US get a kick out of takraw

High-flying: Alex Vang spikes the ball during a game of sepak takraw, sometimes called “kick volleyball,” which traditionally has three players to a side: a setter, a spiker and a server, at the Duluth and Case Recreation Center. — Photos by NYT

WHEN Ker Cha got the call about the World Cup, it had been more than two years since he had touched a takraw ball. Now he had less than two months to lose the 20 pounds he had put on during the coronavirus pandemic and get back into playing shape. Plus, he learned he would have only two days to train with his teammates before they took off for the 2022 International Sepak Takraw Federation World Cup in South Korea.

So he got kicking.