Who are some of the most decorated Philippine athletes in SEA Games history?

The Philippines boasts a rich history in the Southeast Asian Games, being a member of the Southeast Asian Games Federation since 1977. It has also hosted the Games four times (1981, 1991, 2005, 2019) and has an all-time medal tally of 1,180 golds, 1,346 silvers, and 1,702 bronzes.

In the 2023 edition, the Philippines finished fifth with 58 golds, 86 silvers, and 116 bronzes.

With such a prolific medal history, several athletes have won multiple gold medals in their SEA Games careers. 

Here are some of the most notable:

Elma Muros (Athletics)

The “Long Jump Queen” of the Philippines holds 15 SEA Games gold medals spanning from 1983 to 2001.

1981 Manila: Silver (4×100 m Relay)
1983 Singapore: Gold (Long Jump)
1985 Bangkok: Gold (Long Jump)
1987 Jakarta: Bronze (Long Jump)
1989 Kuala Lumpur: Gold (100 m Hurdles, Long Jump)
1991 Manila: Gold (Long Jump, 100 m Hurdles); Bronze (100 m)
1993 Singapore: Gold (Long Jump, 400 m Hurdles)
1995 Chiang Mai: Gold (100 m, 200 m, Long Jump)
1997 Jakarta: Gold (Long Jump, Heptathlon)
1999 Brunei: Gold (Long Jump)
2001 Kuala Lumpur: Gold (Heptathlon)

Lydia de Vega (Athletics)

Once considered as Asia’s fastest woman, De Vega won nine golds and two silvers in the SEA Games.

1981 Manila: Gold (200 m, 400 m)
1983 Singapore: Gold (200 m); Silver (100 m)
1987 Jakarta: Gold (100 m, 200 m, Long Jump)
1991 Manila: Gold (100 m); Silver (200 m)
1993 Singapore: Gold (100 m, 200 m)

Paeng Nepomuceno (Bowling)

World bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno won nine golds, five silvers, and bronzes combined in the SEA Games.

1981 Manila: Gold (Doubles, Trios, All Events)
1983 Singapore: Silver (Singles, Team, All Events); Bronze (Masters)
1985 Bangkok: Gold (Doubles, All Events)
1987 Indonesia: Gold (Singles, Doubles, All Events); Bronze (Team)
1991 Manila: Gold (Singles); Silver (All-Around)
1993 Singapore: Silver (Trio); Bronze (Masters, All-Around)
1997 Jakarta: Bronze (Singles)

Eric Buhain (Swimming)

One of the Philippines’ dominant swimmers, Buhain won 13 gold medals across his SEA Games career.

1985 Bangkok: Gold (400 m Individual Medley); Bronze (4×100 m Medley Relay, 200 m Backstroke)
1987 Jakarta: Gold (200 m Freestyle, 100 m Butterfly, 200 m Butterfly, 400 m Individual Medley); Bronze (100 m Freestyle, 100 m Backstroke)
1989 Kuala Lumpur: Gold (200 m Individual Medley, 400 m Individual Medley); Silver (100 m Butterfly); Bronze (200 m Freestyle)
1991 Manila: Gold (100 m Breaststroke, 100 m Butterfly, 200 m Butterfly, 200 m Individual Medley, 400 m Individual Medley)
1993 Singapore: Gold (100 m Butterfly); Silver (100 m Breaststroke)

Akiko Thomson (Swimming)

Before making waves in the broadcast industry, Thomson made her name first in aquatics.

1987 Jakarta: Gold (100 m Backstroke); Silver (200 m Backstroke)
1989 Kuala Lumpur: Gold (50 m Freestyle, 100 m Freestyle, 100 m Backstroke); Silver (200 m Backstroke)
1991 Manila: Gold (100 m Backstroke, 200 m Backstroke); Silver (50 m Freestyle, 100 m Freestyle)
1993 Singapore: Gold (100 m Backstroke, 200 m Backstroke)

John Baylon (Judo)

John Baylon reigned on the mat for nine consecutive SEA Games editions, winning a gold medal in every edition where judo was included.

Baylon began his streak in 1991 in Manila, followed by victories in 1993 in Singapore, 1995 in Chiang Mai, 1997 in Jakarta, 2001 in Kuala Lumpur, 2003 in Vietnam, 2005 in Manila, 2007 in Nakhon Ratchasima, and 2009 in Laos.

In 1999, judo was not contested in Brunei.

His streak ended in 2011 in Indonesia, where he eventually announced his retirement.

Rubilen Amit (Billiards)

Billiard champion Rubilen Amit has won 10 SEA Games gold medals to date.

2005 Manila: Gold (8?Ball Singles, 9?Ball Singles)
2007 Nakhon Ratchasima: Gold (9?Ball Singles); Bronze (8?Ball Singles)
2009 Vientiane: Gold (8?Ball Singles, 9?Ball Singles)
2013 Naypyidaw: Gold (10?Ball Singles); Silver (9?Ball Singles)
2015 Singapore: Silver (9?Ball Singles)
2017 Kuala Lumpur: Silver (9?Ball Singles)
2019 Manila: Gold (9?Ball Singles, 9?Ball Doubles); Silver (10?Ball Singles)
2021 Hanoi: Gold (9?Ball Singles, 10?Ball Singles)

Miguel Molina (swimming)

Miguel Molina had his own stretch of excellence in Southeast Asian swimming with nine gold medals and 14 other medals in the SEA Games.

2001 Kuala Lumpur: Silver (200m individual medley)
2003 Hanoi: Gold (200m freestyle), Silver (200m individual medley, 400m individual medley), Bronze (100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 200m breaststroke)
2005 Manila: Gold (200m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley), Silver (200m freestyle), Bronze (4x100m medley relay)
2007 Nakhon Ratchasima: Gold (200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 4x100m medley relay), Silver (4x100m freestyle relay), Bronze (200m freestyle)
2009 Vientiane: Gold (200m individual medley, 400m individual medley), Silver (200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay), Bronze (4x100m medley relay)

Carlos Yulo (Gymnastics)

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo has 18 SEA Games medals — nine golds and nine silvers.

2019 Manila: Gold (All-Around, Floor Exercise); Silver (Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bar)
2021 Vietnam: Gold (All-Around, Floor Exercise, Still Rings, Vault, Horizontal Bar); Silver (Team, Parallel Bars)
2023 Cambodia: Gold (All-Around, Parallel Bars); Silver (Team, Still Rings)

Kiefer Ravena (Basketball)

Despite playing in a team sport, Ravena is among the most decorated Filipino basketball players in SEA Games history, winning five golds and one silver as part of Gilas Pilipinas.

Gold: 2011 Jakarta; 2013 Naypyidaw; 2015 Singapore; 2017 Kuala Lumpur; 2019 Manila
Silver: 2021 Hanoi

—JMB, GMA Integrated News