Peter Groseclose hopes Philippine team SEA Games medals will be stepping stones for skating

Eighteen-year-old Peter Groseclose has participated in 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. He has taken part in the ISU Short Track World Tour. But nothing compares to competing in the Southeast Asian Games.

On Friday, December 19, Groseclose won gold in the 500m speed skate, settled for silver in the 1,500m race, and took bronze in the men's 5,000m team relay.

No one was left behind in Team Philippines, as the women also got bronze in the 3,000 team relay.

"It's a totally different experience. You know, at World Tour, at Youth Olympics, there's so many different countries, and Southeast Asia as a whole doesn't really get the opportunity to shine and really make themselves known. And so, being able to represent the Philippines at SEA Games, where all these Southeast Asian countries can really show their competence and their talents, it's really something I can be proud of," Groseclose told One Sports after the competition.

Groseclose first settled for silver in the 1,500m, falling behind Thailand in the last lap after leading for most of the race. He slipped to 2:26.207, while Taprom Chonlachart of Thailand pushed ahead by 0.407 of a second.

He did bounce back in the next event, the 500m, finishing with a time of 0:42.478, 1.114 seconds faster than Singapore.

"Yeah, to be honest, I'm still disappointed about the 1500. I know the mistakes I made. But at the end of the day, Tapron, he's a good skater. And I knew that coming in. And I just made a mistake," the 18-year-old admitted. "It kind of served as extra motivation to win gold. Because I really knew I could do it. I really believed I could do it. And so, having persevered to the end, it was really worth it."

Groseclose also participated in the team relay--something he doesn't usually do in competitions abroad.

He actually slipped and fell at some point, so it was a surprise for him, Hans Buemio, Jahn Cruz Asuncion, and Sunphil Zablan to take bronze with a time of 7:59.189--over 37 seconds later than silver medalist Singapore.

"To be honest, I didn't think we did it. What happened was I fell on the inside because we had arranged our exchanges differently so that me and Hans would take on more of the laps... it made the inside look a bit more chaotic. So, I had to weave through some people. I ended up kind of colliding with some other skater. Luckily, Hans and I were able to make the tag," Groseclose shared.

"But I was worried, I really didn't even know where we were position-wise. I didn't know if we were going to get a penalty. So, when we all heard that announcement that we had gotten bronze, like a wave of relief and happiness and pride just came over us. It was a really great moment," he added. "Having this relay, it makes the victory so much sweeter. I'm really glad we could win together. It's just really rewarding."

The women's team, consisting of Shaelynn Bolos, Xsandrie Guimba, Renee Benitez, and Jewel Suguitan, also clinched bronze in the 3,000m relay with a time of 05:40.632, some nine seconds behind silver medalist Singapore.

Team Philippines will aim to build on their success with the SEA Trophy Manila Series in January, while Groseclose will compete in the Junior World Championships.

Even as a tropical country, he hopes speed skating will flourish in the Philippines, just as how Turkey has grown in the sport.

"I really want the sport to grow in the Philippines. I really believe that over time, the Philippines could be a competing country. Turkey does not have a history of, like, success in winter sports. But now, they are a good team. And I hope, down the line, I really hope that for the Philippines. I think having this success would be a stepping stone towards that."

Katrina Alba is a sports journalist and producer, notably with SportsCenter Philippines before taking on her current role at One Sports. She primarily writes about basketball and volleyball, with experience covering the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup.

Outside of work, her hobbies include running, swimming, pickleball, yoga, arnis, and krav maga.