Tokong strikes gold

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian Games gold medalist John Mark Tokong conquered the waves of Kata Beach and captured the gold medal in the Phuket Beach Festival 2022 staged over the weekend.

Tokong, fondly called “Marama,” was a cut above the rest in the men’s short board competition, beating Indonesian Nyoman Satria Mukti for the crown by registering 15.30 points for a 1.9-point margin.

It was another triumph for the 26-year-old after he struck gold in the 2019 SEA Games in La Union as well as the 25th Siargao International Surfing Cup held the same year.

Roger Casugay, another Filipino gold-medal winner in the 2019 SEAG, bagged the bronze in men’s long board.