Elaine kicks up a gold

OLYMPIAN Elaine Teo made up for her failure in Manila two years ago with a dramatic come-from-behind victory on the final day of the taekwondo competition at the Vongchavalitkul Hall in Korat yesterday.

The 26-year-old lass from Malacca snatched victory from Loraine Lorelie of the Philippines in the women’s Under-51kg final, winning the bout 3-2.

She was trailing the Filipino 1-3 in the third round and fought back to level the score at the end of the round after Lorelie was deducted a point. And a last kick in the final round landed Elaine her third gold medal in five SEA Games outings.

While jubilant Malaysian camp celebrated on the stage with Elaine, Lorelie was reduced to tears after coming so close to victory.

“I never gave up and I knew that I would get my break,” said Elaine, who also won gold in the 1999 and 2001 Games in Brunei and Kuala Lumpur respectively.

Elaine, however, made an embarrassing first-round exit at the last Games in Manila.

“My next target is to make it to the Beijing Olympics,” said Elaine, who featured in the 2004 Athens Games.

Malaysia earned a bronze through Mohd Sultan Kader in the men’s Under-54kg division. He was beaten 0-6 by Thailand’s Khawlaor Chutchawal in the semi-finals.

Two other exponents in action yesterday failed to get among the medals.

Rusfredy Petrus was a loser in the quarter-finals of the men’s Under-58kg competition and Chong Kin Nee was an early casualty in the women’s Under-47kg category.

Malaysia’s taekwondo squad ended their campaign in Korat with a haul of 2-1-5, meeting the target set by the National Sports Council. The other gold medallist was Che Chew Chan in the women’s Under-72kg division.

Sea Games: Karate exponents chop down another four gold medals

The Starsport report:

THE Malaysian karate squad continued their onslaught at the Chanapolkhan Institute of Technology in Korat yesterday, delivering four gold medals for the second consecutive day.

S. Mahendran (men’s below 75kg), Lim Yoke Wai (men’s Open), G. Yamini (women’s Open) and Jamalliah Jamalludin (women’s over 60kg) all struck gold in their kumite events to bring the team’s haul to eight.

With the men’s and women’s team events remaining today, the team are in with a shot to cap off their fine run in Korat by improving on the best haul of 9-3-6 achieved in the 2001 KL Games.

In the morning’s competition, only a single punch was thrown in the entire bout of the men’s under 75kg final.

Glittering feat: (from left) S. Mahendran, Jamalliah Jamalludin and G. Yamini showing off their gold medals after winning their respective kumite events in the karate competition at the Chanapolkhan Institute of Technology in Korat yesterday.

The punch thrown by Mahendran 11 seconds into sudden death period hit Indonesian Cristo Mondolu and it landed gold for the Malaysian.

Mahendran won 1-0 in the highly tactical and unusual final that saw both exponents not making a single move throughout the three-minute regulation period.

He thanked national chief coach P. Arivalagan for plotting the strategy.

“Ari told me not to go rushing in and only to hit back when the Indonesian attacked. But my opponent was also playing mind games by being reluctant to go on the offensive.

“In the end, the final had to be decided by a single punch,” said Mahendran.

The win lifted a huge burden off Mahendran’s shoulders as he had not won in a major tournament since triumphing in the same event at the 2003 Hanoi SEA Games.

“It is a huge relief to finally get a big win after four years. I always failed before this because I pushed too hard to win. I did not put any pressure on myself and did not think of the gold medal until the very end,” he said.

In the afternoon session, Yoke Wai created history by becoming the first Malaysian exponent to win two individual gold medals at the same Games.

Yoke Wai overturned a losing position against Indonesia’s Yulisar Motuty in the men’s Open final to emerge as the champion, adding to his triumph in the under 65kg competition on Wednesday.

Yulisar was leading 3-1 with less than 90 seconds to go before Yoke Wai took charge completely and pummelled his opponent to carve out a 6-3 victory.

“Although I was trailing, there was never any doubt in my mind that I was the better fighter,” he said.

“I had to wait for six years to get my first SEA Games gold and it took me another 24 hours to get the second. Hopefully, I can create history again tomorrow by bagging my third gold in the team event.”

Yamini recovered from the heartbreak of losing the women’s under 60kg final in the morning to triumph in the much tougher Open category competition.

The Asian Championships gold medallist was in tears after going down 3-4 to Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Hai Yen in the morning’s final. But she bounced back to beat Myanmar’s Ohn Mar Pyo 5-3 in the Open final.

“I was upset over the defeat in the morning. But I managed to cast it aside to concentrate on the Open final.

“I am happy to make amends and bag my first SEA Games gold medal,” said Yamini, who celebrated her 27th birthday on Wednesday.

An unexpected gold was delivered by Jamalliah, who downed Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Nga in the women’s over 60kg final.

“After two years in the senior squad, I am happy to have finally bagged my first major victory. My secret to success here was remaining cool in all my fights. My coaches told me to treat the SEA Games just like any other tournament and adopting such a low-key attitude worked well for me,” said the 23-year-old.

Her younger brother, Shahruddin, settled for the bronze in the men’s below 70kg competition.

Two other Malaysian kumite exponents in action yesterday, 2005 Manila Games gold medallist L. Kunasilan and Julian Jarvis, finished empty-handed in the men’s under 60kg and over 75kg categories respectively.

Teenager Rayzam hurdles his way to a surprise gold

HURDLER Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian got into the SEA Games squad only because 2005 champion Robani Hassan was injured.

But not content with seeking exposure, the teenager ran the race of his life to not only bag the men’s 110m hurdles gold medal but he also shattered the Games record.

The 19-year-old Sabahan clocked 13.91 to better the previous record of 13.92 set by Thailand’s Suphan Wongsriphuck in Hanoi in 2003.

Suphan won the silver in 13.95 and another Malaysian, Mohd Faiz Mohd, took the bronze in 14.00.

Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian waving the Jalur Gemilang after winning the men’s 110m hurdles.

Faiz was the silver medallist behind Robani in Manila two years ago.

“When I was named as Robani’s replacement, I told myself that I needed to make full use of this rare chance. I dedicate this victory to all the people in Keningau, my hometown in Sabah,” said Rayzam.

“I was not paying attention to the other lanes during the race as my only focus was to stay ahead of the pack. I am happy to have beaten Faiz for the first time, and also the double bonus of finishing ahead of Suphan and breaking his Games record.”

Prior to yesterday’s race, Rayzam had not dipped below 14 seconds, and had a 14.15 personal best set at the national championships in Kangar this year.

Moh Siew Wei failed to make it a double celebration for Malaysia, settling for silver in the defence of her women’s 100m hurdles title.

Siew Wei, who had been out of action for much of the year, clocked 13.61. Indonesian Dedah Erawati won in 13.51.

After the race, Siew Wei, 29, announced that she wished to retire from competitions.

“I was simply not fit enough to match Dedah over the final two hurdles. I would not have competed in Korat but was persuaded to do so by coach Hanapiah Nasir. I am sorry that I let him down,” said the bank executive.

“I guess the time is right for me to quit and concentrate on my career and raise a family. I feel under-appreciated despite having represented the nation for a decade,” added Siew Wei, who suffered from a low red blood cell count and also had several injuries this year.

Meanwhile, both the Malaysian men’s and women’s 4x100m teams delivered the bronze medal.

The men’s quartet of Arif Naim Jeffry, Mohd Noor Imran Hadi, Mohd Latif Nyat and Mohd Zabidi Ghazali finished in 39.90, behind Thailand (38.95, Games record) and Indonesia (39.79).

The women’s team of Noor Hazwinie Norizan, Siti Fatimah Mohamad, Azizah Ibrahim and Norjannah Jamaluddin also did well to earn a podium finish. They clocked 46.38, behind winners Thailand (44.00, Games record) and Vietnam (45.62).

Unexpected Gold for Boon Lim.

From Star Sport

NATIONAL walker Teoh Boon Lim returned from a six-year absence to bag the gold in a drama-filled men’s 20km walk outside His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium yesterday.

And as promised, Yuan Yufang who pulled out of the 5,000m race at the half-way mark on Friday to save her energy for yesterday’s 20km walk, delivered gold in the women’s category.

Boon Lim, who turned to coaching after winning the gold in the 2001 KL Games, was persuaded to return to active competition by his wife, Woo Siew Sien, early this year.

Golden comeback: Teoh Boon Lim raises his hands to celebrate after crossing the finish line first in the 20km walk event in Korat yesterday.

And the move paid off handsomely when the 30-year-old father of two boys won the race in 1’30:37.

“This win is a reward for my family,” said Boon Lim. “After six years, I would not have returned without my family’s support. I also need to thank (Yuan) Yufang, who agreed to coach me on my comeback trail.

“After regaining the SEA Games gold, my next target is to win at the ATF (Asian Track and Field) and Asian Games competitions. I feel I can stay strong for another three or four years.”

But two-time champion Mohd Shahrulhaizy Abdul Rahman failed to make it a 1-2 for Malaysia. He was disqualified less than 2km from the finish line.

Despite repeated pleas by the Malaysian coaches and officials to take it easy, Shahrulhaizy, who was already on two cautions, chose to chase down Boon Lim. The 27-year-old managed to close the gap to seven seconds and was gaining pace when he picked up his third booking for floating and was thrown out.

Shahrulhaizy was devastated after choosing to go for personal glory instead of playing it safe for a silver backfired.

He said: “I am sore over the first two cautions. The Indonesian walker (Kristian Tobung) got away from the rest of the pack early on, which forced Boon Lim and myself to quicken our pace.

“Although we caught up, I was already on two cautions and got penalised when I felt that I had the pace to overtake Boon Lim in the final 2km.”

Tobung took the silver on 1’32:57, more than two minutes behind Boon Lim. Another Indonesian, Indra, took bronze in 1’35:45.

The peerless Yufang nailed her sixth SEA Games gold and the fifth in the women’s 20km walk in 1’41:47.

Such was her dominance that silver medallist Darwati of Indonesia trailed in almost one kilometre behind to finish in 1’43:51. Myanmar’s Lar Nve Saw Mar took the bronze in 1’46:28.

“To win in Korat, I had to train seriously and did not even see my baby (Li Xiaomo), who I left with my mother back in Hubei,” said the 31-year-old Yufang, who is a mother of two.

“I could not go for the Games record (of 1’39.25 set in Hanoi 2003) because the heat was unbearable. I have no intention to slow down yet and will continue to compete for as long as I am needed.”

The other Malaysian in the women’s race, 16-year-old debutant Yap Kwee Kee, clocked 2’00:41 to finish last in the six-competitor field.

Team Singapore Gets Ready For the 24th SEA Games

MALAYSIA'S FADZLUN ABAS (LEFT/YELLOW) AND TEAMMATE
ARUNA SANTAPAN TRYING TO PUT THE BALL IN THE NET WHILE
TWO SINGAPORE PLAYERS DAWN TAY AND KOH KAI LING BLOCK
THE SHOTS DURING THE ASIAN YOUTH NETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
AT JUARA STADIUM IN BUKIT KIARA. MALAYSIA BEAT SINGAPORE 44-42.

WET WEATHER................THAILAND'S JIRACHAI LINGLOM
(FAR RIGHT) LEADING THE REST TO WIN THE GOLD MEDAL
IN 400M HURDLES.

It's SEA Games' time. And Team Singapore is all geared up for the action in Thailand from 6 - 15 December. Following the opening ceremony on 6 December, the competition is expected to heat up among athletes from the 11 countries participating in this year's event.

A total of 360 Team Singapore athletes have earned the selectors' nod for December's SEA Games in Thailand, including many youth athletes from sports like sailing, swimming and gymnastics. Meanwhile, in a boost to our SEA Games chances, athletes from sports such as table tennis and fencing tasted recent success.

In all, 43 sports will be featured in this year's SEA Games. Singapore's athletes will be going all out for a good showing before the closing ceremony on 15 December. It will be a challenge but they will want to match or exceed the 42 gold medals that Team Singapore won at the Manila SEA Games in 2005. More>>

# TeamSingapore.Com

# Singaporeathelatics.com

SEA GAMES / PREPARATIONS

CHONLATHORN VORATHAMRONG OF THAILAND
SPLASHING HERS WAY IN 100M BACKSTROKE


TORWAI SETHSOTHORN OF THAILAND SPLASHING
HIS WAY IN THE 400M FREESTYLE.

Thailand seeking 150 golds at Korat Games

KITTIPONG THONGSOMBAT

Thailand expect to win up to 150 gold medals at next month's SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, according to a poll conducted by the national athletes' preparation committee.

The committee, chaired by Adm Suravudh Maharom, has appraised Thailand's chances in the December 6-15 Games with 485 golds up for grabs.

''We expect to finish on the top of the medal table with about 146-150 gold medals,'' Suravudh said.

''Our main rivals are Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia respectively.''

In the last Games in the Philippines in 2005, Thailand finished second with 87 golds, 78 silvers and 118 bronzes. The Kingdom won 26 golds fewer than the hosts.

Suravudh is worried about the men's football team who are seeking a record eighth straight title. He said he was informed that the squad were not well-prepared. ''I talked to football officials who said our team's preparations may not be good enough,'' said Suravudh.

''Vietnam are tipped to be our opponents in the final. It would be tough for us to win gold this time.''

In 2005, Thailand beat Vietnam 3-0 to win their seventh crown in a row. The Thais also defeated the Vietnamese in the 2003 final in Hanoi.

Among the golds Thailand hope to win in the Nakhon Ratchasima Games are 15 in athletics, 12 in shooting, 10 in amateur boxing, 10 in Muay Thai, eight in aquatic sports, seven in gymnastics, seven in rowing and six in sepak takraw.

# Young Thais should unfold exciting results

# Boxing

History - Southeast Asian Games

The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP Games.
On May 22, 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian peninsula attending the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sport organization.

The SEAP Games was conceptualized by Laung Sukhumnaipradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation, understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian region.

Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam and Cambodia (with Singapore included thereafter) were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biannually. The SEAP Games Federation Committee was formed.

The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12-17 December, 1959 comprising more than 527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, South Vietnam and Laos participating in 12 sports.

At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion of Indonesia and the Philippines. The two countries were formally admitted in 1977, the same year when SEAP Federation changed their name to Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games. Brunei was admitted at the 10th SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, and East Timor at the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The last Southeast Asian Games (23rd SEA Games) were held in the Philippines from 27 November to December 2005. The Philippines hosted the event for the third time.

# Indonesia to register 517 athletes for SEA Games 2007

# Can Indonesia bounce back in SEA Games?

Run-up to the Korat Sea Games

NAtional Sprinter G.Shanthi finish in 100M Jakarta SEA Games.

National Weight Lifter Rozdimand Harun

Goh Yi We in action

This was my second posting and I am sorry I have not update my blog as I was busy preparing for Deepavali. As I was assigned to cover Korat SEA Games in Thailand next month together with Glenn Guan, perhaps it was wise to post some of my pictures taken in the last Sea Games.

The 24^th SEA games will be held in Korat Thailand, December 6 -15, 2007 at three
different venues. And the centre of action will be in Korat, the third largest city in Thailand. Bangkok and Pattaya will also play hosts.

The 1030 strong contingent is the biggest include 748 athletes who will compete in 41 of the 43 sports in the programme.

With more events staged this time, the atheletes are expected to rake in a better medal haul than they did in Manila two years ago. Then Malaysia won 61 gold medals and it was the best ever performance in a foreign country. This time there are 485 gold medals at stake. And I wonder how many gold medals that our players can get this time.

Happy Deepavali to my Indian friends!

Official Website : Korat SEA Games2007

SEA Games Updates:

# Women hold key to golden harvest in Korat

# Lee Wei boost for paddlers but silver chase remains tough

# M'sians protest, football fixture fixed