MANILA – Filipina gymnastics star Aleah Finnegan reclaimed what she had earned on the vault — a SEA Games gold medal — after a dramatic scoring reversal in Thailand that underscored both her dominance and the Philippine delegation’s vigilance on the competition floor.
Finnegan was initially denied the title when judges awarded the top score to a Thai gymnast, but the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) immediately challenged the ruling. A full review of the scoring sheets and video replay forced the technical panel to correct the standings and award the victory to the 2023 world championships veteran.
POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who was on-site, personally pushed for the reassessment that overturned the original declaration.
Gymnastics continued to fuel the Philippines’ strong campaign, with Justin Ace De Leon pocketing his second medal of the Games — a bronze in the men’s still rings — following his earlier podium finish in the floor exercise.
The delegation also celebrated a flurry of golds from ju-jitsu, as Kim Custodio ruled the women’s ne-waza 48kg division and Dean Roxas dominated the men’s ne-waza 85kg category. Their victories added to the previous day’s triumphs from poomsae bet Justin Kobe Macario and the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team.
Geli Bulaong topped the women’s modern-60kg event, although her win was not counted in the official tally as the discipline remains a demonstration sport.
Swimming dynamo Kayla Sanchez delivered two silvers — in the 50m backstroke and in the 200m freestyle, where she posted 2:02.19, narrowly trailing Singapore’s Ching Hwee Gan (2:02.02).
In athletics, Susan Ramadan opened the national track team’s campaign with a bronze in the women’s 1500m.
Taekwondo added more podium finishes: Clarence Sarza snatched silver in the women’s under-46kg class, while Olympian Kurt Barbosa earned bronze in the men’s under-54kg.
Jiujitsu debutant Yman Xavier Baluyo settled for silver in the men’s ne-waza 69kg after bowing to Vietnam’s Dinh Tung Dang in the final. Vito Luzuriaga (men’s 85kg) and Marc Alexander Lim (men’s 69kg) contributed bronzes.
Artistic gymnast Haylee Garcia added a silver on the women’s bars with a 12.333, complementing De Leon’s tally.
The men’s Makruk blitz chess team — IMs Paulo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia and GMs Daniel Quizon and Darwin Laylo — pocketed bronze, while combat sports duo Baby Jhen Buzon and Mariane Mariano also clinched bronze in the duo classic women’s event. Kaila Napolis added another bronze in the women’s ne-waza 48kg.
Judo delivered its first medal of the Games with Lopez sisters Leah Jane and Ma. Jeanalane, who earned bronze in Ju-no-Kata.
Mixed martial arts athletes Giezel Daya (women’s traditional 54kg), Jean Claude Saclag (men’s modern 65kg), Gina Araos (women’s special value modern 54kg), and Denzel John Alipio (men’s modern 60kg) secured four more bronzes.
History was made in extreme sports as the Philippines captured its first wakeboarding medal, a team bronze courtesy of Marc Griffin, Eva Dela Torre, Frenchesca Coo, and Derek Hewitt. Cyclist Mark Louwel Valderama added a bronze in the men’s cross-country eliminator./PN
