Abdul Barode finally put an end to the Philippines’ medal drought in the PUBG Mobile event by securing a bronze medal in the Individual event of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia on Monday.
Barode started off slowly in the finals but made a comeback in Match 3, climbing to the Top 10 after ranking 5th with 6 kills.
He continued his impressive performance in Match 4, finishing in the Top 3 and moving up to the second spot in the overall standings.
Barode held onto the second spot until Cambodian competitor Tra “SkyNin” Chhany secured a chicken dinner in the penultimate match, taking over the top spot and pushing the Filipino down to third place.
Despite a disastrous Match 8 where Barode was eliminated early, he had built a sufficient lead to force a tie for third place with Vietnam’s Nguyễn “ParaJin” Đình Chiến, ultimately earning him the bronze medal.
Barode was part of the PHI1 team that topped the team event qualifier this year, achieving two chicken dinners, but struggled during the finals.
This marks the Philippines’ first medal in the PUBG Mobile event since its introduction in the SEAG in 2021.
In 2021, Reimon Allen “Rymon” Casido came close to medaling, finishing 5th in the Individual event, while his compatriot Raymund Arbie “H2R” Basilio finished 7th.
In the team event, the Philippines placed 5th and 9th overall in 2021, but this year’s SEAG saw them finish in 13th and 15th place.
