Michael Ver Comaling successfully defended his title in the men’s triathle, following his triumph at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games modern pentathlon competitions on Thursday at Jomtien Beach in Pattaya City, Chonburi, Thailand.
Despite exploring pursuits outside of sports — including dabbling in show business and even entering the Pinoy Big Brother house — the 25-year-old from Ormoc City remained committed to his craft.
He continued to train and compete in the traditional disciplines of the Olympic modern pentathlon format, which now includes fencing and obstacle racing.
And his dedication paid off as he secured his second SEA Games gold.
Comaling dominated the event, which tests endurance in swimming, speed in running, and precision in shooting, finishing with a time of 14:10.17.
This victory mirrored his 2019 triumph on home soil, the first and, to date, only time modern pentathlon was contested in the Games.
Indonesians Farras Satrio Aris Sugianto and Graha Rizky Taruna finished second and third, clocking 14:27.79 and 15:03.86, respectively.
Young Filipino Joseph Anthony Godbout placed fifth with a time of 16:01.56.
Comaling had already signaled his readiness to defend his title with a gold in the senior biathle and a bronze in the relay biathle at the Southeast Asian Modern Pentathlon Championships last August in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
This marks the second gold and third overall medal for the Philippines in modern pentathlon at the Games, following Melvin Sacay’s gold in the men’s laser run and Princess Abilon’s silver in the women’s laser run.
