Historic Games close on a high note<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi<\/p>\n
The 22nd SEA Games 2003 concluded at the My Dinh Stadium here on
\nSaturday with host Vietnam emerging as the new overall winner of
\nthe biennial sporting showcase in the Southeast Asian region.<\/p>\n
Vietnam led almost from the start to emerge in top place in
\nthe medal standings, with 158 gold, 97 silver and 91 bronze
\nmedals. Thailand was second with 90 golds followed by Indonesia
\nwith 55 golds.<\/p>\n
Malaysia, last season's overall champion, had to settle for
\nfifth place with 44 golds behind the Philippines, host for the
\n2005 SEA Games, which collected 48.<\/p>\n
Singapore finished with 30 golds and Myanmar 16, including two
\nwushu golds won on the final day.<\/p>\n
Laos, Cambodia and Brunei each took home one gold.<\/p>\n
Only newly independent Timor Leste finished with no medals. It
\nhad 14 athletes in seven of the Games' 32 sports.<\/p>\n
The closing ceremony started at 7 p.m. local time with a
\nparade of the participating contingents, volunteers and referees.<\/p>\n
Nguyen Danh Thai, chairman of the committee of the sports and
\nphysical culture of Vietnam said the Vietnamese hoped that the
\nparticipants of the 22nd SEA Games would leave with spirited
\nmemories.<\/p>\n
It was the first Games Vietnam had ever held, and the first
\ntime in the Games history that events were hosted in two cities
\n(Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City).<\/p>\n
The 442 golds, from 32 sports, were distributed to successful
\nathletes from 10 of the 11 participating countries with 26 new
\nSEA Games records set.<\/p>\n
Home star Nguyen Manh Tuong was named best male athlete. Tuong
\nhelped contribute five of the 25 gold medals the Vietnamese
\nmarksmen won in the shooting range.<\/p>\n
Joscelin Yeoh, who won six of Singapore's nine gold medals in
\nthe swimming events, was named the best female athlete.<\/p>\n
The Games was officially closed at 8:15 p.m. and the torch,
\nwhich had been aglow in its cauldron since Dec. 5, was
\nextinguished. The ceremony was then followed by a cultural
\nperformance.<\/p>\n
Vietnam rose to the championship, largely helped by its
\ndomination in martial arts such as karate, wrestling, pencak
\nsilat, tae kwon do and wushu. Shooting was also its gold mine.<\/p>\n
The host had a strong showing in track and field, fin-swimming
\nand benefited with the introduction of the traditional sport of
\nshuttle cock, in which it swept all seven golds at stake.<\/p>\n
The three golds claimed in the fin swimming on Saturday made
\nup the seven golds Vietnam won on the final day. Thailand, which
\ntook the men's soccer trophy, added another two golds to its
\ntally. So did Indonesia and Myanmar.<\/p>\n
The four goals claimed by the Philippines on the last day
\nwidened the gap between the 2005 host and Malaysia. The two
\nparticipants had been swapping positions alternately the day
\nbefore with the Philippines ahead only due to its higher number
\nof silvers.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's last two gold medals came from the chess and fin
\nswimming squad.<\/p>\n
Pricillia Gunawan won the women's fin swimming 1500m surface
\nwhile the country's number one grand master Utut Adianto led his
\nprotege Susanto Megaranto to a one-two top in the standard chess
\ncompetition in Ho Chi Minh City.<\/p>\n
At the last Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2001, Vietnam was fourth
\nin golds with 33, behind Malaysia's 111, Thailand's 103 and
\nIndonesia's 72.<\/p>",
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