Philippines Surges Past Malaysia in SEA Games Standing as Practical Shooting Delivers Dominance

The Philippines mounted an impressive performance surge at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, claiming eight gold medals on Monday, December 15, to vault ahead of Malaysia in the overall medal standings. The breakthrough came largely through practical shooting, a competition format making its inaugural appearance at the SEA Games, where four Filipino athletes swept the top honors.

At the THPSA Shooting Range in Chonburi, Thailand, the Philippines’ shooting contingent produced an exceptional showing. Rolly Nathaniel Tecson and Erin Mattea Micor secured victories in the standard and open individual categories respectively, while Edcel John Gino and Genesis Pible claimed titles in the men’s and women’s production optic disciplines. The collective triumph underscored the depth of Filipino talent in this emerging competition format. Tecson, an International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Handgun World Shoots champion, emphasized the sport’s untapped potential. “This is the moment our discipline deserves recognition. The Philippines has tremendous depth in this field,” he remarked, highlighting that numerous Filipino shooters compete at elite international levels.

Beyond the shooting range, Filipino athletes added to the medal haul through standout individual performances. Elreen Ando, a two-time Olympian, seized the weightlifting crown in the women’s 63kg division with a commanding 229kg aggregate lift (102kg snatch, 127kg clean and jerk), marking her second consecutive SEA Games title following her 59kg triumph in 2023.

On the athletics track in Bangkok, two young stars made their mark. Hussein Loraña, just 21 years old, clocked 1:48.80 to claim the men’s 800m title, eclipsing Thailand’s defending champion Joshua Atkinson (1:49.24). Meanwhile, 16-year-old Naomi Cesar captured the women’s 800m in 2:10.2, narrowly defeating Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thu Ha in a thrilling photo finish.

In wushu competition, Jones Inso secured gold in the men’s taijiquan-taijijian event with 19.563 points, prevailing over Singapore competitors Yu Xuan Tay (19.543) and Jun Kai Chan (19.530), building on teammate Agatha Wong’s successful women’s title defense from the previous day.

With 25 gold medals, 37 silver medals, and 80 bronze medals through Monday’s action, the Philippines improved its position in the medal race, surpassing Malaysia’s 25-28-80 tally to occupy fifth place overall, with five competition days remaining in the Games.