The Philippine men's curling team claims their gold medal during the awarding rites of their event in the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China on February 14, 2025. Handout/Philippine Sports Commission

MANILA -- The Philippine men's curling team's triumph in the ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China marks "the beginning of our historic rise on ice," says Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann.

The curling team -- composed of Alan Frei, Marc Angelo Pfister, Christian Patrick Haller, Enrico Gabriel Pfister, and Benjo Delarmente -- pulled off a 5-3 shocker over South Korea on Friday to claim the Philippines' first ever gold medal in the multi-sport event.

READ: Philippines shocks Korea, captures first-ever gold medal in Asian Winter Games

In Thursday's semifinals, they had ousted host nation China, 7-6, to assure themselves of a podium finish.

"The historic victory of the country in the Men's Curling marks a significant milestone in the growing dynamics of Philippine sports," Bachmann said in a statement. 

"We strongly believe that this achievement is just the beginning of our historic rise on ice for the Philippines. Our remarkable performance at the Asian Winter Games lays the foundation for the greater challenge of achieving Winter Olympic and World-level success in the years to come," he added.

The team is set to arrive in Manila on Saturday evening, where they will receive a warm welcome from Bachmann, PSC Commissioner Bong Coo, and PSC Executive Director Paulo Francisco Tatad at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.

Aside from the athletes, also part of the contingent are Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines president Benjo Delarmente and team officials Jessica Sarah Pfister and Miguel Gutierrez.

Arriving together with the national squad are Harbin 2025 Chef de Mission (CDM) Richard Lim, Asst. CDM Paolo Tancontian, and Curling Pilipinas secretary-general Jarryd Bello.

Curling is a novel sport in the Philippines, with the national sports association having been given recognition by World Curling just three years ago.

READ: POC chief relishes curlers' golden triumph in Asian Winter Games

Yet they have made an immediate splash in the international level, not only winning the Philippines' first ever gold medal but also ensuring the best performance of any Southeast Asian nation in the history of the tournament.

The men's curling team is hoping to build on their success with more competitions in the coming months. greater challenges within the Winter Olympic and World-level competitions. The squad is set to participate in the Pan-Continental Curling Championships Division A in November for a chance to gain a ticket to the World Cup.

The team will also engage in two pre-qualifying tournaments by October and December for a chance to qualify for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.