The Philippine National Kurash Team ended the 31st Southeast Asian Games with a gold medal.
Jackielou Escarpe bagged the country’s second gold of the Games, winning the men’s minus-73 kg event over Thailand’s Apicha Boonrangsee in the final, Friday at the Hoai Duc Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Escarpe opened his day with a win over Vietnam’s Ngoc Son Vu in the first round, before following it up with a semifinal victory over Myanmar’s Soe Myint Tun to set him up for the battle or gold.
This is the first gold from a male athlete for the Philippines in the sport after Estie Liwanen took the women’s minus-63 kg title in 2019.
Liwanen settled for the bronze this time in the women’s minus-57 kg after losing in the semifinals to Vietnam’s Hien Don Thi Thu.
The Philippine national kurash team finished second in the medal tally with one gold-three silvers-three bronzes below Vietnam’s 6-4-3.
