Hosts pile on the golds

Dragon boat racing made their debut at the SEA Games yesterday, and Myanmar beat the hosts. 

The Philippines' Allan Ballester and Indonesia's Erni Ulatingsih also beat the Vietnamese in men's and women's marathon running. 

In wrestling and martial arts, Vietnam kept piling up the golds, helping boost their total to 150 with more to be decided before the games end today. 

Myanmar lifted their gold tally to 13 by winning the men's and women's 1,000m dragon boat races, with Vietnam placing second in the women's and third in the men's. They also gained three golds from weightlifting and one from wushu. 

The boat races on Hanoi's West Lake were among crews of 20 paddlers, a helmsman and a drummer. Similar races are a traditional part of festivals in many Asian nations. 

Vietnam has dominated other sports they introduced under their privilege as hosts, winning all seven golds in shuttlecocks – a kicking form of badminton, and 10 races so far in fin swimming. 

They also won 12 freestyle wrestling gold medals yesterday. Two Filipinos – Cristina Villanuaeva in the women's 51kg class and Marcus Valda in the men's 96kg – prevented a Vietnamese sweep. In Greco-Roman wrestling earlier, the count was six for Vietnam and two for the Philippines. 

In the marathon, on a chilly, overcast morning, Ballester finished the course in 2'21:03 – 48 seconds ahead of Vietnam's Nguyen Chi Dong. 

Ulatingsih beat Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Hoa by nearly 1½ minutes in the women's race, winning in 2'52:28. 

Thailand won the tennis singles, with Danai Udomchoke beating Indonesia's Febi Widhiyanto 6-2, 6-1 in the men's final, and Suchanun Viratprasert defeating compatriot Napaporn Tongsalee 6-2, 6-4 in the women's. 

The Thais also took two shooting golds – Supornpan Chewcahlermmit's in the women's double trap and Jakkrit Panichpatikum's in the men's 25m standard pistol. Compatriot Noppadon Noppachorn beat the Philippines' Manalo Marlon Reyes 4-1 for the billiards English snooker gold. 

Singapore's Lee Wung Yew was the men's double trap champion, and Vietnam won the pistol team event. 

Filipino cyclist Eusebio Quinones finished more than a minute ahead of Thailand's Tawatchai Masae for the men's 36km cross-country gold. Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Thanh was nearly four minutes faster than Thai rider Jinaporn Jantarus in the women's 24km race. 

The Philippines also won the men's epee team fencing gold medal, but lost the sabre team final to Vietnam. 

Myanmar won all three of the day's women's weightlifting golds, although only two women each competed in the 69kg and 75kg divisions. Khin Moe New won at 63kg, Mya Sanda Co at 69kg and Cho Cho Win at 75kg. – AP