Veteran fencer Noelito Jose Jr. came within striking distance of his long-sought Southeast Asian Games gold before settling for another silver in the men’s individual epee event at the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok.

Jose led deep into the final but watched Vietnam’s Phuoc Den Nguyen erase the deficit and steal the match, 15-14, at the Island Hall inside Fashion Island Mall on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

The narrow defeat extended Jose’s wait for the only SEA Games medal missing from his collection despite years of consistency on the regional stage.

Late collapse denies breakthrough gold

Jose entered the deciding stretch with a commanding 12-8 advantage and appeared poised to finally claim the top spot on the podium. Nguyen, however, rallied to force a 14-all deadlock before delivering the winning touch.

“It was a sorry loss. It was almost a gold for us but it turned out to be another silver finish,” Jose said, admitting the result was difficult to accept.

The Filipino veteran said the disappointment would not linger, stressing his focus on future international competitions.

Another medal added to long résumé

Jose reached the final after dominating Thailand’s Chinnaphat Chaloemchanen, 15-3, in the semifinals and outlasting Vietnam’s Nguyen Tien Nhat, 14-13, in the quarterfinals.

Still, the finale echoed a familiar pattern for Jose, who has now collected multiple silver medals without securing SEA Games gold.

“That is the only medal that I do not have,” Jose said. “I thought I could get it, but it slipped away. I will come back stronger for next year’s overseas competitions like the Asian Games.”

Jose has competed in the SEA Games since 2015 in Singapore, earning bronze in 2019 and adding three straight silver medals, including podium finishes in Hanoi in 2022 and Phnom Penh in 2023.

Elsewhere, Paris Olympian Samantha Catantan and her sister Janna claimed bronze in the women’s individual foil, while Jhester Concepcion and Eunice Daniel Villanueva also settled for bronze in the men’s individual sabre.