The biggest gathering of the world’s greatest athletes finally reaches its climactic conclusion, with millions of people bearing witness to some of the most remarkable moments the world of sports has to offer. This year’s Olympics has truly delivered, with new records being set, new milestones being reached, and the dreams of hundreds of athletes coming true.
What’s even more notable for Southeast Asia as a whole is the amazing overall performance of our Olympians, with five countries from the region bringing home a total of 16 medals—each one more than just decoration, but also a symbol of years of hard work and dedication that have led our athletes to the greatest prize in their respective sports.
As we wave goodbye to this year’s Olympics and wait four more years for the next one, let’s take a look back at the Southeast Asian medalists who showed the world just what SEA athletes can do.
The Golden GOATs
This year’s Olympic games officially began on July 26 after a rainy but lively opening ceremony that saw performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion. And while the games began immediately the next day, Southeast Asian athletes had a slow start, with the month of July ending without a podium finish from any SEA country.
But as August rolled in, so did the gold medals. The first SEA country to win a medal in this year’s Olympics was the Philippines, with gymnast Carlos Yulo winning gold at the men’s floor exercise on August 3. The Filipino earned an impressive 15.000 points at the men’s floor exercise event, overcoming Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat and British-Filipino Jake Jarma, to win his very first Olympic gold. This also marked the second time the Philippines had ever won an Olympic gold medal after Hydilin Diaz who won the country’s very first Olympic gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But there was more to come from Yulo.
The very next day, Carlos Yulo followed-up with another hallmark performance, winning his second gold medal at the men’s vault event. Yulo earned 15.116 points with a triumphant performance that saw him bring home a historic second gold medal, making him both the very first Filipino and Southeast Asian to win two gold medals in a single Olympics. This second gold medal also made the Philippines the highest ranking Southeast Asian country at the competition.
On August 7, Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit would bring home Southeast Asia’s third gold medal in this year’s Olympics, beating China’s Guo Qing with a final count of 2-1 at the gold medal match of the women’s taekwondo 49 kg category to defend her championship and secure Thailand’s first medal. Her gold-winning performance also made her the first Thai athlete in any sport to become a two-time Olympic champion. Wongpattanakit’s victory was the 11th gold medal in Thailand’s entire Olympic history.
After Thailand, Indonesia was the next country to enter the Southeast Asian gold medal rush. On August 8, Veddriq Leonardo went on a historic run at the speed climbing event, beating out the likes of speed climbing record holder Sam Watson (USA) and Reza Alipour (Iran). He then went on to defeat Chinese climber Wu Peng to secure Indonesia’s very first gold in this year’s Olympics. This win makes Leonardo the first Indonesian to win an Olympic gold in a sport other than badminton.
The very next day, Rizki Juniansyah would make history at his Olympic debut at the men’s 73 kg weightlifting event. Juniansyah set a new Olympic record in the final with a 199 kg clean and jerk lift on his second attempt, earning him the win and making him Indonesia’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting. At the age of 21, he also became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in the history of Indonesia. Leonardo’s and Juniansyah’s gold-winning performances are the 9th and 10th gold medals in Indonesia’s Olympic history.
The Strong Silvers
While the gold medal is the prize to eye for in the Olympics, that doesn’t make the silver medal any less prestigious. Of all the Southeast Asian countries that competed in this year’s Olympics, Thailand was the country that came knocking at gold’s door the most, with three Thai athletes just falling short on winning gold and coming home with silver.
Thai badminton player Kunlavut Vitidsarn was the first Thai athlete to bring home a medal in this year’s Olympics after reaching the gold medal match of the men’s singles badminton tournament. Vitidsarn had an impressive run ahead of the final, beating number one ranked player Shi Yuqi (China) in the quarter-finals and defeating Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia) in the semi-finals, before ultimately losing against eventual champion, Viktor Axelsen. Despite the loss, Vitidsarn would still make history with his silver-winning performance, as he became the first Thai player to become an Olympic medalist in badminton.
Thai weightlifters Theerapong Silachai and Weeraphon Wichuma would also both make history in their respective weight classes, with Silachai winning silver at the Men’s 61 kg weightlifting competition to become the first male Thai athlete to win silver at weightlifting. Wichuma, on the other hand, won silver at the Men’s 73 kg weightlifting competition, losing against Indonesia’s Rizki Juniansyah’s record-breaking performance. Despite the loss, Weerapon Wichuma became the youngest competitor to ever win silver in the competition at 19 years old on the day of the competition.
The Brilliant Bronzes
It’s easy to scoff at bronze medalists—after all, who aims for third best? But what others fail to realize is that the Olympic Games is the biggest sports competition in the entire world, filled with the greatest athletes competing for the top spot on the podium. Being the third best in the world at something is a great honor that most athletes can only dream about.
Malaysian doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Sik were the first Southeast Asian athletes to win bronze in this year’s Olympics, securing the bronze medal after defeating Danish pair Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in three games. Chia and Sik also won bronze in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, making them the first Malaysian men’s doubles pair to win back-to-back medals in consecutive tournaments.
Malaysia continued to show its dominance in badminton as number 6 ranked singles player Lee Zii Jia came in strong, topping his group and finishing group play undefeated. After strong performances in the round of 16 and quarter-finals, Zii Jia would ultimately fall to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals, before securing bronze by beating India’s Lakshya Sen in the bronze medal match and becoming the third Malaysian to ever win an Olympic medal in badminton men’s singles.
Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung also finished group play undefeated before falling at the semi-finals in three sets against South Korea’s An Se-young, the eventual gold medal winner. Tunjung would eventually secure bronze after an injury from Spanish player Carolina Marin resulted in the cancellation of the bronze medal match, granting her the podium finish and the win.
From hitting shuttlecocks to good old fashioned fisticuffs, our SEA athletes also proved their strength in boxing as FIlipino boxer Aira Villegas brought home her country’s third medal of the Olympics. Villegas made an amazing run on her Olympic debut at the women’s boxing flyweight division, winning in the round of 32 and round of 16 matches before overcoming France’s Wassilla Lkhadiri in an exciting Quarterfinals bout. However, her run would be cut short after a defeat in the semi-finals against Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu, the eventual silver medal winner of the competition.
Villegas’ compatriot, Nesthy Petecio, also had an amazing string of results in the featherweight category, winning convincingly against her opponents in the round of 32, round of 16, and quarterfinals, with her impressive run ending against eventual silver medalist, Julia Szeremeta of Poland.
Meanwhile, Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng made a name for herself at the women’s boxing welterweight division, going on a dominant run that ended in a bronze finish after being defeated by eventual gold medalist, Algeria’s Imane Khelif. Suwannapheng’s participation in this year’s Olympics made her the very first athlete from her hometown of Nong Khai to participate in the Olympics.
Another Thai athlete—weightlifter Surodchana Khambao—made a strong impression in her very first Olympics, winning bronze at the women’s 49 kg weightlifting event after lifting a total weight of 200 kg. Her bronze-winning performance brought home Thailand’s sixth medal for this year’s Olympics.
Last but definitely not the least is Singapore’s Maximilian Maeder, who made a surging late entry into the Olympic medal count with a bronze finish at the men’s formula kite event for sailing. His performance coincided with Singapore’s National Day, and at 17-years-old, also made him the youngest athlete to earn a medal in Singapore’s Olympic history. Maeder’s bronze medal is the first and only medal for Singapore in this year’s Olympics.
Over 183 athletes from Southeast Asia were sent to Paris to participate in this year’s Olympics, and while not every athlete was able to come home with glory, their contributions, hard work, dedication, and love for the country are still felt throughout each and every game. As this year’s Olympic games officially bids adieu, Southeast Asia takes home a total of 16 medals—five gold, three silver and eight bronze.
SEA Wave Pop Culture Magazine would like to congratulate all Southeast Asian athletes who participated in this year’s Olympic games for proudly representing the region and bringing immeasurable pride to your nations and people. May the spirit of competition, and sportsmanship continue to live on in each win and in each defeat. See you all again in the next Olympics!
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