BANGKOK—Justin Kobe Macario skipped the spotlight of the opening ceremony, choosing instead to train four times the day before competition. On Wednesday, that sacrifice glowed gold.
The 23-year-old dazzled with a high-flying freestyle poomsae routine to hand the Philippines its first gold of the SEA Games, finishing with 8.200 points at Fashion Island Shopping Mall. It was his first individual SEA Games title—and one he didn’t expect.
“Nagulat din po ako… sobrang saya,” he said.
His win came on a chaotic day for the Games, marred by Cambodia’s full withdrawal amid rising border tensions. Still, the Philippines found bright spots. John Derrick Farr claimed a downhill bronze, while two other bronzes lifted the delegation to third in the early standings.
And as other squads—from Gilas 3×3 to the volleyball and golf teams—geared up for tough assignments, Macario’s golden start set a hopeful tone.
In a statement, Vath Chamroeun, chief of the Olympic Committee of Cambodia, explained the pullout: “Due to serious concerns and requests from the families of our athletes to have their relatives return home immediately, NOCC must withdraw all of our delegation and arrange for their prompt return to Cambodia for safety reasons.”
The two nations are currently locked in a border conflict just eight kilometers from the Games venue.
Earlier Wednesday, John Derrick Farr secured the country’s first medal—a bronze in the men’s downhill mountain bike event in Chonburi.
Two additional bronzes—one in men’s sepak takraw and another in taekwondo—gave the Philippines a 1-0-3 tally, placing third behind host Thailand (8-5-1) and Myanmar (2-2-0) as of press time.
In women’s 3×3 basketball, Gilas Pilipinas absorbed a tough 15–21 loss to Indonesia at Nimbutir Stadium. Reynalyn Ferrer’s two free throws tied the score at 14-all with under three minutes left, but Indonesia closed with a 7–1 run to seal the win.
The Alas Pilipinas women’s volleyball team begins its bid Thursday against powerhouse Thailand at 6:30 p.m. (Manila time) in Pool A at the Huamark Indoor Stadium.
Over in Pattaya, golfer Rianne Malixi leads the Philippine women’s squad into action Thursday at the Siam Country Club. She will compete alongside Junia Gabasa and Grace Quinanilla. The men’s lineup features Chris Remata, Rolando Bregente, Perry Bucay, and Shinichi Suzuki. Expectations are high for both squads in the individual and team events.
Ranked third after Tuesday’s seeding run, the 29-year-old Farr held onto his spot with a time of 2:43.676, edging teammate Simon Peter Servillon, who finished in 2:45.866 in his SEA Games debut.
Thailand’s Methasit Boonsane retained his title from the 2021 Vietnam Games, clocking 2:37.856 to beat Indonesia’s Rendy Varera Sanjaya (2:38.714).
“Naibaba ko ’yung time ko from 2:48 to 2:43, so malaking achievement po. Hard-earned medal talaga,” said Farr, who extended his SEA Games streak after winning gold in 2019 and bronze in 2022. (Downhill events were not held in 2023.)
In the women’s race, 2019 champion Lea Denise Belgira placed fourth (3:22.478). Thailand claimed gold and bronze through Vipavee Deekaballes (3:03.289) and Kanokrat Ritthidet (3:06.778), while Indonesia’s Riska Amelia Agustina (3:04.874) took silver.
