2 weeks ago
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John Bryan Ulanday - The Philippine Star
February 27, 2025 | 12:00am
The Philippines' Alan Frei releases a stone during the men’s curling round robin group A session 5 between the Philippines and Kazakhstan during the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang province on February 10, 2025.
Jade Gao / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Winning a historic gold medal in the 2025 Asian Winter Games is only the beginning for the Filipino curlers.
From that sweet conquest in Harbin, China, the Philippine national curling team is setting its sights on the ultimate goal of making it to the 2026 Winter Olympics starting with a bevy of qualifying tournaments this year.
“We want to achieve that goal of going to the Olympics. That’s our only goal right now and we will train hard for that,” said team member and entrepreneur-turned-athlete Alan Frei during his media availability yesterday at the SM North EDSA.
Frei, along with Marc and Enrico Pfister, Christian Haller and Curling Pilipinas president Benjo Delarmente, steered the Philippines to a stunning 5-3 win over former two-time champion South Korea to bring home the country’s first Asian Winter Games gold.
The Filipino curlers also dethroned multiple-silver medalist Japan and reigning champion China on the way to history, completing a Cinderella run.
