Dhenver John Castillo joined the growing list of Filipino teens bringing home gold from the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, dominating his event in windsurfing, where all five Filipino competitors reached the podium.
The 17-year-old secured the Philippines’ only gold in windsurfing by winning the men’s U19 iQFoil class at Jomtien Beach in Pattaya City on Wednesday, December 17.
Castillo led from start to finish throughout the five-day, 16-race competition, finishing with a total of 30 points and a net score of 19, edging out local favorite Passapong Lianglam, who took silver with a net of 24. Singapore’s John Tze Xiang Wong claimed bronze with a net of 26.
The Philippines’ windsurfing team had a clean sweep of medals, with Renz Angelo Amboy (men’s Techno 293 Plus Open) earning silver, and John Harold Madrigal (men’s iQFoil Open) and Arrianne Angela Paz (women’s iQFoil Open) each taking bronze.
The SEA Games windsurfing competition used a low-point scoring system, where first place earned 1 point, second place 2 points, and so on. After all 16 races, each athlete’s three worst results were dropped to calculate their net score.
Other Filipino teen gold medalists in this edition of the Games include 16-year-old runner Naomi Cesar, 11-year-old skateboarder Mazel Paris Alegado, 17-year-old gymnast Jasmine Althea Ramilo, 17-year-old practical shooter Erin Mattea Micor, 18-year-old taekwondo jin Tachiana Mangin, and 19-year-old triathlete Kira Ellis.
