Filipinas Are Taking The Lead In This Year's SEA Games—Here Are Some Of Their Recent Wins

As of December 12, the Philippines has secured a total of 62 medals—including 10 golds—at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand. With the competition running until December 21, this tally is still expected to grow as more events unfold in the coming days. Filipina athletes are already making their presence felt, delivering standout performances across various sports and proving that they are more than ready to compete on the regional stage.

From hard-fought victories to confident podium finishes, their wins have become some of the most exciting moments of the Games so far—sparking pride, buzz, and well-earned cheers back home, both online and off. Here are some of the most recent victories by Filipina athletes at the SEA Games, each one a reminder of their talent, discipline, and sheer determination.

Alex Eala is here to make history once again. She just won gold at the recent SEA Games, becoming the country’s first women’s tennis singles gold medalist in 26 years. She pulled it off with grace, even under immense pressure.

Alex defeated Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, a player ranked World No. 100 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory.

For Filipina swimmer Kayla Sanchez, the 2025 SEA Games was a triple celebration as she brought home two gold medals and two silvers. She touched the wall first in the women's 100m freestyle with a time of 54.82 seconds, outpacing her Filipina teammate Heather White, who earned silver at 55.36 seconds. Her victory was even more significant as she surpassed six-time Singaporean champion Quah Ting Wen, who finished in 55.60 seconds to take bronze. 

And Kayla didn't stop there: She also claimed gold in the 4x100m relay alongside Filipina Olympians Heather, Chloe Isleta, and Xiandi Chua, finishing in 3:44.26, more than two seconds ahead of the silver medalists from Singapore. 

After wrapping up her run at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Filipina gymnast Aleah Finnegan is stepping into a new chapter, this time at the SEA Games, where she clinched gold in the women's vault finals and a bronze in the women's balance beam. The win marks her second SEA Games gold, following her first victory at the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi.

"A lot has happened behind the scenes, some personal challenges, but I kept pushing through all of it," Aleah said, describing the win as "incredibly special."

Aleah's gold win came with a tense moment. After her final routine, an incorrect score briefly appeared on the screen, prompting a review request from Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino. It took around 30 minutes before the scores were corrected. 

"I was really nervous when they flashed the wrong score.. We were all trying to figure out how they got that number. It was stressful and confusing, but in the end, I’m just thankful everything was corrected," Aleah shared. 

This is Kimberly Custodio's first time competing in the SEA Games, but it didn't stop her from taking home gold in jiu-jitsu. She has been training in the sport for 11 years and is already a three-time Ju-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) world champion.

A few of her victories include earning the Philippines its third and fourth gold medals at the Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Royal Thai Air Force Academy in Saraburi. A month later, she went on to win her third title at the Federation World Championships. Now in her SEA Games debut, Kimberly did not disappoint and went ahead and won gold. 

"Sobrang nakakatuwa kasi first time ko mag-move up ng weight division. Sabi ko nga sa 'yo hindi ako nag-expect manalo. Pero sa awa ng Diyos at hard work ng coaches ko at teammates ko, nagbunga din," Kimberly told POC Media after her win.

Kimberly dedicated her SEA Games gold to the next generation of athletes, sharing that she hopes her journey will inspire her students back home to keep improving and aim for their own goals in jiu-jitsu.

City councilor of Malolos, Bulacan and athlete Geli Bulaong added a gold medal to the country's SEA Games haul after winning the mixed martial arts modern 60kg category, a demonstration sport this year. She secured the victory by defeating Indonesia's Maydelse Sitepu in the final round.

Geli recalled her demanding preparation for the SEA GAmes on Facebook, sharing that the journey was far from easy as she balanced intense training with her responsibilities in public office. 

"Nag flash back lahat ng hirap sa ensayo, Sabi ko nga ito yung pinaka mahirap kong tinanggap na laban dahil konsehal na ako. Gigising ng madaling araw para mag ensayo papasok sa City Hall para maglingkod tapos mag eensayo ulit pagkatapos," Geli said.

"Number one priority ko parin ang pagiging konsehal at paglilingkod, pero itong pagiging atleta na humubog sa akin sa kung ano ang karakter ko ngayon, hindi ko ito pwedeng talikuran," she added.

Clarence Sarza delivered a strong performance, proving that even though she came to the SEA games primarily for experience, she still claimed silver in the women's under-46kg kyorugi division of taekwondo.

"So this is a dream come true po kasi this is my first time at the SEA Games. So ang goal ko lang papunta dito is to enjoy my first time, mag-show up sa SEA Games," Clarence said in an interview with POC Media.

The experience surely left Clarence feeling even more motivated. She said she will take all her lessons to heart and promised to do better in the future.

Tachiana Mangin may be one of the youngest athletes to compete at the SEA Games, but she turned that into motivation, winning gold in the women's kyorugi event in taekwondo. The 18-year-old competed in the under-49kg weight class, defeating her Thai opponent Kamonchanok Seeken.

Mazel Paris Alegado, 11, is proving that age is never a hindrance to achieving one's dreams, especially in one of the toughest male-dominated sports: skateboarding. She made history by winning gold at the SEA Games.

Mazel topped the competition with a score of 79.72, beating eight other competitors. Her compatriot, fellow 11-year-old Elizabeth Amador, claimed the silver with 72.03, while Thailand's Freya Santa settled for bronze after scoring 64.13.

"It feels crazy 'cause it's my first SEA Games and I'm so proud to represent the Philippines... All I wanted is to try my best, land all my lines. I don't care if I get first, second, or third. I just want to land all my lines on my skate, you know," Mazel shared in an interview.