Golden surge in practical shooting propels PH past Malaysia in SEA Games medal tally

CHONBURI, Thailand – The Philippines enjoyed its most prolific day in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games following an eight-gold haul on Monday, December 15, fueled by a golden barrage in practical shooting.

Rolly Nathaniel Tecson, Edcel John Gino, Genesis Pible, and Erin Mattea Micor hit the mark as they each delivered gold medals at the conclusion of the three-day practical shooting competition at the THPSA Shooting Range here.

Tecson won the men’s standard individual and Micor topped the women’s open individual, while Gino and Pible ruled the men’s and women’s production optic individual events, respectively, for a dominant showing in a sport staged in the SEA Games for the first time.

For Tecson, a champion in the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) Handgun World Shoots, it is high time for their sport to get the attention it deserves.

“We have a great chance and a great advantage in this sport. There are a lot of Filipinos who excel in this sport,” said Tecson in Filipino.

Also in Chonburi, Elreen Ando captured the Philippines’ first weightlifting gold in this edition following her triumph in the women’s 63kg class, where she posted a 229kg total.

The two-time Olympian cleared 102kg in snatch and 127kg in clean and jerk for a convincing victory that allowed her to win gold for the second straight SEA Games after she won the 59kg title in the 2023 Cambodia edition.

Over in Bangkok, young guns Hussein Loraña and Naomi Cesar swept the 800m golds in athletics following stunning performances that saw them beat former champions.

Loraña, 21, clocked 1:48.80 in the men’s 800m to beat out 2021 titlist Joshua Atkinson of Thailand (1:49.24), while Cesar, 16, recorded 2:10.2 in the women’s 800m to dethrone Nguyen Thi Thu Ha of Vietnam (2:10.3) in a photo finish.

The Philippines’ other gold on Monday came from wushu standout Jones Inso, who won the men’s taijiquan-taijijian a day after Agatha Wong defended her women’s crown.

Inso totaled 19.563 points to best Singapore’s Yu Xuan Tay (19.543) and Jun Kai Chan (19.530).

With 25 golds, 37 silvers, and 80 bronzes, the Philippines has overtaken Malaysia (25-28-80) for the fifth spot in the medal tally with five days of action left. – Rappler.com