Wrestling Association of the Philippines President Alvin Aguilar was happy to see their athletes perform well in the SEA Games 2025.
Philippine wrestling showed its wares with an impressive haul of medals from the SEA Games 2025 in Thailand which concluded last week, with Gabriel Thomas Dinette leading the pack with his gold medal in the 86-kilogram freestyle event.
Sending 11 athletes — all of two were first timers in the biennial meet, the Philippine team nabbed medals for nine of the events.
For Wrestling Association of the Philippines President Alvin Aguilar, it’s a sign of good things to come for the Philippines, especially with newcomers performing well at a high level of competition in the regional scene of Southeast Asia.
“We won nine medals, with one gold, and that is something to cheer about,” Aguilar said.
“I am beyond proud of our young athletes' incredible performance at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. With 11 entries, including nine first-timers, they brought home a total of nine medals: one gold, four silvers, and four bronzes.”
Dinette’s gold medal conquest was the highlight of the campaign, especially as it came against Vietnam — a known regional powerhouse in wrestling, having won 10 of the 12 gold medals at stake in the event.
He conquered Van Truong Vu Tran in the gold medal match due to cap off his dominant performance in the competition, which included 4-0 wins over Thailand’s Chiranuwat Chamnanjan and Singapore’s Weng Luen Gary Chow.
Meanwhile, Hayden Ancheta (Freestyle-Seniors-57 kg), Ronil Tubog (Freestyle- Seniors-65 kg), Aliah Rose Gavalez (Women's wrestling-Seniors-50 kg) and Ax Arian Geralin Carpio (Women's wrestling-Seniors-62 kg) added silvers to the team’s haul.
The other medalists include Rea Grace Cervantes (Women's wrestling-Seniors-53 kg), Jason Baucas (Greco-Roman-Seniors-77 kg), Andre Dragani (Freestyle-Seniors-74 kg), and Callum Roberts (Greco-Roman-Seniors-97 kg) who all finished with bronze.
Showing their potential in Thailand, WAP believes that there is more to come for the sport.
“It makes us to strive for more to be able to win as many medals as possible in the future. Proud moment for the Philippine wrestling team,” Aguilar said.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.