Taekwondo not only delivered the Philippines’ first gold medal, but also secured the country’s first silver at SEA Games 2025 in Thailand.
The medal haul is on for Team Philippines for the first official day of competition at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand on Wednesday, December 10.
Taekwondo jins Rodolfo Reyes, King Nash Alcairo, and Ian Corton delivered the country’s first silver of the biennial event, impressing with their synchronized routine in the men’s recognized poomsae.
Their performance earned a runner-up finish behind gold medalist Indonesia, adding another podium moment for the Philippines.
Earlier in the day, the Philippines secured its first SEA Games gold medal through Kobe Macario’s dominant showing in the men’s poomsae freestyle individual event, while John Derick Farr bagged the country's first medal after claiming bronze in the mountain bike downhill run.
The momentum carried over to other fronts.
In jiu-jitsu, Godwin Langbayan delivered another podium moment after clinching the Philippines’ first medal in the 2025 edition, toppling compatriot Dwight Del Rosario in the men’s 62-kg division.
Taekwondo added another pair of bronze medals as Jocel Ninobla and Patrick Perez advanced to the recognized pair poomsae semifinals before falling to Singapore.
Another medal came from the mixed freestyle poomsae team, led by gold medalist Kobe Macario and joined by Jeus Yape, Darius Venerable, Juvenile Crisostomo, and Janna Oliva.
Meanwhile, both the men’s and women’s sepak takraw teams contributed to the day’s tally with podium finishes in the hoops event.
The men’s squad racked up 710 points to place third behind host champion Thailand (880) and Myanmar (790), while the women collected 540 points in a field dominated by Thailand (1000) and Myanmar (790).
Both the Philippine men’s and women’s hockey 5s squads also added to the medal tally with podium finishes, settling for shared third-place honors after semifinal setbacks — the men alongside Thailand and the women with Indonesia.
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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.