Thai sepak takraw players decimate opposition
Thailand reigned supreme again in the sepak takraw competition when the men's and women's teams outclassed their opponents to win gold medals yesterday.
Thailand’s women comprising Kaewjai Poomsawangjit, Sasiwimon Janthasit and Wanwisa Jankaen, tamed Laos 21-6 21-14 in the round-robin final to grab the gold medal for the seventh time.
The men’s side featuring Siriwat Saka, Pornchai Khaokaew and Pattarapong Yupdee later emulated their female counterparts by beating arch-rivals Malaysia 21-16 21-8 to claim the gold medal for the 12th consecutive time.
Thailand have collected five SEA Games sepak takraw gold medals so far, including the men’s and men’s regu team and men’s hoop team. That is something to cheer about as they had set an initial target of only four golds.
“I have to give credit to the Malaysian team who came into the match with a good game plan. We could have lost if we had made mistakes but we were very lucky to win the first set which made things a lot easier for us. But this victory is definitely achieved by the long experience of our veteran players,” said the national men’s team manager, Kamol Tankimhong.
“The men’s team met the target by winning both the men’s team and regu team. The next target will be the Asian Games in South Korea next year. We will call 24 players for training and select the best based on individual performance. It won’t be easy as they are all very close talent wise,” Kamol added.
The women’s team meanwhile will compete in the doubles category, which starts today.
