SIBOL Men’s dominant run in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games was far from easy.
It was but a byproduct of the intense preparation, sacrifice, discipline, trust, and even respect to their opponents, no matter how dominant they may be.
The Philippines once again stood unchallenged on the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang stage after the SIBOL MLBB Men delivered a masterful 4–0 sweep of Malaysia in the gold medal match on Wednesday, extending the country’s historic run to four in the men’s MLBB event.
Easy as it may look, SIBOL head coach Coach Arsy emphasized how difficult it was for them in this run to a four-peat.
READ: The ties that bind SIBOL's coach Arsy and CLA go deep
“Hindi talaga naging madali ‘yung laban namin dito sa SEA Games kasi lahat sila pinaghandaan namin ng sobra, pinagpuyatan namin, nag-practice talaga kami para sa kanila,” Arsy said.
“Proud kami sa isa’t isa na na-achieve namin itong nakuha naming gold medal,” he added.
He even admitted that there was a time when he succumbed to overthinking. And when that happens, he knows that he can always lean on familiarity.
“Nahirapan pa rin po at nakakapag-overthink pa rin every single game. Siguro in-abuse lang namin ‘yung same draft namin and mas in-execute lang namin nang mas malinis,” he explained.
Mid laner Alston “Sanji” Pabico (PHI. Pabico) likewise agreed that it’s their composure and comfort in playing with each other was the key as it helped them be quicker, and sharper, with their decision-making.
Such is the case in Game 3, a match where Malaysia initially took the lead against the Philippines in terms of gold, objective control and overall map presence.
READ: SIBOL Men complete golden four-peat in SEA Games MLBB
All it took was a blink of an eye for SIBOL to turn the tide after Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno stole the Lord objective, before Kiel “Oheb” Soriano (PHI. Soriano) cleaned things up with a double-kill on his Granger.
“Naguusap-usap lang talaga kami na hindi namin sila kaya sa mga lord fights. Defend na lang talaga ‘yung shotcall namin,” Sanji shared.
“Then, nagkamali lang talaga ‘yung Malaysia noon, nakita namin ‘yung opportunity na ‘yun na para lumamang na rin kami.”
For veteran jungler KarlTzy, the gold medal carried extra weight. Already a two-time SEA Games gold medalist, he acknowledged how much harder it has become to stay on top with other regions showing noticeable improvements.
“Sobrang saya! Sobrang nakaka-proud kasi pangalawang gold ko na ngayon. Iba na kasi ngayon, mas mahirap na talaga manalo kumpara dati kasi sobrang complicated na ng Mobile Legends,” KarlTzy said.
“Dati po kasi, Indonesia ‘yung naghahari sa international scene pero ngayon pantay-pantay na lahat eh,” he added.
Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya (PHI. Vinuya) also reflected on the magnitude of representing the country on such a stage, especially for a lineup where most players were SEA Games first-timers.
“Very honored po kami! Halos lahat po kami halos first timer kaming nakapag-represent sa SEA Games. Tapos si Karl nakadalawa na and also sobrang grateful kami na maging part ng history ng 4-peat,” Sanford expressed.
Yet at the heart of the gold-medal triumph was gold lane star Oheb, whose clutch performances throughout the tournament embodied the team’s resilience and connection with the Filipino crowd.
Oheb highlighted how the unwavering support of Filipino fans, even in moments of adversity, fueled the team’s fighting spirit.
“Nakakatulong po siya sa momentum kasi nararamdaman po namin support nila kahit sobrang lugi namin, sobrang nabo-boost ‘yung morale namin. Sila nga na crowd hindi sumusuko, kami pa kaya na players?” he said.
Oheb expressed heartfelt thanks to Filipinos worldwide for their unwavering support in helping SIBOL achieve this historic milestone.
“Sa lahat ng Pilipino, kung saang lupalop man kayo ng mundo, sa mga pumunta pa dito, hindi namin makukuha ito kung hindi dahil sa inyo."
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