The Philippine men’s curling team made history by securing the country’s first-ever Asian Winter Games gold medal, defeating South Korea 5-3 in the finals in Harbin, China.
The Philippines carved its name in the history books on Friday, February 14, winning its first-ever Asian Winter Games gold medal as the men’s curling team took down South Korea, 5-3, in the finals in Harbin, China.
Beyond just a golden finish, the victory marked a milestone for the country, as it was also the first medal of any kind for the Philippines in the Asian Winter Games.
The Filipino squad, composed of Marc Pfister, Enrico Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller, and Benjo Delarmente, controlled the early stages of the match, building a 3-1 lead by the fourth end.
However, South Korea responded with a point in each of the next two ends to knot the score at 3-3.
With the pressure mounting, the Philippines registered a crucial point in the seventh end, reclaiming the lead at 4-3.
Then, in the final end, the Filipinos held off a strong attempt from the Koreans, managing to add one more point to secure the hard-fought victory.
The road to gold was far from easy for Curling Pilipinas, which had to overcome powerhouse opponents along the way.
In the semifinals, the team pulled off a dramatic 7-6 win over China, punching its ticket to the championship match. Before that, they dominated Japan, 10-4, in the semis qualifier.
During the round-robin phase, the Philippines finished second in Group A with a 3-1 record.
After dropping its opening game to South Korea (1-6), the squad bounced back with three straight wins against Kazakhstan (4-1), Kyrgyzstan (12-2), and Chinese Taipei (11-3).