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Unheralded Sakbieng Siththideth delivered the first gold medal for Laos in the SEA Games snooker competition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Sunday.
Sakbieng defeated Phaithoon Phonbun from Thailand 4-1 in the final of the men’s singles event.
“This is the first gold for Laos in the SEA Games and I thanked my fellow countrymen for supporting me all this while,” said an elated Sakbieng.
The Philippines pocketed another gold in pool after Carlo Biado ruled the men’s 9-ball event in the Games on Sunday.
This is the Philippines’ second gold medal in billiards after Chezka Centeno triumphed over Rubilen Amit in women’s 9-ball. Biado beat Vietnamese Duong Quoc Hoang, 9-5, in the championship round.
Singapore’s eight-year wait for a snooker gold medal finally came to an end as the Republic’s cueists emerged victorious in the men’s doubles final four days ago.
Chan Keng Kwang and Tey Choon Kiat beat Thailand’s Phaitoon Phonbun and Issara Kachaiwong 3-1 to earn Singapore their first snooker gold since Ang Boon Chin and Lim Chun Kiat won in 2009 at Laos.
The duo’s path to victory was far from easy though. After a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the semi-finals over hosts and defending champions Malaysia, the pair conceded the first frame to the Thais, before coming back strong to claim the next three.
