Gabe Dinette delivered a dominant performance in the just-concluded 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Chonburi, Thailand, leading a Philippine wrestling team that produced eight other medalists and signaled a promising future for the sport in global competitions.
Dinette, who previously wrestled for Stanford and Duke, claimed the gold medal in the men’s freestyle 86-kilogram division after defeating Vietnam’s Van Truong Vu Tran via walkover in the final due to injury. The bout was held at Pacific Hall inside Pacific Park Si Racha in Si Racha, Chonburi province.
His triumph came on the final day of competition and was highlighted by his technical superiority throughout the tournament. Dinette posted identical 4-0 victories against Thailand’s Chiranuwat Chamnanjan and Singapore’s Weng Luen Gary Chow en route to the title.
“I thank God for the strength and all who have supported me in this journey,” Dinette said as he celebrated his victory in Thailand.
Aside from Dinette’s gold, the Philippine wrestling team also collected four silver and four bronze medals in the biennial meet.
The silver medalists were Hayden Ancheta (men’s freestyle seniors 57 kg), Ronil Tubog (men’s freestyle seniors 65 kg), Aliah Rose Gavalez (women’s wrestling seniors 50 kg), and Ax Arian Geralin Carpio (women’s wrestling seniors 62 kg).
Four other Filipino wrestlers earned bronze medals: Rea Grace Cervantes (women’s wrestling seniors 53 kg), Jason Baucas (Greco-Roman seniors 77 kg), Andre Dragani (men’s freestyle seniors 74 kg), and Callum Roberts (Greco-Roman seniors 97 kg).
In total, the Philippines secured nine medals in a campaign that underscored a growing regional rivalry in wrestling between Vietnam and the Philippines.
For Wrestling Association of the Philippines president Alvin Aguilar, the campaign offered both encouragement and valuable lessons.
“We won nine medals, with one gold, and that is something to cheer about,” Aguilar said. “I am beyond proud of our young athletes’ incredible performance at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. With 11 entries, including nine first-timers, they brought home a total of nine medals: one gold, four silvers, and four Bronzes.
“It makes us strive for more to be able to win as many medals as possible in the future. Proud moment for the Philippine wrestling team,” Aguilar added.
Vietnam emerged as the tournament’s dominant force, capturing 10 of the 12 gold medals on offer, along with one silver and one bronze, to further establish itself as a regional wrestling powerhouse.
