Women's Wild Rift bets win Sibol's first esports gold in Hanoi SEA Games
MANILA, Philippines — After missing out on podium finishes in the first four esports events in the 31st Southeast Asian Games, Sibol finally struck gold as its representatives in the women's Wild Rift tournament gave the country its first medal Wednesday at the Vietnam National Convention Center in Hanoi.
Coming from an undefeated run during the group stages, the Sibol bets stumbled in their first game in the semifinals after being outplayed by a Thailand team that showcased a different gameplay from the group stages.
Thailand continued to take control in the early stages of the next game, pushing Sibol to stay disciplined and survive their foes' aggression to even the series, 1-1.
It was deja-vu in the opening minutes of Game Three but a penta-kill from Charize "Yugen" Doble propelled Sibol to match point.
With momentum on their side, the Filipinas closed out the series with a 14-7 victory and assured themselves of a second place finish and the team's first medal in Hanoi.
The final saw Sibol take on Singapore, which earlier swept host country Vietnam, 3-0.
In Game One, the Philippine gamers wiped out the Singapore squad three times for an easy 16-9 victory in just under 15 minutes.
Game Two saw a more aggressive Singapore side that engaged Sibol in team fights. But the former defended, the latter went and secured objectives to bring them to match point after a 17-8 win.
Still, the Singaporeans did not give up easily as they took the lead in the third game, picking out Sibol's champions one by one for a 13-6 margin.
Though the Singaporeans prioritized kills, Sibol went and hunted down objectives to give them an edge.
A team fight in the 20th minute saw four from Team Singapore go down, which helped the Filipinas close out the final with a 27-21 win for the Philippines' first esports medal in this year's edition of the biennial meet.
The women's Wild Rift team journeyed to the top of the podium with a perfect record, winning all six matches and dropping only one game.
The squad is made up of Christine Natividad, Rose Ann Robles, Charize Doble, Giana Llanes, April Sotto, and Angel Lozada.
Their win capped off a four-gold medal haul for Team Philippines during Wednesday's hostilities.
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