Hokett Delos Santos and John Cabang Tolentino delivered standout performances on a memorable day for Philippine athletics at the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok. Delos Santos, 23, representing the University of Santo Tomas, topped the men’s decathlon with 6,917 points. His strong finish in the 1,500 meters, clocking 4:52.22, was a key factor in his victory.

Thailand’s Singkhon Suttisak claimed silver with 6,649 points, while Indonesia’s Richsan Idan Fauzan earned bronze with 6,582. Fellow Filipino Janry Ubas finished fourth with 6,573 points, narrowly missing the podium.

Tolentino sets SEA Games record in 110m hurdles

Sharing the spotlight, John Cabang Tolentino captured the Philippines’ first gold medal in athletics, shattering the SEA Games record in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. Tolentino clocked 13.66 seconds, surpassing the 2015 record of 13.69 set by Thailand’s Jamras Rittidet.

He finished ahead of Singapore’s Chen Xiang Ang, who took silver with 13.75, and Abdul Lattif Mohamad Armin Zahryl of Malaysia, who earned bronze in 13.85. “It’s a big honor to raise the flag on the top of the podium for the Philippines. I’m super happy,” said Tolentino. “I had some wrong steps but I stayed strong, and it didn’t matter.”

Additional medals for the Philippines

SEA Games debutant Jeralyn Rodriguez earned bronze in the women’s 400 meters, recording 53.40 seconds. Her performance secured her qualification for the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships at the University of Oregon. Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc won gold, while Thailand’s Josephine Onuorah Chinenye took silver.

In the men’s high jump, Leonard Grospe claimed bronze with a personal best leap of 2.19 meters. Grospe was tied with Singapore’s Kampton Kam but lost silver on a countback. Thailand’s Tawan Kaeodam won gold with a 2.22-meter jump.