Bangkok: It was a bittersweet moment for national shooter Haritz Iklil Hessly Hafiz when he clinched the gold medal in the men's individual 50-metre Rifle 3 Positions event at the SEA Games Thailand 2025 here today. His moment of joy was tinged with sadness following the passing of his father just two months ago.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Haritz Iklil, who admitted that "my father was always on my mind," produced an outstanding performance to set a new Games record of 447.5 points at the Sports Authority of Thailand Shooting Range. This achievement erased the previous Games mark of 445.3 points set by Thai shooter Napis Tortungpanich in the 2021 Vietnam edition.

Singapore's Marat Lleyton P Veloso, with 446.6 points, and Indonesia's Fathur Gustafian, with 437.3 points, settled for silver and bronze, respectively. Haritz Iklil expressed that from the start to finish, he kept thinking of his father, who was supposed to witness this moment, but it was not meant to be.

His father died of a stroke two months ago while Haritz Iklil was busy preparing for the biennial Games. The shooter shared his mixed feelings of happiness for the result and sadness for his father's absence to share the moment.

Haritz Iklil commented on his Games record, admitting that he never expected it. His focus was on giving his best after failing to win any medals on his debut at the Vietnam SEA Games in 2021. He described the Games record as a bonus and expressed satisfaction in achieving his first medal in his second SEA Games outing.