Sibol grabs PH’s 2nd esports gold in SEAG

By Peter Atencio

PHNOM PENH—The Philippine

Sibol team dominated from start to finish, sustaining the momentum they got from taking Game

1 to score a 3-0 sweep of Malaysia in their best-of-five finals series in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games esports tournament at the Naba Theatre of the Naga World 2 Integrated Resort here on Sunday.

Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel celebrated his second gold medal for Sibol, as the team completed a 19-11, 16-7, 19-16 verdict over the Malaysians.

The 24-year-old Arcangel, playing an important role of a Faramis, a healer, who kept most of his team- mates from getting easily killed in the game, last saw action for the team when they won their first gold back in the 2019 edition of the games in the Philippines.

“This is exciting. I’m the only one who has won two gold medals. And I thank my teammates for it,” said Arcangel, who drew supp ort from teammates Rowgien Stimpson Unigo, David Canon, Michael Angelo Sayson, Nowee Macasa, and Marco Stephen Requitiano display the Philippine flag.

It was the Philippines’ second esports gold in these games, following its title conquest in the Mobile Legends: Bang-Bang and League of Legends: Wild Rift.

Filipino esports bets also had a silver in the women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and bronze medals in the Valorant PC mixed team event and Crossfire. A double kill from Canon’s Arlott character saw Sibol taking a 6-0 lead in the early period of their 26-minutelong Game 1. ippines’ gold rush by smashing records in the the -59kg with her total of 216 kgs, the clean and jerk with her 118 kgs, and the snatch at 98 kgs, with judoka Rena Furukawa following suit by retaining her under 57kg women’s tiara.

In Game 2, Sibol fought its way to a 4-all lead, before Canon’s axewielding Lapu Lapu went on a triple, as the Filipinos took charge with an 11-4 edge.

“The boys just brought their A game to the match,” said coach Francis Glindro of the team’s fighting spirit.

Sibol finished the Malaysians in Game 3 by taking control of the base in just 11 minutes.

Esports delivered its second gold through the Sibol men’s team that swept Malaysia 3-0 in the finale of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang event and wrestler Jason Balabal topped the 82kg class.

Charlotte Ann Tolentino and Jedah Mae Soriano delivered the first two of an expected avalanche of gold in arnis, ruling the women’s full contact padded stick finals in the bantamweight and lightweight events, respectively.

Matching the country’s fourth place finish last year in Vietnam, however, seemed an impossible task considering Indonesia and Cambodia have cracked the 60-gold mark.

Vietnam was on its way to taking the overall crown anew by nearing the 100gold mark, with Thailand sure of taking at least second before it hosts the next edition of the games in 2025.