Reasserting her dominance in the region, Filipina wushu athlete Agatha Wong successfully defended her title at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, winning another gold at the 33rd edition of the biennial meet on Sunday in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 27-year-old national team frontrunner once again ruled the Women’s Taolu Taijiquan-Taijijian tournament at the Ratthaprasasanphakdi Building Government Complex Chaeng Watthana in Bangkok.
Determined to bounce back from an underwhelming performance in the World Games, Wong flaunted a clean and steady performance in the sword routine, with her barehanded form that dictated the pace of the competition. She collected 9.783 points to top the tournament and secure the country’s 16th gold at the regional showcase.
Wong outperformed her rival, Lachkar Basma of Brunei, who settled for silver after a 9.780 point performance. Singapore’s Law Zeanne Zhi Ning completed the podium, with 9.766 points for the bronze.
Proving why she is the region’s queen of taijiquan and taijijian, Wong bagged her sixth SEA Games gold medal — with her first tracing back to the 2017 Kuala Lumpur meet.
Agatha bounced back from a subpar showing in the 2025 World Games last August, in China, where she finished the tournament in seventh place after a rigorous battle in the taijijian segment.
In a social media post, Wong expressed her gratitude to the ones who supported her. “Sixth SEA Games gold medal of my career. For God and my country. Salamat Pilipinas!!,” she said. “Even at an early age, I didn’t think I was meant for this future. I just want to try to do my best because it is not every day you are given an opportunity to represent your country,” the wushu star added.
On the flip side, Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo missed out on a SEA Games medal finish after placing fourth in the women’s 58kg weightlifting tournament.
The 34-year-old Diaz barely missed out on a podium appearance after falling short in the finals of the snatch and clean and jerk events.
In the snatch, Diaz successfully lifted her first two attempts — at 88kg and 90kg before failing on her third try at 92kg.
Trying to get back on track, Diaz had a good lift at 110kg in the clean and jerk but failed to complete her second attempt at 115kg. Pushed on the brink, Diaz went for 116kg desperation on her last attempt but was unsuccessful.
The oldest among the six competitors in the finals, Diaz had a total of 200 kg, not enough to crack the top three.
Host Thailand’s bet Suratwadee Yodsarin bagged the gold with a total of 224kgs, Natasya Beteyob of Indonesia notched the silver, while Vietnam’s Thi Tam Quang settled for bronze with a total lift of 215.
“First, I want to say sorry, but I did my best. And this is my best for now because I have an injury, and I’m having a hard time dropping weight because I gained weight. But it’s not an excuse. At the end of the day, I didn’t give up. I prepared, and I’m happy to represent our country,” Diaz said.