THIRD time’s a charm.
After barely coming up short in the previous two editions of the biennial meet, Philippine taekwondo team standout Justin Kobe Macario finally reached the top of the podium and, at the same time, gave the country its first gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
The former University of Santo Tomas student-athlete rose above the occasion, competing in his first-ever individual event in the regional meet. Macario flaunted a superb performance in the men’s individual freestyle poomsae event held at the Fashion Island Shopping Mall in Bangkok, on Wednesday afternoon.
Performing last in the Finals, Macario leaned on a clean and solid routine, which included multiple flips and various kicks to top the competition. He garnered a tournament-best 8.200 score to clinch the gold medal, narrowly edging out the host’s bet Koedkaew Atchariya of Thailand, who finished with 8.100 points.
Malaysia’s Ken Haw Chin completed the podium, grabbing the bronze with 7.740 total points.
“Nagulat din po ako kanina na ako po yung unang gold ng Pilipinas. Sobrang saya po dahil isang karangalan po makauwi ng ginto for the country,” Justin told Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Media after winning the country’s first gold in Bangkok.
The 23-year-old national team mainstay Macario previously finished with a silver and bronze medal in the mixed freestyle poomsae event in the 2021 and 2023 editions of the SEA Games.
Moreover, Macario added to his already historic feat after winning the bronze medal in the mixed freestyle poomsae team event later that day. He was joined by Darius Venerable, Jesus Gabriel Derick Yape, Juvenile Faye Crisostomo, and Janna Dominique Olivia.
Making their splash, the PH Women’s swimming team dominated the 4x100m freestyle relay to capture the second gold medal of the country in the SEA Games.
The team finished the relay with a 3:44.26 time, escaping Team Singapore, who ended with a 3:46.53 record.
Filipino tanker Gian Santos, on the other hand, seized the silver medal in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley finals, with a 2:03.88 time.
Meanwhile, the national sepaktakraw teams also made their mark on the first day of competition, bagging the country’s second and third bronze medals.
John Derick Farr opened the medal floodgates for Team Philippines after he won the bronze medal in the men’s mountain bike downhill event.
The Philippines closes Day 1 of the 2025 SEA Games in sixth place with 13 medals (2 golds, 2 silvers and 9 bronze medals). Slightly above them are the fifth placed Myanmar (2 golds, 4 silvers and 1 bronze). The host country Thailand currently sits at the top of the reign with 19 gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze medals.