The Philippines’ SIBOL Pokémon Unite team settled for a bronze finish after falling 2‑0 to Indonesia in the semifinals of the esports competition at the 20th Asian Games on September 27.
Despite missing out on a spot in the finals, the national team—composed of Team Nemesis, Robert Jon Mempin, Lawrence Gatmaitan, Lance David, Ducke Harold Leoncio, Michael Vaughn Ocio, and Kim Rey Salazar, with head coach Albert Camp—still made history by capturing the Philippines’ first‑ever esports medal at the Asian Games. That finish also brought the Philippines’ bronze medal tally to seven.
Indonesia Stops SIBOL Pokémon Unite‘s Incredible Run
SIBOL Pokémon Unite appeared firmly in control of Game 1, holding a lead of more than 100 points heading into the closing minutes. Everything changed at the final Kyogre fight, however. Following a tense back‑and‑forth clash around the objective, Indonesia ultimately came out on top, securing Kyogre and outscoring the Philippines 312‑277 in the final seconds to complete a dramatic comeback.
Unlike in Game 1, Indonesia came out firing in Game 2 and quickly took the lead. SIBOL, however, fought back fiercely to keep the game within striking distance. Once again, it all came down to the final Kyogre fight, where Indonesia prevailed to close out the series with a 2‑0 sweep.
Despite falling in the semifinals, SIBOL’s campaign was nothing short of remarkable. The Filipinos endured a difficult start to the tournament, getting disqualified from their opening match following a uniform violation. But they bounced back in emphatic fashion, dominating the remainder of the group stage by sweeping both Chinese Taipei and Malaysia to finish atop Pool A with a 2‑1 record.
SIBOL carried that momentum into the quarterfinals, defeating Hong Kong 2‑0 in convincing fashion earlier today to secure a spot on the podium.
