The Philippines made history by securing its first-ever gold medal at the Asian Winter Games after the men’s curling team defeated South Korea, 5-3, in the finals in Harbin, China.
This milestone also marks the country’s first medal in any edition of the winter sports tournament.
Curling, a sport played on ice, involves teams sliding granite stones toward a circular target called the “house.” Points are awarded to the team with stones closest to the center after each round, known as an “end.”
The Philippine curling squad, known as Curling Pilipinas, is composed of Filipino athletes based in the United States, Canada, and Switzerland. The team has previously expressed its goal of competing in the Winter Olympics.
In the final match, the Philippines took an early 3-1 advantage by the fourth end. South Korea responded with points in the fifth and sixth ends to level the score, but the Filipino team reclaimed the lead in the seventh and held firm in the final end to seal the victory.
The gold-winning lineup includes Marc Pfister, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister, Alan Frei, and Benjo Delarmente, with Jessica Pfister as head coach.
The road to gold saw the team edge out China, 7-6, in the semifinals after a dominant 10-4 victory over Japan in the qualifying round. The Philippines finished second in its group during the round-robin stage, recovering from an initial loss to South Korea by securing consecutive wins against Kazakhstan (4-1), Kyrgyzstan (12-2), and Chinese Taipei (11-3).
