Arven Alcantara has finally put an end to years of frustration by clinching his first-ever gold medal in an exhilarating final against Thailand’s Chaichon Cho in the men’s flyweight division at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Saturday.
Alcantara’s victory marked the 33rd gold medal for the Philippines in these Games, a momentous achievement that occurred just moments after Kurt Bryan Barbosa secured his third consecutive Games gold in the men’s finweight category.
For Alcantara, this triumph represents a breakthrough after narrowly missing out on gold in both the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games and the 2019 home Games.
Having experienced the disappointment of losing the 2017 final in controversial circumstances, the National University product took charge this time around, leaving no doubt as he seized the gold for the Philippines.
With Alcantara’s remarkable victory, the total tally of gold medals for Team Pilipinas jins now stands at four.
