Another Olympian in Hergie Bacyadan will not be around when the country competes in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand from 9 to 20 December.

Hergie Bacyadan announced on Tuesday morning that she will be sitting out the prestigious biennial meet due to personal reasons.

The 31-year-old veteran of the Paris Olympics was supposed to join Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas in the powerhouse boxing squad after her K1 -75-kilogram event in kickboxing was scrapped by SEA Games organizers.

But due to personal reasons, the Benguet native decided to skip the biennial meet altogether but will still train together for future international events.

“I would like to inform everybody that I will not compete in the SEA Games 2025. I have personal priorities to focus on first,” Bacyadan posted on social media.

“I might not be able to join this year, but I will continue my training for future opportunities.”

“To those who will fight for the country – especially in boxing and kickboxing – good luck. Give your best and we are proud of you.”

Bacyadan is the latest Olympian to skip the SEA Games after Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and boxer Carlo Paalam.

Yulo, a two-time gold medalist in the Paris Summer Games, won’t be joining as gymnasts are only allowed to participate in only one apparatus.

On the other hand, Paalam, a silver medalist in the Tokyo Olympics, said he won’t be joining the SEA Games this year to focus on preparing for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026.