The ferocious 24 gold reality of the Team Philippines’ quest in the Southeast Asian Games has been recognized as the worst finish of the delegates since 1999 SEA Games in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei.
The national team hauled 33 silvers and 64 bronzes during the 11-day tournament. The Philippines came out in sixth place with a total of 121 medals.
Philippines contended to 30 sports the team was given to purse a 50-gold aim at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. Chef-de-mission Cynthia Carrion said so to motivate the athletes. But Carrion and the national team did not expect to grasp silver medals after the stellar execution of Malaysian delegates against the Team Philippines. The sewed-up Malaysians claimed a hard-earned 140 golds—twice the 70 golds of second tier Thailand—being the SEA Games’ overall champ.
However, setting aside the wonderment, sporting officials expressed dismay over the brutal sports schedule in favor to the SEA Games host Malaysia in which our national team had a hard time adjusting. Some of our athletes met injuries, like Daniel Parantac of Wushu who had been keeping the sport glory for half a decade. Pole vaulter OJ Obiena was also a sufferer of the unfriendly schedule which led him to tearing of his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Take Eric Shauwn Cray of the athletics as well where a short period of rest was not given a consideration between his 100 meter and 400 meter hurdles in one exhausting night, only to fall in silver for the 100 meter competition.
Nevertheless, Athletics chief Philip Juico saw his team’s performance as a positive curtain-raiser for the upcoming 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Five gold medals hauled by the Philippines came from Athletics.
Cycling became distant to gold medal projections as only olympian Daniel Caluag bagged a medal— unfortunately a bronze. Along with the other sports where bronze was the only pay for all the trainings and tough breaks are bowling, golf, ice hockey, muay thai, shooting, table tennis, and water skiing.
Reigning for bringing two golds, multiple medalist Trenten Anthony Beram slayed the Athletics in Men’s 200 meter and 400 meter hurdles. Although gold was nowhere to be found, Jemyca Aribado of Squash pulled an outstanding total of five medals for the Philippines—one silver and four bronzes.
But still a round of applause was deserved by the national team for standing tall and proud as a Filipino athlete. With Philippines hosting the SEA Games in 2019, there’s still a long way for the national team to boast a more well-prepared roster of athletes to dominate the competition.
(Disclaimer: Photo Courtesy of POC/PSC Pool)
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