Hosts Vietnam eye overall champions title after 19 years

Maestros: (Clokwise from back) Vietnam runner Duong Van Thai, Indonesian sprinter Lalu Zohri, Thailand’s taekwondo exponent Panipak Wongpattanakit, Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz of the Philippines.

PETALING JAYA: Vietnam showed their pedigree by becoming the overall champions as the first-time hosts in 2003 and expect the same domination at home again.

Vietnam soared with 158-97-91 medal haul 19 years ago and this time, they are expecting 140 gold medals from 1,300 athletes who will be competing in all 40 sports.

Shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh had been the toast of Vietnam when he became the country’s first Olympics gold medallist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games (10m air pistol) and went on to win at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila. This time, he will be guiding the future stars as a coach.

The focus undoubtedly will be on football and this is where Vietnam would want to defend both their men and women’s titles.

Athletics have remained as Vietnam’s strong point since the arrival of natural athletes from South China region, a process that started prior to the 2003 SEA Games, and they are expected to win a big haul if their Manila tally of 16-12-10 is anything to go by.

Although sprint queen Le Tu Chinh’s 100m hattrick hopes has been dashed by injury, Vietnam are expected to dominate the women’s track events where they took 10 out of 12 golds in Manila.

Middle distance runner Duong Van Thai will be counted on to deliver the 800m-1,500m double.

Nguyen Huy Hoang, the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics 800m winner will lead Vietnam’s charge in swimming where they won 10 golds in the last edition. Meanwhile, Vovinam – the country’s traditional sport – will add to their gold tally with 15 events contested.

Indonesia, the region’s once undisputed superpowers, will be led by the South-East Asia’s fastest man Lalu Zohri.

Lalu, the former world junior 100m champion with a personal best of 10.03s, did not compete in the 2019 Games but is back to stake his claim on the 100m-200m sprint double.

Badminton, despite a team of second stringers, is still the passion for Indonesia where they are targeting three golds through Asian men’s doubles champions Pramudya Kusumawardhani-Yeremiah Rambitan, fast-rising Chico Aura (men’s singles) and women’s doubles Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadhiah Ramadhanti.

Indonesia have been traditionally strong in weightlifting, pencak silat, canoeing, shooting and judo where they can expect the gold to flow.

Panipak Wongpattanakit will be Thailand’s biggest name in Hanoi after winning the women’s below 49kg gold in the Tokyo Olympics and will lead the nation’s charge in taekwondo.

Taekwondo contributed seven golds for Thailand but could face a challenge from Vietnam for bragging rights.

The Thais are expected to reign supreme in the muay thai and boxing, where they are world class.

Despite Vietnam’s stronghold in athletics, Thailand will be aiming a 10-digit haul in Hanoi. They are also expected to shine in judo, sailing and shooting.

Hidilyn Diaz will be the darling of the Philippines contingent as the country’s first ever Olympics gold medallist. Diaz secured an historic weightlifting gold in Tokyo last year in the women’s 65kg.

World champion and four-time SEA Games champion Carlos Yulo will be hoping to inspire them in gymnastics .

The women will be powered by former United States gymnast Aleah Finnegan, who was part of the team that won gold in the 2019 Pan Am Games.

The evergreen Efren Reyes, a multiple pool world champion, will lead strong Filipino billiards and snooker.

Known as the magician, Reyes, 67, has yet to win a SEA Games gold and will be attempting to do so in the carom events.

Winning the men’s basketball event is a matter of pride for the ‘Gilas Filipinas’, as they are famously known, and will be led Ravena brothers Kiefer and Thirdy in search of a staggering 19th gold.

Former Olympics champion Joseph Schooling, 27, may be at the tailend of his career but the butterfly king should face no problems to add to his gold tally of 27 so far. Singapore has Quah Zheng Wen and his sisters Jing Wen and Ting Wen who have combined 13 golds out of the 23 won by the nation in Manila.

Let’s not forget world champion Loh Kean Yew who would only be the second player after Wong Shoon Keat to win a SEA Games men’s singles gold.

The rest of the countries – Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste – are not expected to make ripples in Hanoi if their total haul of 11 golds in Manila is any indication.