Philippine men’s national handball team’s strength and conditioning coach Gab De Guzman (left) and member Rafael Agtarap (right). Photo handout. MANILA — Philippine men’s national beach handball team member Rafael Agtarap is confident in the country’s delegates to the sport in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games later this year.

The recent success of both the men’s and women’s teams is making Agtarap and strength and conditioning coach Gab De Guzman optimistic about the Filipinos’ shot at a first-ever SEA Games medal in handball, in the light of the men’s team copping the gold in the just concluded meet held in Suphanburi, Thailand.

Although only indoor handball will be played in the biennial meet set on December 9-20, the two nonetheless believe that the country is capable of giving traditional powerhouses Vietnam and Thailand a good run for their money.

“Magandang experience sa amin ito, magandang fuel para ma-boost yung preparations namin sa SEA Games,” said Agtarap as he graced the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

De Guzman said, unlike other countries which have separate teams playing indoor and beach handball, the Philippines is fielding the same roster that achieved podium finishes in the SEABAH meet to the SEA Games.

“Kami lang ang gumawa nun. In other countries, magkaiba yung team nila sa indoor and beach handball. And like what we did on the beach, we believe we can perform at a high level in this coming Southeast Asian Games,” he said.

The country won its first-ever beach handball gold in the SEA region last week after beating Vietnam in the men’s final, 2-1, highlighted by a thrilling 9-8 win via a shootout.

The women’s side meanwhile, bagged the bronze medal.

The country hasn’t won a gold medal yet in handball in the SEA Games, with the men’s beach team copping the silver in the 2021 edition in Hanoi.

Agtarap said the experience the team had in the SEAHAB served as a gauge of what both teams still need to improve since they are actually facing the same competition in the SEA Games.

And for that, De Guzman believes training camps are a must for both national teams especially the men’s unit which is also preparing for the Asian Beach Handball set in Oman this May.

“Siguro we need to practice more and have a training camp, kasi if you really want a shot at a gold medal in the SEA Games, these coming few months talaga is critical,” said the handball team coach.

Incidentally, the Asian meet also serves as a qualifier for the World Handball Championships slated in Germany in January 2027.

The women’s team made its debut in the world meet last year in China after bagging a silver medal in the 9th Beach Handball Championships in Bali, Indonesia.