For 22 years, the Southeast Asian Games women’s beach volleyball tournament knew only one champion: Thailand, which had ruled all eight editions since the sport became a medal event in 2003.
On Friday afternoon, that long-standing reign finally came to an end.
Alas Pilipinas Women etched their names in history at Jomtien Beach in Chonburi, stunning Thailand with an emphatic 2-0 sweep to capture the Philippines’ first-ever gold medal in women’s beach volleyball at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons struck first. The pair delivered a statement performance as they dominated two-time gold medalists Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee and Taravadee Naraphornrapat to give the Filipinas a dream start in the final.
The “SiPons” tandem came out firing in the opening set, then held firm against a late Thai surge in the second to secure a 21-17, 21-15 victory that pushed the Philippines to the brink of a historic breakthrough.
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Sunny Villapando and Dij Rodriguez followed with the finishing blow. The two ground out a 21-13, 17-21, 15-6 win to finally end the country’s eight-edition gold medal drought in the biennial meet.
Villapando and Rodriguez surged to a commanding 19-11 lead early in the match, with Villapando carrying much of the offensive load. The pair later had to weather adversity, erasing an early five-point deficit and briefly taking a 16-15 advantage before Thailand responded with a 6-1 closing run to force a deciding third set.
Unfazed, the Filipinas regrouped quickly, unleashing a blistering 5-1 run in the final frame to seal the long-awaited gold medal.
The triumph also served as sweet revenge for Alas Pilipinas, which had absorbed a lopsided loss to Thailand in their final elimination match — an outcome that only heightened the drama heading into the gold medal showdown.
The breakthrough was years in the making. The Philippines first reached the podium in 2005, when Heidi Illustre and Diane Pascua claimed bronze. Momentum built over time, with back-to-back bronze medal finishes in 2019 and 2021.
Rondina, Pons, Rodriguez, and Dzi Gervacio delivered bronze on home soil in 2019. Then Rondina and Pons teamed up with Rodriguez and Jovelyn Gonzaga to repeat the feat in Vietnam in 2021 — results that laid the groundwork for the country’s golden moment.
That rise was briefly stalled in 2023 when the Nationals missed the podium, but the setback only strengthened their resolve, culminating in a historic and hard-earned gold medal in this edition.
