The silence at the Thailand Shooting Association (THPSA) Range was heavy, broken only by the sharp, metallic click of a magazine locking into place. As Genesis Pible stepped to the line for her final stage on Monday, December 15, 2025, the atmosphere was thick with the anticipation of a historic shift in Philippine sports—one that Juan Sports witnessed unfold shot by shot. Seconds later, a flurry of precise shots and a smoking barrel confirmed what many had suspected: the San Pableña sharpshooter had just secured the gold medal in the Women’s Production Optics division at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
Her victory was more than just a personal milestone; it was a clinical exhibition of focus, speed, and technical mastery that signaled the Philippines’ arrival as the dominant force in regional practical shooting. As the national anthem played across the Chonburi landscape, it marked a definitive moment for a sport making its highly anticipated debut on the SEA Games stage.
The Architecture of a Champion
To understand the magnitude of Genesis Pible’s gold medal, one must look at the discipline required for Production Optics. Unlike traditional target shooting, practical shooting is a dynamic dance. It requires the athlete to move through complex stages, engaging multiple targets from various positions, all while maintaining a delicate balance between “DVC”—Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas (Accuracy, Power, Speed).
Genesis Pible’s performance throughout the multi-day competition was nothing short of surgical. Entering the final stages on Monday, she found herself in a high-stakes duel with Thailand’s hometown hero, Thanawadee Perkyam. The atmosphere was electric, with the Thai gallery vocal in their support for their local ace. However, Genesis Pible remained within her “bubble,” a state of deep concentration that has become her trademark on the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) circuit.
When the final scores were tabulated, the margin of victory reflected the razor-thin intensity of the sport. Genesis Pible finished with a staggering 1,293.7900 points, barely ahead of Perkyam’s 1,289.7216. That four-point gap, achieved over dozens of stages and hundreds of rounds, was the difference between silver and historical immortality.
From San Pablo to the Southeast Asian Summit
The journey to the top of the podium in Chonburi began long ago in the province of Laguna. Known to her friends and family in Barangay San Rafael, San Pablo City, as a driven and meticulous individual, Genesis Pible’s rise in the shooting world has been meteoric but earned through grueling hours on the range.
Before she was a SEA Games gold medalist, Genesis Pible was already making waves as an entrepreneur and an advocate for the sport. As the founder and CEO of Shooters’ Depot PH, she has spent years immersed in the technicalities of firearms and gear, a background that undoubtedly gives her an edge in the Production Optics category, where equipment reliability and optics calibration are paramount.
Her victory in Thailand is a continuation of a trajectory that saw her claim the Standard Lady Championship at the 2022 Asian IPSC Handgun Championship. However, the SEA Games carries a different weight. Representing the flag in a multi-sport event brings a level of pressure that individual circuit matches cannot replicate. Pible didn’t just handle that pressure; she weaponized it.
Picture by POC Media
The “Golden Monday” Surge
Genesis Pible’s individual brilliance was the centerpiece of what sports analysts—and Juan Sports—are now calling “Golden Monday” for Team Philippines. Practical shooting, appearing for the first time in the SEA Games biennial meet, proved to be a gold mine for the Philippine contingent.
As Genesis Pible secured her title, her teammates followed suit in a display of marksmanship that left the rest of the region scrambling. Edcel John Gino dominated the Men’s Production Optics, Erin Mattea Micor claimed the top spot in the Women’s Open, and Rolly Nathaniel Tecson provided the exclamation point with a gold in the Men’s Standard division.
This four-gold sweep in a single day propelled the Philippines up the medal tally, jumping into 5th place overall and breathing new life into the country’s campaign in Thailand. The synergy of the shooting team, led by Pible’s veteran composure, served as a morale booster for the entire Philippine delegation.
The Technical Edge: Production Optics
For the uninitiated, the Production Optics division is one of the fastest-growing categories in practical shooting. It involves using “out-of-the-box” service pistols fitted with electronic red-dot sights. This requires a unique skill set: the shooter must have the fundamental grip and recoil management of a traditional production shooter, combined with the rapid target acquisition afforded by modern optics.
Genesis Pible’s mastery lies in her transitions. Observers at the THPSA Range noted her ability to move between targets with minimal wasted motion. In a sport where a fraction of a second is the difference between a “double alpha” (perfect score) and a “mike” (miss), Genesis Pible’s economy of movement was her greatest asset.
A Symbol of the Modern Filipina Athlete
Genesis Pible represents a new era of Filipino sporting heroes. She is an athlete who balances the rigors of international competition with the responsibilities of being a business leader and a role model for women in male-dominated spaces. Her success in practical shooting—a sport that demands physical fitness, mental acuity, and mechanical knowledge—shatters stereotypes and inspires a new generation of Filipinas to take up the sport.
The support system behind her victory cannot be overlooked. From the Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA) to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the investment in high-level training and international exposure has clearly paid dividends. Pible’s gold is a testament to what happens when Filipino talent is met with the right resources and a clear path to excellence.
What’s Next for Genesis Pible?
As the dust settles in Chonburi, the focus for Genesis Pible and the Philippine shooting team will inevitably shift toward the global stage. With the 2025 SEA Games gold now part of her résumé, the eyes of the shooting world will be on her as she prepares for upcoming World Shoots and international invitationals.
For now, however, the celebration belongs to San Pablo and the Philippines. Genesis Pible has proven that when the red dot is on the target, and the timer beeps, there is no one more clinical, more focused, or more deserving of the gold.
Impact on the 2025 Medal Tally
As of Monday evening, the Philippines’ surge in shootings has drastically altered the projections for the 33rd SEA Games. With the country traditionally excelling in combat sports like boxing and arnis, the emergence of shooting as a reliable source of gold medals provides the Philippines with a much-needed “third pillar” in its quest for regional sports supremacy.
Genesis Pible’s victory is more than a statistic; it is a momentum shifter. It sends a message to the rest of Southeast Asia: the Philippines is no longer just a contender in the shooting gallery—they are the standard-setters.
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