Hokett Delos Santos outlasted the field, including compatriot Janry Ubas, to claim his first-ever Southeast Asian Games gold in the decathlon on Day 2 of the Athletics competitions at Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The three-time UAAP champion in this grueling 10-event spectacle capped his dominance with a first-place finish in the final event, the 1,500 meters.
Delos Santos, a student-athlete from the University of Santo Tomas, scored 6,917 points, reclaiming the decathlon title for the Philippines after it had slipped away for two editions of the biennial Games.
Aries Toledo won in 2019 at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium, but Thailand’s Suttisak Singkhon captured back-to-back golds in 2021 and 2023.
(C) POC Media
“Yung experience (was) OK, pero ‘yung preparation namin was months before the SEA Games. Two months before SEA Games, nagkaroon ako ng strain, then nagpahinga; wala akong ginagawa kundi puro weight training kasi sumasakit ‘yung aductor ko,” said Delos Santos.
“November was UAAP, medyo naka-recover ako do’n, and I performed nang maayos kahit papa’no. Then, after UAAP, bumalik. So, ngayon parang mind over matter na lang talaga,” added the recently crowned UAAP Season 88 co-MVP.
Ubas, who was neck-and-neck with Delos Santos after eight events, faltered in the final stages and finished fourth with 6,573 points.
Suttisak ended his reign in second place with 6,649 points, while Indonesia’s Richaan Idan Fauzan overtook Ubas to claim third with 6,582 points.
Delos Santos had previously medaled at the Games, winning silver in the men’s pole vault behind Olympian EJ Obiena at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.
