It didn’t take long for the Philippines to taste gold at SEA Games 2025, thanks to Kobe Macario’s winning performance in the men’s poomsae freestyle individual event.
It didn’t take long for the Philippines to strike gold at the SEA Games 2025 as taekwondo jin Kobe Macario ruled the men’s poomsae freestyle individual event on Wednesday, December 10.
Macario led the field with a score of 8.200, narrowly scraping past host nation Thailand’s Koedkaew Atchariya, who tallied 8.100 points, and Malaysia’s Ken Haw who finished with a score of 7.740.
The gold marked the Philippines’ second medal of the biennial sporting meet, following John Derick Farr’s bronze in the men’s mountain bike downhill event earlier in the day.
[ALSO READ: SEA Games: Derick Farr gives Philippines first medal with bronze finish in mountain bike]
“We feel very proud and honored to deliver the first gold for the Philippines. We’ve really prepared hard for this moment,” said head coach Rani Ann Ortega.
She added: “We are very confident and determined to win for the country. I’m really proud of Kobe.”
(With reports from Julia Vargas/Cignal)
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.