The success of the national men and women’s teams in the Southeast Asian Beach Handball Championships is expected to boost their campaign in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand.
Men’s team member Rafael Andrew Agtarap and strength and conditioning coach Gab De Guzman are hopeful on bagging a first ever SEA Games medal in handball after securing the gold in the event held in Suphanburi, Thailand last week.
“It’s a good experience for us, a good fuel to boost our preparations for the SEA Games,” said Agtarap during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Only indoor handball will be played in the SEA Games scheduled on Dec. 9-20 and the Philippines is fielding the same teams which competed in the beach handball meet.
“It’s only us that did that. Other countries have different teams in indoor and beach handball. And like what we did in the beach, we believe we can perform at a high level in this coming Southeast Asian Games,” said De Guzman.
The Philippines defeated Vietnam in the men’s final, 2-1, highlighted by a thrilling 9-8 win via a shootout, to secure its first ever beach handball gold in the SEA region last week.
The women’s team, on the other hand, settled for the bronze medal.
The country hasn’t won a gold medal in handball in the SEA Games, with the men’s beach team getting the silver in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2021.
Agtarap said the experience in the SEA beach handball served as gauged on what both teams have to improve because they will be facing the same teams in the SEA Games.
De Guzman noted that training camps are needed for both national teams, especially the men’s which will join the Asian Beach Handball Championships in Oman this May.
The Asian Championships is a qualifying tournament for the World Handball Championships in Germany in January 2027.
“We need to practice more and have a training camp because if you really want a shot at a gold medal in the SEA Games, these coming few months is criticial,” he said.
The women’s team pocketed the silver medal at the 9th Beach Handball Championships in Bali, Indonesia to qualify for the World Championships in China last year. (PNA)
