Marc Pfister, the Filipino-Swiss skip, led the Philippine men’s curling team to a historic victory at the 9th Asian Winter Games, winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in the sport. The Filipinos triumphed over South Korea, 5-3, in the final match at the Pingfang Curling Arena, securing their place in the history books.
“We were going for a medal. But not just any other medal. We want the gold, we want to become champions and we did it,” said Pfister, who has represented Switzerland in previous international curling events. The victory sparked immediate celebrations as the Filipino team, including vice-skip Christian Haller and Enrico Pfister, watched South Korean skip Lee Jaebeom’s final stone veer off target, ensuring their gold medal win.
A Battle to Remember
South Korea, led by Lee and backed by vice-skip Kim Hyojun, kept the Filipino team on edge throughout the match. The Koreans leveled the score at 3-3 after six ends, but the Filipinos held their ground. The turning point came in the seventh end, when Marc Pfister and his team made a brilliant move that broke the tie and set them on the path to victory.
“This was really hard, but we put in a lot of heart,” said Pfister. The Philippines’ journey to gold included wins over Japan (10-4) and host China (7-6) in earlier rounds. The gold medal was the culmination of their determination and teamwork.
A Historic Achievement
The gold medal marks not only the Philippines’ first Winter Games medal but also the first-ever gold for a Southeast Asian nation in curling. “This is a great achievement that opens the door for our country’s first Winter Olympics medal,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
