First-timers and familiar faces: Athletes to watch out for in 2025 SEA Games

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will be fielding its biggest Southeast Asian Games delegation ever as close to 1,200 athletes take part in the 33rd edition to be staged in Thailand from December 9 to 20.

And with that record number, the country intends to surpass its haul of 58 gold, 86 silver, and 116 bronze medals in the 2023 edition in Cambodia.

Here are some athletes to watch out for in the biennial showpiece:

Kayla Sanchez (swimming)

Sanchez sees action in the SEA Games for the first time two years after she officially switched federations from Canada to the Philippines.

An Olympic silver and bronze medalist with Canada in the 2020 Tokyo Game, the 24-year-old is one of the Philippines’ golden bets in swimming alongside 2023 SEA Games champions Xiandi Chua and Teia Salvino. 

Eric Cray (athletics)

In what could be his SEA Games swan song, Cray looks to go out in style as he aims to add more to the eight gold medals that he won across six editions.

Now 37 years old, the battle-tested Filipino-American gets a chance to further solidify his supremacy in the men’s 400m hurdles, an event he has won six straight times. 

Thirdy Ravena (basketball)

Ravena returns to Gilas Pilipinas duties with redemption on his mind after being part of the team that fell short of the throne in the 2021 Vietnam edition, where the Philippines lost the gold to Indonesia. 

The trailblazing player hopes to get his groove back as he barely saw action for Dubai Basketball over the past year — the two sides parting ways just recently. 

Weljon Mindoro (boxing)

Familiar names banner the Philippine boxing team, including Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Eumir Marcial, but one fighter to watch out for is SEA Games first-timer Mindoro.

The 25-year-old pride of Zamboanga del Sur boasts of a 15-0-1 win-loss-draw record as a professional, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout. 

Samantha Catantan (fencing)

With an Olympic stint under her belt, Catantan heads into this SEA Games with the goal of reclaiming the women’s foil crown she relinquished in the previous edition.

In 2023, the 23-year-old fencer advanced to the gold-medal match but she opted to settle for silver by default as to avoid aggravating the knee injury she sustained in the semifinals. 

Catantan will be joined by her younger sisters Janna and Sophia. 

John Ivan Cruz and Juancho Miguel Besana (gymnastics)

With Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo skipping this SEA Games due to the organizers’ one-medal rule, the task of delivering gold medals in men’s artistic gymnastics now falls on the likes of Cruz and Besana.

The two rose to the occasion in Cambodia, with Cruz ruling the floor exercise and Besana reigning in the vault. 

Annie Ramirez (jiu-jitsu)

Confidence is at a high for Ramirez as she is fresh from her breakthrough campaign in the JJIF World Championships, where she won a pair of gold medals.

The 34-year-old shoots for her fourth straight SEA Games title, having ruled her weight division in each of the last three editions. 

Tachiana Mangin (taekwondo)

At 18, Mangin is one of the Philippines’ top athlete prospects after winning a gold medal in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships just a year ago.

The UST jin also nearly qualified for the Paris Olympics when she was only 16 years old. 

Alex Eala (tennis)

Eala looks to further embellish what has been a historic year as she seeks to improve on her bronze finish in Vietnam.

Sitting at a career-high No. 50 in the WTA rankings, Eala is the highest-ranked Southeast Asian, although Indonesia’s Janice Tjen is closely behind at No. 53.

Eala will serve as one of the Philippines’ flag bearers alongside volleyball star Bryan Bagunas.

Jhodie Peralta (weightlifting)

While she is the youngest in a formidable weightlifting team that is spearheaded by Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz, the 16-year-old Peralta can pull her own weight.

Peralta recently won silver and bronze in the Asian Youth Games and completed a golden sweep in the girls’ 55kg class in the IWF World Youth and Junior Championships. – Rappler.com