Sea Games 31 Updates (May 19): Vietnam Secures 276 Medals, Singaporean Kayaker Repeats Miracle

Captain Huynh Nhu of Vietnam (in red) and Khin Thai Wai of Myanmar vie for the ball in the semifinal on May 18. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam defeat Myanmar in women’s football semifinal: Vietnam advanced to the women’s football final at SEA Games 31 after securing a 1 - 0 win over Myanmar in the semifinal at Cam Pha Stadium in Quang Ninh province on May 18 evening. As soon as the match started, Vietnamese players launched continual attacks, but Myanmar managed to deal with those offenses.

The game’s turning point occurred in the 28th minute when captain Huynh Nhu of Vietnam scored a header goal after receiving the ball passed in the air from Tuyet Dung. Goalkeeper May Zin New of Myanmar touched the ball but still failed to make a save, according to VNA.

In the second half, though Myanmar also launched many attacks to seek a leveling goal, the goal of Vietnam stayed safe thanks to the outstanding performance of keeper Kim Thanh. The Vietnamese players had several chances to raise the score after that but missed. The game ended with a 1 - 0 win for Vietnam.

Nguyen Thi Phuong grabs the first gold medal in the women's Kata event. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam grabs two gold medals in Karate: Vietnamese karatekas on May 18 brought home two gold medals in the women’s kata and kumite categories on the first day of competition at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31). Nguyen Thi Phuong pocketed the first gold medal in the women’s Kata event, while Nguyen Thi Ngoan secured the second gold in the women’s Kumite 61kg category.

Yuda Ahmad Zigi Zaresta of Indonesia won the gold medal in the men’s Kata event. The gold medals in the men’s Kumite 60kg and 67kg categories went to Supatra Ari of Indonesia and Hari Sankar Sureeya Sankar of Malaysia.

Chandran Shahmalarani from Malaysia won the gold in the women's Kumite 50kg event. Concluding the first day of karate competitions, the Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Malaysian Karate teams took home two gold medals each. In addition, the Vietnamese athletes also fetched two silver and two bronze medals.

Wrestler Lai Dieu Thuong shows her happiness after winning a gold medal in the 68kg category on May 18. (Photo: VNA)

Wrestlers win additional six gold medals for Vietnam: Female Vietnamese wrestlers fetched six more gold medals on the second day of competition at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) on May 18. Wrestler Nguyen Thi Xuan secured the first gold for Vietnam on the day after defeating Samnang of Cambodia in the 50kg final at Hanoi’s Gia Lam Gymnasium.

The second gold medal was obtained by Kieu Thi Ly who beat Grace Loberanes from the Philippines in the 53kg category. Just less than one hour later, Lai Dieu Thuong won the third gold for Vietnam after overcoming Srisombat Salinee of Thailand in the 68kg event. In the 76kg category, Dang Thi Linh managed to gain a victory over Tener Noemi of the Philippines in the final, pocketing another gold for the host country.

In concluding the successful day of Vietnamese wrestlers, sisters My Trang and My Hanh obtained the fifth and sixth golds in the 62kg and 57kg events, respectively. After two days of competition, wrestlers contributed up to 12 gold medals to the Vietnamese sports delegation at SEA Games 31.

Felisberto De Deus of Timor Leste at SEA Games 31. (Photo: VNA)

Felisberto De Deus makes history for Timor Leste athletics: Felisberto De Deus has claimed two silvers in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events at SEA Games 31, ending Timor Leste’s long wait for a SEA Games medal in athletics. The 23-year-old athlete, with a Vietnamese flag in his hand, waved at the fans cheering on his second silver medal at this year’s Games.

De Deus expressed his happiness at the cheers from Vietnamese fans, as well as good wishes from local residents during his stay in Vietnam. He said the cheers and the fair-minded spirit of the Vietnamese supporters pushed him into the men’s 10,000 events. The athlete hopes that sport, particularly athletics, will help to promote the country and people of Timor Leste.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Lai was the focus of attention on the third day of athletic competition at SEA Games 31 after winning the men's 10,000m - his second gold medal at this Games. Lai and teammate Le Van Thao supported each other effectively to overcome fierce competition from De Deus and Arthit Soda of Thailand.

At the Hai Phong City boat race training area where Teo's race takes place (Photo: thanhphohaiphong.gov.vn)

Singaporean kayaker repeats miracle after 7 years: Seven years after becoming Singapore's first canoeing gold medallist at the 28th SEA Games on home turf in 2015, Lucas Teo won the men's kayak single 1,000m race at the ongoing SEA Games 31st in Hai Phong on May 18.

Teo, 31, completed the race in 3 mins and 51.501 secs, leaving far behind six other competitors. Maizir Riyondra of Indonesia and Methasit Sitthipharat of Thailand finished second and third within 3 mins 56.446 secs and 3 mins 58.278 secs, respectively Teo bagged a silver medal in the same event and a bronze in the men's kayak four 1,000m team event at SEA Games 26 hosted by Indonesia in 2011. From the sport, Singapore captured seven gold and five silver medals at SEA Game 28.

The silver was secured by Pham Thi Diem Trang and Pham Thi Bich Lieu. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam grabs first Muay silver: Vietnam won a silver medal in Muay’s wai kru (pre-fight ritual performance) event at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) on May 17. The silver was secured by Pham Thi Diem Trang and Pham Thi Bich Lieu. Their competitors in the first event, held in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, came from the Philippines, which bagged the gold, and Thailand.

SEA Games 31 features 11 events of Muay, comprising wai kru and 10 antagonistic games for both men and women. Twelve Muay fighters of Vietnam will compete in all of the games.

Truong Thi Phuong and Nguyen Thi Ngan win a gold medal at the women’s canoe double 1,000m at SEA Games 31 (Photo: VNA)

Two more gold medals for Vietnamese rowers: Vietnamese rowers secured two more gold medals and one bronze in the finals of the women’s canoe double 1,000m and the men’s canoe four 1,000m at the ongoing SEA Games 31 held in Hai Phong city on May 18. Truong Thi Phuong and Nguyen Thi Ngan defeated their female opponents from Thailand and Indonesia – the two strongest teams in the sports at the Games, with a time of 4 minutes and 30.971 seconds.

Meanwhile, in the men’s canoe 1,000m, Pham Hong Quan, Hien Nam, Tran Thanh and Nguyen Quoc Toan of Vietnam made a spectacular sprint at the last 200m of the track, finishing with a time of 3 minutes and 35.147 seconds, only nearly 2 seconds faster than the Indonesian team, to win the gold medal.

The Vietnamese women's sabre team wins a gold medal at SEA Games 31 (Photo: VNA)

Female fencers win the fifth gold medal for the Vietnamese team: The Vietnamese fencing team on May 18 secured the fifth gold medal at the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31). Specifically, in the women’s sabre team event, Bui Thi Thu Ha, Phung Thi Khanh Linh, Do Thi Tam and Pham Thi Thu Hoai had an outstanding performance after defeating their Singaporean rivals with a result of 45-39. This was also the first gold medal won by Vietnam’s female fencers after seven years of waiting.

Chantha Vorng and Vong Sin of Cambodia compete at the final of mixed doubles. (Photo: VNA)

Cambodia wins first gold in pétanque: Chantha Vorng and Vong Sin have won first gold medal for Cambodia in pétanque at the ongoing SEA Games 31 in Vietnam. They defeated Thach Pha Nara and Nguyen Van Quang of the host in the mixed doubles on May 17.The Head of the Cambodian pétanque team Simnang Kim spoke highly of the Vietnamese athletes as well as preparations of the host country for the sport underway at the Hanoi National Sports Training Centre.

Ly Ngoc Tai, Nguyen Thi Thuy Kieu, and Nguyen Thi Thi clinched bronze for Vietnam in the mixed triples after losing 6-13 to the Thai team, the eventual gold medallists. Vietnam bagged a silver and bronze in pétanque on May 17, bringing the total to one gold, two silvers, and three bronzes after five days of competition.

Medal table for sports delegations competing in the 31st SEA Games by the end of May 18th, 2022. (Photo: Sea Games 2021)

Sea Games 31 Updates (May 18): More Golds for Vietnam, Malaysia’s Mountain cycling squad makes history As of May 17, Vietnam's sport teams gained a total of 234 medals, continuing to top the chart.

Sea Games 31 Updates (May 17): Vietnam Tops Medal Tally, Thailand Ranks First in Men Football Group B Vietnam has so far obtained 197 medals, including 88 golds, at the ongoing SEA Games 31, topping the tally and leaving other competitors far behind.

SEA Games 31 Updates (May 16): Vietnam Leads Medal Tally As of May 15, Vietnam tops SEA Games 31's medal tally with 155 medals in total, far exceeding the runner-up, Thailand, who secures 92 medals.