PH Wins as One at the 30th Southeast Asian Games
The 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games officially wrapped last December 11, 2019 with an exhilarating and world-class set of performances at the New Clark City Stadium including The Black Eyed Peas, Arnel Pineda, Binulu Festival Dancers, and The Manila Concert Choir.
Spectators were also wowed by the drone show and fireworks display that capped off the show.
The 2019 SEA Games Closing Ceremony
Amid the humbling experiences of defeat, the sweet feelings of triumph, the whole world saw how competitive the Southeast Asian athletes are and will be for the years to come.It was just fitting to honor and pay tribute to them and their heroics during the grand Closing Ceremony at the highly-acclaimed New Clark City Athletics Stadium even as the Philippines hands over the hosting duties to Vietnam for the next edition of the Games in 2021. Above all else, the event, achieved its goal of unity and camaraderie through sports and lived up to #WeWinAsOne. #PHforOne
2019 SEA Gamesさんの投稿 2019年12月13日金曜日
The closing event mirrored the spectacle of the grand opening ceremony of the SEA Games, which was wildly talked about for its homage to legendary Filipino athletes and the lighting of the Php 55 million cauldron by boxing legend and senator Manny Pacquiao and rising Filipino boxer Nesthy Petecio.
Let’s recall what made the 30th SEA Games a historical and memorable event not only for the Philippines but for the rest of the competing countries!
We Win as One
The Philippines bagged the first spot out of the 11 participating countries with a total of 387 medals composed of 149 golds, 117 silver, and 121 bronzes. This is the most gold medals the country has won in the SEA Games to date since it first joined in 1977.
The Philippine Athletes | 2019 SEA Games
After 14 years, the Philippines emerged as the overall champion of the #2019SEAGames. Thanks to the the stellar performances of the Filipino athletes! #WeWinAsOne
2019 SEA Gamesさんの投稿 2019年12月13日金曜日
Triathlete John Chicano kicked off Philippine’s journey for gold after winning first place at the men’s triathlon competition held on the first day of the SEA Games.
Arnis, dance sports, taekwondo, and boxing have also been considered as gold mines totaling to 14, 10, eight, and seven gold medals, respectively.
Vietnam, which will host the next SEA Games in 2021, came second with 98 gold medals while Thailand clinches the 3rd spot with 92 golds.
Unforgettable Feats
Filipino athletes shone at the SEA Games not only with spectacular and record-breaking performances but also with the sheer display of heart and sportsmanship.
National records were broken by Kristina Knott for the women’s 200-meter run and James Deiparine for the men’s 100-meter breaststroke.
Gymnast Carlos Yulo dubbed as the PH’s “Golden Boy” is the country’s most bemedalled athlete with seven medals. He garnered two golds at the men’s artistic all-around and floor exercises competitions, and five silvers at the men’s rings, parallel bars, vault, horizontal bar, and pommel horse competitions.
The Philippines also displayed solid dominance in both women and men’s basketball as they swept all the gold for the 3×3 and 5×5 events.
Olympian Hidylin Diaz, on the other hand, came full circle and finally won her first gold at the SEA Games for the women’s weightlifting competition.
Finally, Team Sibol, the country’s national esports team, bagged three golds for Mobile Legends, Dota 2 and Starcraft II.
BREAKING: Team Sibol wins the first ever eSports gold medal for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang defeating Indonesia, 3-2. Indonesia settles for silver and Malaysia gets bronze. #2019SEAGames #WeWinAsOne #PHforOne
2019 SEA Gamesさんの投稿 2019年12月8日日曜日
Moments to Remember
Aside from adrenaline-filled wins, the SEA Games is also not short of heart-warming and inspiring moments.
Daniela dela Pisa, a 16-year old gymnast and ovarian cancer survivor, struck gold at the women’s rhythmic gymnastics hoop event in her first-ever stint at the competition.
Meanwhile, Roger Casugay made news for giving up his lead at a surfing competition by choosing to turn back and save his Indonesian competitor whose board got swept by the force of the waves. He was awarded the Fair Play Athlete medal and was lauded by many including Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
He was also the flagbearer for the Philippines at the closing ceremony of the SEA Games.
A special citation in the Closing Ceremony of the #2019SEAGames was also handed out for an athlete for displaying…
Filipinos, as well as other nations, also united to cheer for the nation of Timor-Leste, which by day seven was still medal-less. Their first medal was won by Amorin Imbrolia Araujo dos Reis as she gets bronze at the women’s taekwondo and finished the competition with five more.
The 30th SEA Games gave the Filipino nation a great boost of morale with the victory of their fellow countrymen. And with depictions of humility and determination by the athletes, it set a great example for young people to follow.
Ultimately, the event rekindled the sense of nationalism in Filipinos, a vital thing in such trying times.
Source: 2019seagames.com, SEA Games 2019 Facebook page, pna.gov.ph
Featured image grabbed from SEA Games 2019 Facebook page
Written by Teresa Gatmaitan
