By REYNALD MAGALLON
BANGKOK – Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 team big man Ange Kouame was lost for words after a disappointing fourth place finish for the men’s team in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at the Nimibutr Arena, Thursday, Dec. 11 here.
The Nationals couldn’t sustain their stellar start to the competitions as after sweeping the group stage, they struggled and absorbed back-to-back losses in the medal rounds.
Gilas surprisingly lost to Singapore, 21-20, in the semifinals and then, 21-19 to Malaysia in the battle for the bronze medal.
“It’s really bad, man.I don’t have any words right now except, you know, we tried.
We tried to get the win. But as everybody says, things happen.,” said Kouame who was naturally dejected after the tough loss.
The loss of Gilas marked the first time the Nationals missed the podium ever since its inclusion in the Southeast Asian Games.
Gilas took home the gold that year on home soil, before settling for bronze in 2021. Two years ago saw the Philippines take home a silver, with Eriobu and Sedurifa part of the squad.
Kouame, however, did not make any excuse, admitting that they were simply outplayed by the other teams.
“We fought to the end, man. We made a couple of mistakes. But yeah, we had nothing to blame but us,” said Kouame.
“In a game of 3×3, there is a different situation. Might be up, might be down. And we came as a team, but it wasn’t enough. That’s all I can say,” he added.
With their loss, both 3×3 teams came out empty-handed in the Games after the women’s squad failed to advance to the knockout rounds, dropping all of its games in the group stage.
