The 31st SEA Games Highlights
Glad Jacinto • May 25, 2022
And just like that, the 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games has officially concluded.
Let’s take a quick look at this year’s highlights.
We clinched our first gold medal even before the opening ceremony from the Pencak Silat team courtesy of Francine Padios in the Women's Artistic Single event.
Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena lead the Philippine delegation in the parade of nations as the country’s flag bearer. The Philippine Olympic Committee recommended both Obiena and fellow Olympian Hidilyn Diaz share the task but the event organizer only allowed one flag bearer per country, to which Diaz agreed it should be Obiena.
The athletes immediately got back to action after the opening ceremony with the country continuing to pile up the medals.
Breaking records and ending the drought
Gymnast Carlos Yulo is the most bemedaled Filipino athlete for two consecutive SEA Games.
Yulo’s outstanding run resulted in five gold medals in the men’s division of individual all-around, floor exercise, still rings, vault, and high bar. He got two more silver in the parallel bars and the men’s artistic gymnastics team together with Jan Gwynn Timbang, Juancho Miguel Besana Eserio, John Ivan Cruz, Justine Ace de Leon, and John Matthew Vergara.
While he got the same number of medals in 2019, he has more gold medals this round.
EJ Obiena remained at the top of the men’s pole vault category and reset his own SEA Games record to 5.46 meters in a single attempt.
The Philippine women’s football team ended a 37-year medal drought after a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Myanmar. The last was in 1985.
When it rains… After eleven years, we bagged gold again in bowling with Merwin Tan’s singles win and another with Patrick Neil Nuqui, Ivan Dominic Malig, and Christian Dychangco in the men’s team of four-event.
In Esports, we closed our first women’s gold in the League of Legends: Wild Rift (Mobile) - Women Team Event.
Kim Manrobang swept the duathlon and triathlon golds, her third consecutive in women’s triathlon. Manrobang with Fernando Casares in the men’s division swept the triathlon golds.
Swimmer Chloe Isleta ended our decades-long gold drought in the women’s category.
Weightlifter Vanessa Sarno shattered all three SEA Games records in the women’s 71kg.
Other highlights
The athletics team brought in the most number of medals with over 20 in total followed by the dancesport and gymnastics teams; gymnast Aleah Finnegan contributed two golds and two silvers in her SEA Games debut.
Eumir Marcial bagged his fourth straight SEA Games gold after beating Delio Anzaqeci Mouzinho of Timor Leste in the men’s -75kg finals.
Rubilen Amit from the billiards team got a couple of gold medals in the 9-ball and 10-ball pool events.
Gilas Pilipinas men finished their latest SEA Games tournament with a silver medal after the loss to Indonesia. The loss ends a 13 consecutive gold streak.
The Philippine team closed its SEA Games run in 4th place, and the host country, Vietnam, won the top spot for the Southeast Asian Games.
OS Paris 2024 Scholars
Boxer Rogen Ladon got his first gold after beating Tran Van Thao of Vietnam in the men’s -52kg finals.
Samantha Cantantan won gold in women’s foil and another silver with Maxine Isabel Esteban, Wilhelmina Lozada, and Justine Gail Tinio in the women’s foil team event.
Olympian Elreen Ando finished with silver in the women's 64kg event in weightlifting.
Roanne Malixi together with Mafy Singson, and Lois Kaye Go bagged bronze in the women’s golf team event.
What comes ahead
Here’s to hoping that we build from all the wins, and it’s not necessarily just in terms of medals, and come back stronger in the next competition.
References:
https://www.rappler.com/sports/carlos-yulo-cash-incentives-sea-games-may-2022/
https://www.rappler.com/sports/updates-sea-games-may-22-2022/
https://www.rappler.com/topic/sea-games/
https://www.forbes.com/profile/carlos-yulo/?sh=350fb84b295a
https://www.rappler.com/sports/results-kim-mangrobang-women-duathlon-sea-games-may-15-2022/
https://www.rappler.com/sports/results-philippines-triathlon-sea-games-may-14-2022/
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A BRAND new indoor velodrome now cast a shadow over a similarly International Cycling Union (UCI)-grade BMX track, but perched in the heart of several other sports facilities that mark Tagaytay City as a world-standard sports hub is a glimmering stainless steel 12-foot statue of National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal clad in fencing gear greeting everyone at the main entrance of the new City Hall. “It’s a tribute to our National Hero the sportsman, the athlete,” said Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, the outgoing mayor who’s left a legacy not only as an excellent leader of the world-famous city but as the father of all Philippine sports. “We Filipinos know very well that Dr. Jose Rizal excelled in everything he engaged in and in sports, he was a fencer par excellance, a sharp shooter and if there were titles during his time, a grandmaster of ahedres—chess,” added Tolentino, president of the Philippine Olympic Committee and PhilCycling. A string of celebratory events marked the introduction of Dr. Rizal the fencer at City Hall—inauguration of the 250-meter wooden Tagaytay City Velodrome that helped highlight blessing ceremonies for more than a dozen brand new facilities including the modern-designed City Hall along Isaac Tolentino Avenue. Tolentino brought members of the POC Executive Committee—onboard the city’s e-trikes—after their meeting at Papa Bolo Brewery and Restaurant before heading to the velodrome where close to 2,000 athletes, sports officials and Tagaytay City crowd witnessed the inauguration of the first of its kind—and one of a few in the Asean region—cycling facility. On hand to lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Tolentino and Cavite’s first woman governor, Athena Tolentino, was Asian Cycling Confederation president Dato’ Amarjit Singh Gill as well as Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo, Tagaytay City Vice Mayor Agnes Tolentino and Cavite Eighth District Rep. Aniela Tolentino. Double Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Carlos Yulo and fellow medalist boxer Nesthy Petecio graced the event with POC officials and national sports association leaders.
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A HISTORIC Baguio City to Tagaytay road classic, formal inauguration of the country’s first indoor velodrome and signing of pledges by Olympic Solidarity scholars mark the combined celebration of the Olympic Day and World Bicycle Day on Monday (June 23) in Tagaytay City. “This is a historic first not only for the Olympic Movement but also for Philippine cycling,” said Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, president of both the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and PhilCycling and mayor of Tagaytay City, which is also celebrating on June 21 its 87th charter day. First, according to Tolentino, is the breakthrough classic—one-day road race—from Camp John Hay in Baguio City to the finish line in front of the brand-new Tagaytay City Velodrome along Crisanto de los Reyes Avenue. Second, the new track facility—an International Cycling Union (UCI)-standard 250-meter indoor and wooden velodrome—will be formally inaugurated and opened, and third, Olympic Solidarity scholars in various sports will sign their contracts under the guidance of the POC all in one day. “It’s a celebration and perhaps, it’s the most unique in the world,” Tolentino said. The Baguio-Tagaytay classic of the PhilCycling will cover a total of 288 kms and will pass through the major expressways—TPLEX, SCTEX, NLEX, Slyway, SLEX and CALLAX—feauturing the top 30 finishers in the MPTC Tour of Luzon last summer. “It’s all about speed and endurance,” said Tolentino, as he thanked the collaboration of sports patrons and business tycoons Manuel V. Pangilinan and Ramon S. Ang and the MPTC, San Miguel Corp. Infrastructure, Camp John Hay and Duckworld PH for the milestone classic. The Tagaytay City Velodrome, according to Tolentino, will mark the resurgence of Philippine track cycling—a cycling disciplie that offers the most number of gold medals at 10 events for men and women. “We have confirmed our participation in the track events of cycling at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December,” Tolentino said. “This is to get the wheels rolling for the new velodrome which we anticipate to be one of the velodrome hubs in Asia.” The PhilCyclign will field men and women riders to the omnium event in the 33rd edition of the SEA Games Thailand is hosting in December.
PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee and cycling federation president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino inspects two bikes of the Thailand cycling association headed by General Decha Hemkasri.
Aira Villegas (left), Fr. Eugenio Lopez, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Carlos Yulo, and Nesthy Petecio
PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (third from left) with (from left) coaches Jessica Pfister and Miguel Gutierrez,, Marc Pfister, Enrico Pfister, Christian Haller and Curling Pilipinas playing president Benjo Delarmente.
Philippine men’s curling team celebrates after winning historic first ever Southeast Asia’s gold medal in winter games.
David Lappartient (left) and Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino (right)
Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino
