'Short Statured' at 1.68m Shines Bright, Breaking Thailand's Dominance in SEA Games Beach Volleyball

This marks the first occasion in SEA Games history that Thailand's women's beach volleyball team has received a silver medal.

The Philippine women's beach volleyball team caused a major upset by defeating host Thailand 2-0 in the final on December 19, brilliantly securing the gold medal. SEA Games 33.

Women's beach volleyball has appeared eight times at the SEA Games, with Thailand winning all eight gold medals. As the host nation, Thailand was naturally the top favorite to retain the title, expected to face no significant challenges.

However, facing a very determined Philippines team, the Thai players tasted defeat. Philippines' Team A, featuring Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons, defeated Thailand's Team A in straight sets, while Dij Rodriguez and Sunny Villapando sealed the overall victory for Alas Pilipinas with a 2-0 win in the other match.

This is also a historic gold medal for the Philippines women's beach volleyball at the SEA Games; previously, the team had earned three bronze medals in 2005, 2019, and 2021.

One of the standout players for Alas Pilipinas on their path to gold was Sisi Rondina. She is a familiar face to Vietnamese volleyball fans, competing in both indoor and beach volleyball, and previously played with Choco Mucho Flying Titans at the 2023 VTV Cup.

In 2024, Rondina was part of the Philippines squad that won bronze medals at the SEA V.League and AVC Nations Cup. However, this year, the 29-year-old player focused on her beach volleyball career with the determination to win a medal at SEA Games 33, and she succeeded.

Although not tall, standing under 1.7 meters, Rondina possesses an impressive vertical leap and exceptional endurance.

In the men's beach volleyball event, host Thailand completed a double silver finish after losing to a very strong Indonesia. Similar to Thailand in the women's event, Indonesia's men's team has never lost a gold medal in SEA Games history.