Eala leads parade of Filipino star power
BANGKOK—When Team Philippines heads into another regional battle for athletic supremacy in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games that kicks off on Tuesday, it won’t want for star power.
Right at the opening rites at Rajamangala National Stadium, two athletes from different sporting worlds but bound symbolically by their flag-bearing duties will be at the tip of the Philippines’ parade and they will need no introduction: Tennis star Alex Eala and volleyball standout Bryan Bagunas will lead a delegation looking to make its own mark in the biennial meet.
Eala arrives in Bangkok after a spectacular 2025 that vaulted her into the company of the world’s elite young players, giving the Philippines its first tennis inspiration in quite a long while. Bagunas, a long-time pillar of the national volleyball team, is among the country’s most recognizable men’s standouts, especially after a historic stint in the world championships in Manila.
Behind them is a cast of headliners who will shoulder pressure and expectation from a country looking to better its performance from the last staging.
EJ Obiena returns to the SEA Games as the undisputed king of Asian pole vaulting, his record still unmatched on the continent.
In boxing, Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and Eumir Marcial provide reasonable gold chances.
Gilas Pilipinas enters as the defending 5×5 champion and though the absence of top stars is noticeable, the shine the team carries is still unmistakable. Meanwhile, the Alas Pilipinas volleyball squads, buoyed by a resurgence in local fan support, especially for the men’s side, get ready for their podium hunt.
The Philippines will miss two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, the gymnastics ace who opted to skip the regional meet after organizers limited the number of events he could join.
Apart from the star athletes, there will also be heavy attention on several rising young standouts who will try to pull off upsets to fuel the country’s medal machine. —WITH REPORTS FROM JONAS TERRADO AND INQUIRER SPORTS DESK
