The Philippines’ gold medal in curling in the Asian Winter Games at the Harbin Pingfang Curling Arena on Friday was nothing short of a miracle.

For one, unlike other winter powerhouses such as South Korea, Japan, and China, curlers Marc Pfister, Enrico Pfister, Alan Frei, Christian Haller and Benjo Delarmente are not full-time athletes.

In fact, Filipino Swiss siblings Marc and Enrico, who represented Switzerland from 2009 to 2023, work as a construction worker and electrician, respectively.

Meanwhile, Haller, who last competed in 2003 for Switzerland before suiting up for the Philippines in 2023, is a banker while Frei is an entrepreneur and only picked up the sport as a way to lose weight.

Alternate player and Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines president Delarmente works as an administrative director at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles in the United States.

But for Frei, what they lacked in experience in playing at the Asian level, they made up for in their sense of camaraderie.

“It’s just a great team dynamic. We love hanging out with each other,” Frei said.

“It’s always funny, we are cracking jokes. So that’s our big advantage.”

Under a national sports association that is about to celebrate its second anniversary this June, the Filipino curlers did the unthinkable and defeated the Koreans, 5-3, last Friday, sending a gift just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Frei still couldn’t believe they were able to give the Philippines its first gold medal in the Asian Winter Games since the country made its debut in 1990 at the Sapporo Winter Games in Japan.

“We wanted to go for a medal, but the gold medal, this is overwhelming,” Frei said.

“This is so weird, isn’t it?”

This gold medal match was even sweeter for the Filipinos after avenging their 1-6 defeat to the Koreans in their first match of the tournament last Sunday.

The Filipino curlers finished the elimination round with a 3-1 win-loss record in Group A to advance to the qualification games.

In the qualification games, the Philippines defeated Japan, 10-4, before silencing the Chinese, 7-6, in the semifinal to secure at least a silver medal.

Against the heavily favored Koreans, two-time gold medalists, the Filipino curlers showed grit and determination.

With the victory, this makes the Philippines the most successful Southeast Asian (SEA) nation in the Asian Winter Games.

Thailand is the only other SEA nation to win a medal in this multi-sport winter tournament after Thai French skier Paul Henri Vieuxtemps secured a bronze in the men’s men’s free ski slopestyle event.

With their journey in the Asian Winter Games being monitored worldwide, Delarmente believes curling will slowly rise as a sport that is a fit for Filipinos.

“We’re already having some followers watching our games and messaging us: ‘How do we learn curling?’ in the Philippines,” Delarmente said.

“So, we’re getting there. People are getting to know more and more about curling in the Philippines, especially (now) that we’ve had so much success.”

Still, the goal for the Filipino curlers is making it to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy as Frei believes this victory in the Winter Asiad is a steppingstone to that goal.

“We were also lucky, and maybe we wanted it a bit more. It’s day one again,” Frei said.

“Back to the beginning. Back to the gym.”

Meanwhile, both the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) were raving about their feat.

PSC chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann said this victory is a testament of their collaboration to help Filipino athletes reach their full potential.

The PSC will welcome the men’s curling team Saturday night as it lands at 10:30 p.m. at the at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.

“More than just a milestone, it is the result of strong collaboration between the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission who have worked tirelessly in bringing the country within a much-deserved spotlight on the Winter Games,” Bachmann said.

“We strongly believe that this achievement is just the beginning of our historic rise on ice for the Philippines. Our remarkable performance at the Asian Winter Games lays the foundation for the greater challenge of achieving Winter Olympic and world-level success in the years to come.”

For POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, this victory could be a catalyst for the Philippines to finally get a medal in the Winter Olympics.

“This is too good to be true. Shocking, that’s the least I can say,” Tolentino said.

“Now, the path is clearer toward our first medal in the Winter Olympics. I always believe the impossible can be achieved. We did it in the Summer Games in Tokyo and Paris, and it may not come in Italy next year, but I believe we’re on the right track.”

by Ivan Suing, reprinted with permission from the Daily Tribune

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