Records broken. Droughts ended.

Team Philippines may have only finished sixth and came 10 medals short of its 60-gold target in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, but breakthrough triumphs illuminated redeeming light to what could be easily a gloomy and underwhelming campaign in Bangkok, Thailand.

At the forefront of those saving graces were the Filipinas, who once again, put PH football to a pedestal it has never been able to reach in the past.

Save for a disappointing loss to Myanmar in their opening game, the Filipinas went on a Cinderella run all throughout the tournament, even capping it off with a nerve-wracking penalty shootout against the five peat-seeking Vietnam.

As if the Filipinas’ 1-0 win over the eight-time champions in the preliminaries was an indication, the Nationals won 6-5 via penalty shootout following a scoreless draw after 120 minutes of play.

Olivia McDaniel completed the clutch save on Tran Thi Thu’s attempt to give the Filipinas the victory, though half of it should also be credited on Jackie Sawicki, who coolly shot the telling penalty kick.

But the Filipinas are not only slaying regional giants on the field but also on the sands.

The Alas Pilipinas women’s beach volleyball team, likewise, defeated eight-time champion Thailand to bag the first-ever gold for the country. For the first time since the inclusion of the sport in 2003, a team other than Thailand has finally won the tournament.

And the quartet of Sisi Rondina, Bernadeth Pons, Floremel Rodriguez and Sunny Villapando all manifested the moment before it finally came true by way of a 2-0 win over the hosts.

The struggles of putting up a team, the painful defeats at the halfcourt in the 3x3 competition, and even the questionable calls right on the game, it all made the victory just sweeter for the Gilas Pilipinas teams.

For the first time since the 2019 SEAG which the country hosted, the Gilas Men’s and Women’s teams won the gold medals in 5-on-5 basketball.

The Nationals defeated the Thais in both finals after the hosts pulled all the stops — including a broken bus to allegedly delay the men’s team — to ensure their victories.

All seeking redemption from either past performances or failure to win the gold on previous editions, Jamie Malonzo, Matthew Wright and Thirdy Ravena all played a big role in Gilas 70-64 win over Thailand.

Likewise, Kacey Dela Rosa stood the tallest for the Gilas Women in the pulsating 73-70 win over the Thais.

Other sports, likewise, produced great moments for Team PH in the SEA Games.

Alex Eala ended a 26-year gold medal drought in the women’s singles tennis. EJ Obiena copped his fourth straight SEAG gold – a feat that has never been achieved by any Southeast Asian pole vaulter in the past.

Kayla Sanchez proved to be a huge addition for the PH swimming team after making a splash with her three-gold, five-medal haul. Kira Ellis gave a glimpse of the bright future for the triathletes with her two golds and three silvers.

John Cabang Tolentino also set a SEA Games record in 110-meter hurdles just as young guns Naomi Cesar and Hussein Lorana all blazed the track with gold-clinching runs in the 800m race.

The baseball and softball teams all stamped their classes and lived up to their status as regional powerhouses.

All of those victories provided light at the end of the tunnel for PH athletes who, for the most part of the competitions, have been battered with reports of unfair judging and officiating.

The taekwondo jins and PH boxers drew the short end of the stick when they fought and lost to Thai opponents in the finals, denying them the chance to contribute to the country’s medal haul.

The Nationals only finished with 50 golds, 73 silvers and 154 bronzes despite sending a record 1,168 athletes. It was a downgrade to the country’s previous 58-gold haul in the last edition as Team PH also failed to sustain and replicate its fourth and fifth placing in the last two regional meets.

But with the abovementioned performances, there’s only no way to go for Team PH but up.