[Cambodia] Day yields bronze in taekwondo

[News_Editor]

A single bronze was added to the Cambodian cause at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar yesterday, but it was not enough to stop neighbouring rivals Laos from leapfrogging the Kingdom into eighth place out of 11 in the medal table.

The taekwondo team’s Chhoeung Lyna came third in women’s individual poomsae (forms performance) at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium in Naypyidaw, although there were only three participants in the competition. The Cambodian scored 7.565, while Singapore’s Chelsea Ann Sim Shu Zhen took silver with 7.765 and Yamin Khine notched yet another gold for hosts Myanmar with 8.200.

Lyna teamed up with Phal Sovannat to finish last out of eight in the mixed pairs poomsae event with a total of 7.315, compared to Vietnamese winners Dinh Toan Nguyen and Minh Tu Nguyen on 8.355.

Sovannat also came bottom of the men’s individual poomsae with 7.500, as Myanmar’s Thaw Zin Han struck gold on 8.400.

There was disappointment for judoka Khom Ratanak Mony, who has represented Cambodia at the London Olympics last year and was looking to improve on his SEA Games silver from Indonesia in 2011.

Mony beat Thailand’s Thailand’s Janluechai Kanisorn in the men’s 55kg quarter-finals but lost to eventual winner Nam Nhat Thong Huynh of Vietnam in the semi-finals. The 30-year-old, currently based out of the French city of Brest, went through to the repechage section (bronze medal playoffs) but lost to Malaysia’s Muhamad Jafaannuar Jamaludin.

Over at the Ngalike Dam, Cambodia came close to a medal in the men’s traditional boating 10-crew 1,000m final, crossing the line fourth out of five teams with a time of 4 minutes 34.659 seconds. They were three and a half seconds slower than race winners Myanmar, with Indonesia and Thailand taking silver and bronze respectively.

Golfer Thong Sokhamony, meanwhile, was having a torrid time at the Royal Myanmar Golf Club across town and ended up a distant last in the field of 32. The Cambodian was 55-over-par with a four-round total of 343, 24 shots worse than his closest rival.

Malaysia’s Gavin Kyle Green, who at No 18 in the amateur world rankings is the first from his country to break the top 20, and Thailand’s Danthai Boonma shared first place with a total of 278. Poom Saksansin of Thailand was third on 281.

Cambodia’s men’s table tennis team – namely Sok Long Lim, Tola Soeung and Sroy Huor Oeung – lost all three of their Group B matches at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium, falling 3-1 to Vietnam, 3-0 to Thailand and 3-1 to Myanmar.

The Wunna Theikdi Equestrian Field saw no podium spots for the Cambodian contingent, although the team can be proud of some promising jumping performances.

Soth Puthminea’s fifth in the first round and Sim Narith’s seventh in the second round were the best placings for the Kingdom yesterday in the individual show jumping event, while the team discipline, which featured the pair along with Ly Sovanchandara and Phat Makara were fifth out of seven squads.

The embattled women’s hockey team were thrashed 16-0 by Singapore on Tuesday to continue their woeful campaign in which they scored no goals and let in a total of 93 goals. They play hosts Myanmar in their final game today.

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Sport

Dan Riley

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