MARC Alexander Lim fought through pain, pressure and the region’s best fighters to reach the podium twice at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
The 28-year-old Davao City native won a bronze medal in men’s jiu-jitsu newaza -69 kilograms and added another bronze in the mixed team event, helping bolster the Philippines’ medal haul despite competing with a torn ACL.
“Lots of tape and willpower,” Lim told SunStar Davao in a Messenger interview when asked how he managed to compete despite the injury.
He opened his campaign with a must-win bout against the No. 1 seed from Singapore, a three-time reigning SEA Games gold medalist and a world championships silver medalist. The loser would leave empty-handed.
They pushed the match into overtime. Lim stayed patient, found his opening, and won on golden score to advance.
“It was an important match to win,” Lim said. “If I lost, there was no chance to medal.”
Minutes later, officials called him back to the mat for the quarterfinals against Thailand’s hometown entry. With little time to recover, Lim made a mistake that dropped him into the bronze-medal bracket.
“I didn’t feel like I recovered properly,” he said. “That mistake sent me to the bronze rounds.”
Lim regrouped. He won every remaining match, including a dominant 19–0 victory over Thailand in the bronze medal bout, to secure his place on the podium. Still, the result came with mixed emotions.
“I was honestly very frustrated because I felt the gold was within reach,” Lim said. “But at least I was able to push through and get a medal. Competing at this level for this long is a privilege.”
The Thailand Games marked Lim’s fourth SEA Games appearance. He previously won silver at the 2019 Philippines Games, bronze in Vietnam in 2021, and gold in Cambodia in 2023.
This edition tested him in new ways. Early in his training camp, Lim completely tore his ACL, forcing him to scrap plans for overseas training and adjust his preparation at home.
“With the help of my doctors, physios and training partners, we found a way,” he said. “Huge credit goes to my team at Limitless, KMA Makati, and Carpe Diem Makati.”
Lim described this year’s field as unforgiving from the opening round.
“There were no easy matches,” he said. “From the start, it was very competitive. You just focus on what you can control and get better.”
He assessed his performance as world-class but far from finished.
“I think I did well beating the guys I did,” Lim said. “But there’s still so much we can improve.”
Lim dedicated his medals to his late grandfather, who passed away during his preparation for the Games.
“This one is for my Kong-Kong,” he said. “He was always proud and always supportive.”
He also offered the win to his students in Davao, hoping his run shows them how to stay composed under pressure.
“Win or lose, we move on and be better,” Lim wrote on Facebook on December 15. MLSA