Final tally: success for Philippines

BANGKOK – The smoke of battle in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games has cleared and the final tally is in.

Team Philippines is going home with 50 gold, 73 silver, 154 bronze medals after 10 days of hostilities, good for sixth in the 10-nation meet.

Host Thailand ran away with the overall title at 233-154-112 with Indonesia a far second (91-111-131) followed by Vietnam (87-81-110), Malaysia (57-57-117) and Singapore (52-61-89) slightly ahead of the Filipinos at No. 5.

The numbers may look pale for the contingent of nearly 1,200 athletes, coming off the 58-gold haul and fifth position in Cambodia in 2023. But both Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio considered this one a success.

“Very successful para sa amin ito,” Tolentino said hours before the Games were to formally close last night.

He cited how the athletes set new records like EJ Obiena in pole vault and Kayla Sanchez in swimming, toppled host Thailand in its strongholds in women’s football and women’s beach volleyball, and quashed its upset bids in basketball in the 10-day meet.

“We broke many records. We beat them (Thais) in their games and we defended our games. Ganon lang ka-simple,” said the POC chief.

“Bonus na nga ‘yung gold ng football, eh, talunin mo ‘yung Thailand (in the semis), that’s it. We beat them in their game. Nandoon pa ‘yung basketball which we won in spite of... Applicable to all sports ‘yung in spite of ... it’s an uphill battle dahil doon sa in spite of…,” he added, referring to what was perceived as spotty officiating and unfavorable rulings against Filipinos.

For Gregorio, winning in competitions that mattered most to Filipinos as well as those that mattered most to the Thais showcased the athletes’ world-class status.

“That proves that we can excel in the Olympic competitions. ‘Yun din naman ang hangarin natin,” he said.

The bronze output, according to the country’s highest sports officials, was also a good measure of success here.

“Yung bronze medals, ‘yan ang grassroots natin at mag-i-improve nang mag-i-improve ‘yan because we gave them an opportunity to participate in this Southeast Asian Games,” said Gregorio.

“So ako very happy kasi alam mo kung minsan ang paligsahan, palakasan at pataasan ng talon at palakpakan ‘yan. Saan ba tayo pinakamasaya? Siyempre ‘yung dalawang basketball natin, ‘yung football natin, beach volleyball natin, sila Alex Eala, EJ Obiena, softball, baseball.”

Tolentino noted that Singapore, which beat the Philippines for fifth by two golds, and Malaysia, which had seven more mints, fielded over 500 more athletes in these Games.

Obiena and the track and field team showed the way for Team Philippines here with five golds, seven silvers and 19 bronzes.

Pinoy practical shooters made their mark in their SEAG debut, collaring four golds, one silver and three bronzes, to emerge as the second-best performers followed by the swimming team led by triple gold-medalist Kayla Sanchez with 3-9-2, the modern pentathletes (3-3-1), the gymnasts (3-2-7) and the food-poisoned triathletes (3-2-1)

“Lumaban talaga sila kahit ang daming ano, ‘magic,’” said Tolentino, alluding to, among others, boxing, where the Thais grabbed 14 golds with two silvers and one bronze while the Filipinos settled for only one mint, via Eumir Marcial, to go with three silvers and six bronzes.

Marcial served as the country’s flag bearer during last night’s closing rites at the Rajamangala Stadium, leading a 30-man group that included athletes in jetski and ice skating in the final activity of this edition.