"We can't afford to lose" - Physical: Asia Team Philippines' Mark Mugen on winning the near three-hour Hanging Endurance

In episode 6 of Physical: Asia, Team Philippines faced a decisive moment in the Hanging Endurance challenge during Quest 3.

Filipino Sambo athlete Mark "Mugen" Striegl held on for nearly three hours, competing against Australia and Korea, helping the Philippines tie with Korea at five points while Australia led with eight.

The challenge tested both physical and mental endurance, with players required to maintain grip on fabric rings without letting go. Reflecting on the stakes, Mark stated,

"Of course, we can't afford to lose. We didn't come this far to lose."

His performance secured crucial points for his team and kept the Philippines in contention.

Team Philippines secures key points in Hanging Endurance Challenge on Physical: Asia

Round structure and early outcomes

Quest 3 consisted of three rounds. No players were allowed to take part in more than one round. The first round involved the players performing pillar vaulting after they would run hurdles, and after 20 rounds, they would retrieve a flag.

Australia won this round, earning 3 points, followed by Korea with 2 points and the Philippines with 1 point.

The second round was the stone endurance challenge, where two players had to hold 135 kg totems on either side for as long as possible.

Australia again won with 3 points, Korea earned 2 points, and the Philippines earned 1 point.

These early rounds set the stage for the Hanging Endurance challenge, leaving the Philippines needing a strong performance to improve its standing.

Australia led the leaderboard at 6 points after the first two rounds, with Korea earning 4 points and the Philippines with 2 points.

The Hanging Endurance Challenge

Mark Mugen represented Team Philippines in the third round, the Hanging Endurance challenge.

Players had to be suspended on pieces of fabric rings as long as possible, with hands holding on and never letting their feet touch the ground or setting their legs across a special time mark.

Mark suffered greatly at the challenge, and his legs and feet would go dead, yet he still had to cling on. Once, when performing a one-handed turn, he lost his balance only to regain it soon.

There was difficulty experienced by Korean player Choi Seung-Yeon as she took over two hours before being forced to part her feet, and Australian player Alex also suffered as she tried to hold onto the pole and lost her balance.

The round lasted nearly three hours, with Mark ultimately holding on longer than his competitors, earning three points for the Philippines.

Australia placed second in the round with two points, and Korea earned one point. These results brought the Philippines and Korea to a tie at five points each, with Australia leading with eight points.

Remaining challenges and team standings

After the Hanging Endurance round, the teams proceeded to the sack toss challenge. Players were required to throw a 14 kg sack over a 4-meter hurdle, with the weight increasing to 16 kg over time.

At the conclusion of episode 6, Team Philippines had yet to finish this round, but Mark’s effort in the hanging task had already netted essential points. 

Overall, Australia maintained the first position, and the Philippines and Korea tied in second position.

The scoreboard for Quest 3 set the stage for ongoing episodes. Team standings were tight, and significant individual player efforts, like Mark's, determined the outcome for their teams.

Stay tuned for more updates.