SEA Games 2025: Thailand’s Home Triumph and Breakout Stars final medal and table

The 33rd Southeast Asian Games ran from 9–20 December 2025 in Bangkok and Chonburi, returning the regional multi-sport event to its birthplace for the first time since 1959.
A total of 13,657 athletes competed across 50 sports, blending Olympic events with traditional Southeast Asian disciplines.

Big-picture highlights

• 10 nations participated: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, and Timor-Leste.

• Cambodia withdrew on 10 December citing safety concerns.

• Thailand dominated on home soil with a record 233 gold medals and 499 medals overall.

• First medal awarded: Singapore (bronze) in women’s badminton team event.

• Final medal event: sepak takraw, ending with gold for Malaysia.

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Historic sprint: Puripol Boonson makes SEA Games history

Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson delivered one of the Games’ most iconic moments:

• Gold in men’s 100m in 10.00 seconds at Bangkok’s Suphachalasai Stadium

• Ran 9.94s in the heats, becoming the first Southeast Asian man to break the 10-second barrier

• Set a personal best, SEA Games record, and national record

• Indonesia’s Mohammed Lalu Zohri took silver (10.25s), Malaysia’s Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee bronze (10.26s)

Despite a slower final than his heat, Boonson secured his fourth SEA Games gold, fulfilling a long-held home-soil dream.

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Kayla Sanchez: a perfect SEA Games debut for the Philippines

Swimmer Kayla Sanchez, a two-time Olympic medallist who switched allegiance from Canada to the Philippines in 2023, delivered a sensational first SEA Games:

• 8 events, 8 medals: 3 gold, 5 silver

• Accounted for over half of the Philippines’ swimming medals

• Golds came in:

  • Women’s 100m freestyle

  • 100m backstroke

  • 4x100m freestyle relay (Philippines’ first-ever women’s gold in the event)

Born in Singapore, raised in Canada, and deeply connected to her Filipino roots, Sanchez described the Games as fulfilling a lifelong family dream—especially for her father, who first pushed for her representing the Philippines years earlier.

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Beyond medals

• Sanchez balances elite sport with nursing studies, inspired by her mother

• A volleyball fan and keen cook, she values mental calm across sports

• After competing at Paris 2024, she is eyeing LA 2028, potentially chasing a third Olympic medal—this time again with the Philippines

Here’s the final medal table overview for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (9–20 Dec 2025) in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand:

🏅 Final Medal Standings – Top 10 Nations

(Official results from the SEA Games organising committee)

📌 Highlights from the medal table:

• Thailand dominated the region, topping the medal table with 233 golds and an overall 499 medals, a record haul at the SEA Games.

• Indonesia and Vietnam followed as the next strongest teams in gold medal count.

• The Philippines finished 6th overall with a strong showing of 50 gold medals and a large total medal count, boosted by performances across swimming, karate, and other sports

SEA Games 2025: Top Athlete Highlights

• Puripol Boonson (Thailand, Athletics)
  The face of the Games. Boonson won men’s 100m gold at home and became the first Southeast Asian man to run under 10 seconds, clocking 9.94s in the heats before winning the final in 10.00s.

• Kayla Sanchez (Philippines, Swimming)
  A sensational SEA Games debut for the two-time Olympic medallist, who delivered eight medals (3 gold, 5 silver). Sanchez accounted for more than half of the Philippines’ swimming medals and emerged as one of the Games’ most decorated athletes.

• Quah Ting Wen (Singapore, Swimming)
  Cemented her legacy as the most decorated SEA Games athlete of all time, adding to her extensive medal collection across multiple freestyle and relay events.

• Mohammed Lalu Zohri (Indonesia, Athletics)
  Former world junior champion who claimed silver in the men’s 100m, reinforcing Indonesia’s sprint pedigree in a high-quality final.

• Danish Iftikhar Muhammad Roslee (Malaysia, Athletics)
  The 18-year-old sprint prospect won 100m bronze, signalling Malaysia’s next generation of elite track talent.

• Malaysia Men’s Sepak Takraw Team
  Closed the Games in style by winning gold in the final medal event, underlining Malaysia’s traditional strength in the sport.

SEA Games wrap up in Thailand

• The 33rd SEA Games concluded on 20 Dec 2025 in Bangkok and Chonburi, celebrating Southeast Asian sport across dozens of disciplines.

• Thailand dominated the podium, setting a new record with 233 gold medals and 499 total, topping the standings.

• The closing ceremony saw the SEA Games flag passed to Malaysia, host of the 2027 edition.

Sporting highlights

• Thai sprint star Puripol Boonson sealed multiple track golds at his home Games, electrifying local fans.

• Filipino swimmer Kayla Sanchez enjoyed a breakout debut, winning multiple golds and silvers across events.

• Several memorable performances and moments — both triumphant and controversial — marked the two-week event.

Off-field issues

• Cambodia withdrew its delegation citing safety concerns linked to rising border tensions with Thailand during the Games.

• The wider Southeast Asian region continues to watch diplomatic efforts to resolve the Thailand-Cambodia conflict that overlapped with the Games.