Superb team: The national table tennis team pose for a photo after becoming the overall champions for the first time in the South-East Asian (SEA) Championships in Bangkok.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia achieved a historic milestone in table tennis after emerging as overall champions with a five-gold performance in the South-East Asian (SEA) Championships in Bangkok on Sunday.
Malaysia won three more gold medals on the final day in the men’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles.
Javen Choong-Wong Qi Shen started the day with a bang by claiming the men’s doubles title for Malaysia after beating Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Tu-Nguyen Doan Kien Tan 11-7, 11-9, 11-8.
Javen then returned to win the men’s singles crown for his fourth gold medal in the SEA championship, beating Vietnam’s No. 1 player Anh Tu to win 10-12, 11-8, 12-14, 11-8, 11-9.
Javen had earlier won the men’s team gold medal and partnered Karen Lyne Dick to win the mixed doubles title.
It was also a day of joy for the Malaysian table tennis team as Karen partnered Tee Ai Xin to win the women’s doubles, beating Tran Mai Ngoc-Nguyen Thi Nga of Vietnam 11-7, 11-9, 11-5.
Ai Xin also contested in the women’s singles final but lost to Kim Trang Nguyen of Vietnam 8-11, 8-11, 9-11, 7-11.
At the last meet also in Bangkok two years ago, Malaysia only managed to win one silver and two bronze medals.
But Malaysia stamped their mark as overall champions by winning five out of the seven gold medals at stake this time.
