HANOI, Vietnam, 11 December 2003 — Only Amnat Kunpadit won a medal in Southeast Asian Games pole vaulting yesterday. Nobody else could clear the bar.
While he was the only one who stood alone on the podium, Amnat was among Thais who won 10 gold medals in early events yesterday.
That still did little to close the gap with Vietnam, which had 81 golds in all. Thailand had 46, Indonesia 30, Malaysia 28, the Philippines 24 and Singapore 20.
Brunei won its first gold of these games in the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat. That nation had won four golds in 1999, when it was host, but none in 2001.
Amnat collected gold after clearing 4.60 meters on his third try and 4.80 on his second. He missed all three tries at 5.00, still below the SEA Games record of 5.05. Four other vaulters missed their tries at heights ranging from 4.40 to 4.80.
Thailand also collected a track gold from Apisit Kuttiyawan, in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, but again couldn’t win the sprints. Malaysia’s Muhammad Nazmizan added the 200-meter title to his gold at 100 in the men’s race, and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Tinh did the same in the women’s. Thais again were second.
But Thailand won three golds in shooting, two in fencing, and one each in billiards, diving and sepak takraw.
Thai diver Suchart Pichi became a double gold medalist. He and Meerit Insawang won in the 3-meter springboard synchronized competition after Suchart earlier won the solo event.
On the 10-meter platform, Indonesia’s Shenny Ratna Amelia and Herliani Dias Sukmahati won the women’s synchronized competition.
Malaysians also did well at long distances.
Mohamed Shahrulhaizy won the men’s 20-kilometer walk in 1 hour, 31 minutes, 57 seconds — a 1 1/2-minute victory over Thailand’s Sakchai Samutkao, who had beaten him twice earlier this year.
In the men’s 160-kilometer mass start bicycle race, Shahrul Neeza Razalli finished with a smaller margin over silver medalist Warren Davadilla of the Philippines — 32 seconds. He won in 3 hours, 47 minutes, 2.12 seconds.
Another Malaysian gold came from Noraseela Mohd Khalid’s victory in the women’s 400 hurdles, where she was 0.16 seconds faster than Thailand’s Wassana Winatho.
Indonesia’s Supriati Sutono won the women’s 5,000 meters by 1.18 seconds over Myanmar’s Phyu War Thet, finishing in 16 minutes, 9.39 seconds.
Compatriot Yurita Ariyani Arsyad won the women’s hammer throw with 49.79 meters. Thailand’s Kruawan Taweedech threw 47.35.
For the Philippines, Danilo Fresnido won the men’s javelin and Lerma Gabito took the women’s long jump.
In the regional sport of sepak takraw, perennial power Thailand went undefeated through women’s team competition for a gold.
Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit led a 1-2 Thai finish in women’s skeet shooting. Varavut Majchacheeap won the men’s 50-meter rifle 3-position competition, and helped Thailand win the team event.
Thailand collected fencing golds from Siriroj Rattaprasert in the men’s epee and Siritida Choochokkul in the women’s, and Praiprut Chaithanasakun beat compatriot Thawat Sujaritthurakarn 3-2 for the English billiards gold.
