individual kumite in this year's biennial meet.

Soft tennis duo brings 11th gold medal for Filipinos 

Bien Zoleta Manalac and Princess Catindig scored gold for the country in the women's doubles category of soft tennis.  

Men's and women's teams of Gilas Pilipinas bring home silver medals in 3x3

The Gilas Pilipinas Women 3x3 squad, made up of Jack Animam, Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, and Mikka Cacho, settled for silver after losing to Vietnam in the final, 21-16. 

The men's team in 3x3 also finished second place. Comprised of Almond Vosotros, Joseph Eriobu, Joseph Serudifa, and Lervin Flores, the squad succumbed to a 20-15 loss to host Cambodia in the gold medal match. 

10 golds now for PH as Kim Mangrobang tops duathlon 

Kim Mangrobang proved once again her prowess in running and cycling after winning the gold medal in women's individual duathlon. 

Obstacle course squads bag 8th, 9th gold medals for PH  

With a time of 33.73 seconds, Sandi Menchi Abahan, Mecca Cortizano, Milky Mae Tejares, and Maritess Nocyao outlasted Indonesia, which finished atop the standings after the eliminations, to take home the gold medal in the women's obstacle relay event. 

The men's team of Jayr De Castro, Mervin Guarte, Elias Tabac, and Ahgie Radan, meanwhile, finished in 24.78 seconds to seal the best finish and likewise claim the gold in the competition. 

May 6, 2023 

Serving of silvers and a bucket of bronze medals to end the day

The pair of Shania Mae Mendoza and Janelle Mae Frayna nabbed silver medals in the women's 60 minutes double of Ouk Chaktrang, a close cousin of chess.

Women's swimming also delivered some early hardware, with the team of Teia Salvino, Miranda Renner, Xiandi Chua, and Jasmine Alkhaldi bagging silver in women’s 100m freestyle relay.

The veteran quartet of Paulo Bersamina, Jan Emmanuel Garcia. Joey Antonio, and Darwin Laylo, meanwhile, copped bronze in the men's 60 minute quadruple team of Ouk Chaktrang.

Jerard Jacinto and Myron Mangubat, on the other hand, also added to the country's haul, winning bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke and men’s 62kg ne-waza gi, respectively. 

Adding to the country’s jiu-jitsu haul were Luan Gutierrez and AC Divina, who won bronze in the women’s classic duo, and Jason Cayari and Raymond Villaraza Jr., who bagged bronze in the men’s duo show.

The karate team also had a good day, with Enrico Vasquez getting bronze as well in karate kata individual male category.

The Philippines ended the day with three more bronze medals, this time in the Vietnamese martial art called vovinam. Jeryln Kingad won bronze in women’s 55kg vovinam; Rhenel Desuyo, in 65kg vovinam; and Jovan Medallo, in men’s sun-moon broadsword of vovinam.

As of 10:55 p.m. of May 6, the Philippines is at fourth overall in the medal tally with 7 gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze medals. 

Junna Tsukii just misses gold, but adds a shiny silver

Filipina karate star Junna Tsukii settled for the silver medal in the women’s -50kg kumite in a tight, controversial loss. With Tsukii's silver, the Philippines now has 7 gold, 7 silver, and 6 bronze medals as of 6:40 p.m.

Aquathlon team delivers seventh gold

The Philippines copped its seventh gold medal on Saturday afternoon courtesy of  Matthew Hermosa, Kira Ellis, Erica Burgos, and Iñaki Lorbes, who comprised the team that ruled the mixed relay event of aquathlon, a sport that combines swimming and running.

Three's a charm as Annie Ramirez adds another gold

Jiu-jitsu fighter Annie Ramirez added a sixth gold medal for the Philippines after going undefeated in the women’s ne-waza 52kg category at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center. It is Ramirez's third straight SEA Games gold. 

Two more silvers and a bronze for the Philippines

Andrew Kim Remolino bagged silver in the elite men’s aquathlon competition.

Marathoners Arlan Arbois and Christine Hallasgo added to the country's early medal haul, with Arbois winning silver in the men's event and Hallasgo taking home the bronze medal in the women's side.

The Philippines has 5 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze medals as of 3:00 p.m. today.

Sakura Alforte secures gold, redemption for karate team

Sakura Alforte secured the Philippines' first gold in karate after topping the kata individual women's finals.

The karate team previously missed out on a gold medal in the 2021 SEA Games, but Alforte made sure that it won't happen again.

It is the country's fifth gold medal so far.

Obstacle course dominance gives gold and silver medals

Obstacle bet Precious Cabuya won the Philippines' third gold after beating teammate Kaizen dela Serna, who settled for the silver. Cabuya also set a new world record of 32.73 seconds in the women's finals.

Mark Julius Rodelas and Kevin Pascua also finished 1-2, this time in the men's obstacle race finals to give the Philippines its fourth gold and another silver, respectively. Rodelas finished with a time of 25.19.

May 5, 2023

Kaila Napolis wins the Philippines’ first gold

Jiu-jitsu bet Kaila Napolis delivered the country’s first gold medal on Thursday, outpointing former SEA Games tormentor and hometown ace Jessa Khan, 2-0, in the finals of the women’s ne-waza 52kg category at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center.

Napolis previously bowed down to Khan in the 30th SEA Games held here in the Philippines in 2019. Napolis waited four long years to avenge that loss, and she did so right at Khan’s stomping grounds.

Indeed, revenge is best served golden.

Angel Gwen Derla adds a second gold

Host countries are given much latitude deciding the sporting events to include in the SEA Games. A case in point is kun bokator, a martial art that dates back Cambodia’s Khmer empire.

That didn’t stop the Philippines’ Angel Gwen Derla from winning the country’s second gold medal on Thursday after topping the women’s bamboo shield form of kun bokator. Derla won in the slimmest of margins, finishing with 8.5 points—or 0.4 clear of hometown bet Chanchhorvy Puth.

More medals from kun bokator

The Philippines also copped two silver medals on Thursday, with Mark Lacao winning one in the men's single bamboo shield form of kun bokator and Rhichein Yosorez nabbing the second one in the women's single bare hands form of kun bokator. The Philippines' haul from the sport ended up at four medals, with Kylie Mallari bagging the bronze in the women's single bokator spirit form. 

Duos with medals

Brothers Karl Dale and Jan Harvey Navarro gave the Philippines jiu-jitsu hardware, relying on their sibling instincts to cop bronze in the men's duo early on Thursday. The pair of Isabela Montaña and Dianne Bargo also won the bronze in the women's duo.