John Cabang Tolentino delivered a gold medal for the Philippines in record-breaking fashion on Friday night at the Supachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Tolentino dominated the men's 110-m hurdles, clocking 13.66-seconds to eclipse the previous mark of 13.69s set by Thailand's Jamras Rittidet in the 2015 SEA Games.
The Filipino champion powered past Singapore's Chen Xiang Ang, who took the silver medal in 13.75, and Abdul Lattif Mohamad Armin Zahryl, who secured the bronze in 13.85.
"For me, it's a big honor to raise the flag on the top of the podium for the Philippines. So I'm super happy," said Tolentino."I had some wrong steps but I'm strong so it didn't matter," added Tolentino
Meanwhile, SEA Games debutant Jeralyn Rodriguez claimed the bronze medal in the women's 400 meters and punched her ticket to the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships at Hayward Field, University of Oregon.
Rodriguez posted a time of 53.40, finishing behind Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Ngoc, who struck gold, and Thailand's Josephine Onuorah Chinenye, who earned silver.