The 16th Southeast Asian Games were held in Manila, Philippines from 24 November - 5 December 1991. This was the second time that the country hosted the biennial regional sporting event. It was officially opened by President Corazon Aquino at the Rizal Memorial track and football field in Manila through a colorful opening ceremony.
Opening highlights and sidelights
The event featured brass bands and students from various institutions, including UST, CEU, and Miriam College, performing in traditional Ati-Atihan costumes. The ceremony included a Philippine Air Force parachute display, where one jumper unfurled the national flag, followed by a parade of athletes from across the region. Approximately 30,000 spectators, including President Corazon Aquino, attended the musical program featuring thousands of student performers.
The welcome song was "One Under an Asian Sun", with its lyrics displayed on a huge electronic board. The trio of Lydia de Vega-Mercado, Carlos 'Caloy' Loyzaga and golfer Gerard Cantada puts emphasis on the past, present and the future. Lydia lit the flame in the cauldron.
Medalists
Gold No.MedalNameSportEvent1 Philippines Basketball Men's team2 Ramoncito Capistrano Karate Open Weight3 Leo Najera Swimming Men's 200m backstroke4 Eric Buhain Swimming Men's 100m breaststroke5 Lee Patrick Concepcion Swimming Men's 200m breaststroke6 Eric Buhain Swimming Men's 100m butterfly7 Eric Buhain Swimming Men's 200m butterfly8 Eric Buhain Swimming Men's 200m individual medley9 Eric Buhain Swimming Men's 400m individual medley10 Philippines Swimming Men's 4x100m medley relay11 Akiko Thomson Swimming Women's 100m backstroke12 Akiko Thomson Swimming Women's 200m backstroke13 Felix Barrientos Tennis Men's singles14 Felix BarrientosRoland So Tennis Men's doubles15 Felix BarrientosJennifer Saberon Tennis Mixed doubles16 Ramon Solis Weightlifting Men's Weightlifting17GoldRobert Layug VargasTaekwondoMen's sparring Lightweight
Silver No.MedalNameSportEvent1 Philippines Archery Men's team2 Philippines Archery Women's team3 Leo Najera Swimming Men's 100m backstroke4 Akiko Thomson Swimming Women's 50m freestyle5 Akiko Thomson Swimming Women's 100m freestyle6 Felix BarrientosRoland SoSofronio PalahangDanilo Pila Tennis Men's team7 Jennifer SaretJoanna FeriaFrancesca Maria La'oJennifer Saberon Tennis Women's team
Bronze No.MedalNameSportEvent1 Michael Focundo Archery Men's individual2 Jennifer Chan Archery Women's individual3 Raymond Papa Swimming Men's 50m freestyle4 Raymond Papa Swimming Men's 100m backstroke5 Lee Patrick Concepcion Swimming Men's 100m breaststroke6 Philippines Swimming Men's 4x100m freestyle relay7 Philippines Swimming Men's 4x200m freestyle relay8 Joan Rae Sanchez Table Tennis Women's singles9 Roland So Tennis Men's singles10 Jennifer SaretJennifer Saberon Tennis Women's doubles11 Roland SoJennifer Saret Tennis Mixed doubles12 Philippines Volleyball Men's team13 Philippines Volleyball Women's team14 Philippines Water Polo Men's team
Multiple NameSportTotal Eric Buhain Swimming 5 0 0 5 Felix Barrientos Tennis 3 1 0 4 Akiko Thomson Swimming 2 2 0 4 Roland So Tennis 1 1 2 4 Jennifer Saberon Tennis 1 1 1 3 Leo Najera Swimming 1 1 0 2 Lee Partick Concepcion Swimming 1 0 1 2 Jennifer Saret Tennis 0 1 2 3
Demonstration sport Medals earned in a Demonstration Sport is not counted on the medal haul.
Medal summary
By sports
Gold medalists In Swimming, Eric Buhain garnered a record six golds to emerge the biennial meet's most bemedalled athlete. Akiko Thomson, losing one gold on a finishing touch technicality, settled for two record-smashing golds. Boxing surpassed its target, drawing eight golds from pinweight Mansueto Velasco Jr, light flyweight Elias Recaido Jr, bantamweight Roberto Jalnaiz, featherweight Julito Lopez, lightweight Ronald Chavez, light welterweight Arlo Chavez, welterweight Victor Vicera and light heavyweight Raymundo Suico. Bea Lucero enshrined herself in the record book when she ruled the bantamweight division in taekwondo, becoming the meet's first athlete to triumph in two different sports. Lydia de Vega-Mercado regain her fastest woman tag, she topped the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.44 seconds at the expense of new track sensation Goldivasamy Shanti of Malaysia and Elma Muros. She failed to repeat over Shanti in the 200m and consoled herself with a silver finish. The record-setting triumph of Elma Muros in the 100m hurdles and her epic victory in the long jump, the first woman to rule the event four times in a row, paved the way for seven golds in athletics - the most for Filipinos in the event since 1987. Tennis player Felix Barrientos, the top Filipino netter in his first SEAG stint, won the individual gold and figuring in the doubles and mixed doubles finals with Roland So and Jennifer Saberon. Golfer Mary Grace Estuesta reaffirmed her billing as the region's best amateur golfer when she kept her individual title and powered the Philippines to the team crown. The Philippine men's national basketball team regain the cage supremacy, defeating Thailand, 77–72, in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the close of basketball competitions at the Araneta Coliseum.
References
External links http://www.olympic.ph