Kim Mangrobang successfully defended her title while Monica Torres had an impressive SEA Games debut

Photo courtesy of Inquirer Sports | Art by Tricia Guevera

The 30th Southeast Asian Games was extra special for the Philippines for many reasons. Aside from the fact that the country hosted the event, this was the year in which we saw Filipino athletes prove that they can triumph on home soil. Nothing can exhibit this better than the 149 gold medal haul—the most in SEA Games history. Here are five of the athletes who contributed to the country’s golden tally.

Kim Mangrobang 

One of the first few gold medals the Philippines secured early in the Games was courtesy of Kim Mangrobang. The two-time SEA Games champion finished this year’s triathlon race in 2:02 to successfully defend her SEA Games triathlon title.

John Chicano

One of the most inspiring narratives this year is John Chicano’s triathlon journey. Chicano finished first in men’s triathlon after clocking in at 1:56:26—securing the country’s first gold medal in the tournament. Chicano outpaced fellow Filipino representative Kim Remolino as the duo completed a 1-2 finish in this year’s race.

Monica Torres 

Monica Torres’s SEA Games debut was an impressive one to say the least. The duathlon queen finished the race in 2:08:45 (10K run in 38:16 and 40K bike in 1:08:23) ahead of Thailand’s Sonsem Pareeya and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Phuong Trinh, which earned her first SEA Games gold.

Claire Adorna

Adorna, who was part of the mixed relay team, proved once again that the Philippines is still the best triathlon team in the region. The team composed of Adorna, Chicano, Mangrobang, and Fernando Casares ruled the mixed relay tournament in 1:33:47.

John Derick Farr

Cyclist John Derick Farr added to the country’s gold medal tally after finishing the men’s mountain bike downhill event with a time of two minutes and 43 seconds.