Philippines wins men’s curling gold at Asian Winter Games

In a dramatic finals game where every stone counted, the newly-formed Philippine men’s curling team outsmarted South Korea to claim gold at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China. With just one point separating the two teams heading into the final set, the Filipinos sent a perfectly placed stone into the center of the House—a move backed by an impenetrable defensive wall—that sealed the victory at 5-3. This historic win marks the first-ever medal finish for the Philippines, which started to participate in the AWG in 1990. In these edition of the quadrennial event, the Philippines sent 19 athletes, sparking hopes that a tropical nation could soon make waves in the Olympics with a non-traditional sport. To reach the gold medal match, the team triumphed over Asian powerhouse Japan and the host nation, China. The squad, which includes brothers Marc and Enrico Pfister, Benjo Delarmente, Christian Haller, and Alan Frei, represents Curling Pilipinas, the national curling federation established in 2023. They sent 10 curlers to compete in all three events: mixed doubles, men’s, and women’s teams.