PHILIPPINE Esports team Sibol snared a bronze medal in Honor of Kings at the 20th Asian Games after falling to China, 0-2, in the semifinals at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Monday.
Justine Ritchie Tan, Charles Roman Esguerra, Jhon Mike Tungol, Chammy Paul Nazarrea and Dajao twins Golden Hart and Dragon Hart represented the Philippines in the event.
Sibol thus took its second bronze after its Pokémon Unite team on Sunday.
National team head coach Gerard Gelacio expressed pride and satisfaction with his team’s campaign despite falling short of a spot in the gold-medal match.
“I’m still very proud of my players because we were able to win a medal, and that’s already history for us,” said Gelacio.
“It was also difficult because we faced China, one of the top contenders, in the semifinals. We’re okay. We’re still very happy with what we achieved here at the Asian Games,” he added.
The Filipinos were simply outclassed by a Chinese side that had nearly a decade’s head start in Honor of Kings, a game that originated in China in 2015 before reaching the Philippines in 2024.
Huang Yaoqin, Wang Ke, Xu Bicheng, Meng Jiajun, Zhao Haoyu, and He Weijia represented the Chinese team.
The Philippines finished second in Pool B with a 1-1 record after sweeping Kazakhstan and falling to Malaysia in the group stage.
Sibol gave the Filipinos their ninth bronze in the continental meet and 11th medal overall including two golds and two silvers
