GOLD!

They competed with so much heart, leaping higher, going faster and proving stronger than perhaps even they dared to think. With all their effort and their heart, many of our athletes competing in the XXIII Southeast Asian Games which end today took home the coveted gold medal. And in so doing, they gave our country an invaluable prize–cause for national pride and celebration.

Wracked by controversy and infighting, it seemed for a while that Philippine sports was at a very bad place. Medal predictions for the SEA Games were guarded at best, and those who dared hope for a bumper harvest were thought foolhardy. But our athletes–the real heroes of the games–proved us all wrong.

In venues all over the country, they showed fine form and tremendous skill, competing against the region’s best, and oftentimes competing against themselves as well, striving to break records, to achieve even better personal bests.

The Games are hardly halfway through as we go to press, and already the medal tally for the Philippines is impressive indeed. A total of 439 gold medals in 32 sports are at stake; records have been and will continue to be broken. While some questions have been raised–by officials of countries not doing too well in the medal count–about the "fairness of the games" amidst the Philippines’ admittedly surprising large medal haul, our athletes’ dedication, training, sacrifice and skill are incontrovertible. Bottom line is that their talent and training and big, big hearts saw them through to the top step of the podium–and no amount of politicking or second guessing can take victory away from them.

On these two spreads, we share with you some of the finer moments of the XXIII Southeast Asian Games. This is also our humble tribute to all those who truly took us higher, farther and faster. We say "Mabuhay!" to all the Philippine athletes of the SEA Games.