Golden century for Thailand

Indonesia have so far plundered more than 160 gold medals, with only 17 more on offer on today’s final day of the biennial sports extravaganza. The hosts are already gearing up for a triumphant celebration gearing at this evening’s closing ceremony.

Indonesia last captured the overall crown in 1997 when they hosted the 19th edition in Jakarta, where they bagged 194 golds.

With the Games organisers correcting a mistake and adding two more gold medals to the Kingdom’s tally yesterday, Thai athletes hit a golden century. However, they are set to fall well short of their initial target of 120-125 golds from the 26th SEA Games.

The mistake came when Thailand were short-changed two golds in the medal tally after their athletes won four titles in the sepak takraw competition, including a clean sweep in the men’s and women’s regu events. 

Thai weightlifters left the Jakabaring Sports Complex yesterday with heads held high after scooping 12 medals including nine gold to dominate the discipline.

Hosts Indonesia claimed four golds, while the only other victorious country, Vietnam, collected just one.

After putting on an awesome display of power to win seven golds over the previous two days, Thai weightlifters yesterday maintained their domination by clinching two more golds of three at stake on the final day of weightlifting.

Talented Pimsiri Sirikaew, a 21-year-old from Khon Kaen who took two bronze medals at the recent World Weightlifting Championships in Paris, was in devastating form.

 Contesting the women’s 63kg class, Pimsiri lifted 98kg in the snatch before setting a new SEA Games clean and jerk record with a lift of 131kg for a combined Olympic Total of 229kg. She struck gold medal No 8 for the Thai weightlifting squad.  

Compatriot Darat Srisuwan took silver after lifting an aggregate 214kg Olympic Total, while Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Phuong claimed bronze with lifts totalling 200kg.

A determined Wiriya Suwannaratana, who captured three medals including one gold at this year’s World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Malaysia, exploded in an all-out effort to lift 106kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk for an Olympic Total of 232kg in the women’s 69kg division, earning Thailand’s ninth weightlifting gold.

Indonesia’s Sinta Damariani (218kg) and Vietnam’s Ngo Thi Xuyen (202kg) picked up silver and bronze.

No Thai competed in the women’s above-69kg class, which was won by Indonesia’s Novita Sherly Kurn with a combined lift of 224kg. Team-mate Riska Anjani Yasin and Malaysian Nue Jannah took silver and bronze after producing Olympic Totals of 218kg and 208kg respectively.

Elsewhere yesterday, Thailand claimed three medals in sport aerobics, with Nattawut Pimpa winning the lone gold in the men’s individual event. Nattawut later teamed up with Phairach Thotkhamchai and Roypim Ngampeerapong to take silver in the mixed trios event, while Phairach also clinched a bronze in the men’s individual.

Also making the country proud yesterday was Phithak Paokrathok, who showed married grace with power in the men’s 52kg sanshou martial arts to win the wushu gold.

On court, Noppawan Lertcheewakarn and Nungnada Wanasuk handed Thailand their second gold in the tennis competition after outclassing Nicha Lertpitaksinchai and Varatchaya Wongteanchai 6-3 6-2 in an all-Thais women’s doubles final yesterday.

The previous night saw the Thai men’s volleyball team stun hosts Indonesia and more than 5,000 locals packed into Sriwijaya Sport Hall City Centre Gymnasium with a straight-sets 25-23 25-17 25-19 win over the successive two-time SEA Games winners.

Thailand, who were fourth at last year’s Guangzhou Asian Games, had beaten this Indonesian team 3-1 in a fifth-place play-off at the Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship at the same venue early this year. 

This time out the Thais did not lose a single match en route to Sunday’s final against Indonesia. Thailand, who beat the hosts in straight sets in their final first-round encounter on Saturday, had to fight hard to take the first set of the final 25-23. The Thais then took charge to win the remaining two sets 25-17 and 25-19 and stamp their authority on the 26th edition.

Thailand’s win was also sweet revenge over Indonesia, to whom they lost 3-2 in the showdown at the previous Games, in Vientiane, two years ago.