Hosts upstage regional rivals at SEA Games
Hosts upstage regional rivals at SEA Games
John Pye, Associated Press, Hanoi, Vietnam
Shooters without guns, sinking ships and deadly soccer celebrations hardly rated a mention in Vietnam as it basked in hosting and finishing atop the Southeast Asian Games medal standings for the first time.
In the nation where the sporting preoccupation is soccer, the one blotch was Thailand's golden-goal win in a men's final that ended 2-1 six minutes into extra time.
Vietnam's run to the title match had captivated the population, with millions flooding onto the streets to celebrate victories.
Hundreds of thousands of motorbikes, some stacked with four or five people waving flags, congested downtown streets and authorities warned that accidents were inevitable.
Police in the southern Ho Chi Minh City reported two deaths and more than 500 treated in hospitals from traffic accidents following the 4-3 semifinal win over Malaysia, but local media reported five or more fatalities. No update was available after the final.
Vietnam spruced up its capital Hanoi for the Games, planting trees and clearing illegal sidewalk hawkers and the homeless from the city center and ordering old men not to go bare chested in public.
The government invested US$320 million on Games infrastructure and more time and cash developing a team primed to peak for the biennial event.
It worked. Vietnam finished with 158 of the 444 gold medals across 32 sports, eclipsing its 33 golds from Kuala Lumpur two years ago, when host Malaysia finished on top with 111 gold.
Thailand, second in 2001 with 103 golds, was No. 2 again with 90 gold. Indonesia was a distant third with 55 gold medals followed by Philippines with 48, Malaysia with 44, Singapore with 30 and Myanmar with 16. Laos, Cambodia and Brunei Darussalam got one gold medal apiece, while Timor Leste's 14-athlete contingent failed to get onto the medal podium.
Adding popular domestic sports to the program helped the local cause.
In sports it introduced under its privilege as host, Vietnam won all seven in shuttlecocks -- a kicking form of badminton, 12 of the first 13 decided in fin swimming and one of four in dragon boat racing.
Thailand came out on top in the prestigious events -- winning 12 of 32 swimming gold and 13 of 45 in athletics -- although Singapore swimmer Joscelin Yeo was the individual standout with six gold medals.
The low point of the athletics program had to be the men's pole vault.
Thailand's Amnat Kunpadit cut a lonely figure as he accepted gold after clearing 4.80 meters. All other vaulters missed their starting marks, making it a one-man show.
A sixth consecutive SEA Games soccer title and seven boxing gold medals were the highlights for Thailand, which had been expected to finish No. 1.
Philippines rounded off the Games by defending the men's basketball title on Saturday with a 90-61 victory over Malaysia.
Thailand took the silver with a 4-1 record and Malaysia got bronze. The Malaysians won the women's basketball gold, with Singapore getting silver.
Wong Mew Choo became Malaysia's first women's badminton singles winner since 1975 with an 11-5, 11-5 win over Thailand's Salakjit Ponsana after an upset semifinal win over top-seeded Li Li, while her compatriots won the men's doubles and world No. 4 Wong Choong Hann lost the men's decider to Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
Sony also led a young Indonesian team to the men's team title, while Li Li and her Singapore teammates won the SEA Games badminton women's team title for the first time.
Controversies were rare but dramatic.
In the men's 1,000-meter dragon boat race on Friday, the Philippines crew took the silver despite finishing with only the dragon's head decoration above water in Hanoi's West Lake.
Organizers said there was nothing wrong with the boats, built locally and delivered 10 days before competition. The paddlers, plucked from the lake by rescuers in a motor launch, agreed that the wind and big waves had caused all the trouble.
There were minor faux pas with flags and anthems at ceremonies during the Games, which had barely opened when a potential scandal flared as the Malaysian shooting team arrived without weapons, apparently after a mixup over approval requirements.
Defending women's pistol champion Bibiana Ng didn't get to compete in the 25m event, which was won by Vietnam's Pham Thi Ha.