WIN SOME, LOSE SOME
(Gold For Women's Wushu Team; Losses For Men's Paddlers)
By Jeannette Xavier
Picture By John Heng in Vientiane
You win some, you lose some. This was what Team Singapore athletes experienced today (Dec 14) as our women's Wushu team clinched gold while our men's doubles pairs bowed out of the semi-finals at the SEA Games in Vientiane.
Narrow Win
Khor Poh Chin, Tao Yijun and Tay Yujuan narrowly clinched gold in the Duilian with Weapon (Womens Taolu) event. They scored 9.46 points, just 0.01 more than the teams from Vietnam and Brunei who were joint second. In Table Tennis, the big news was the defeats of our men's doubles pairs by Vietnamese opponents. Gao Ning and Yang Zi lost to Doan Kien Quoc and Dinh Qung Linh 7-11, 6-11, 12-10, 6-11 while Cai Xiaoli and Pang Xue Jie were overpowered by Tran Tuan Quynh and Nguyen Nam Hai 6-11, 9-11, 6-11. With these losses, Singapore will not be able to achieve its goal of retaining all seven golds in the Table Tennis competition.
Final For Women's Doubles Pairs
But the mixed doubles pair of Yang and Wang did deliver today, winning our third Table Tennis gold as they beat compatriots Gao and Feng 9-11, 12-10, 15-13, 4-11, 11-4 in the finals. And the women's doubles pairs (pictured) stayed on track for top honours. Feng and Wang beat Nanthana Komwong and Anisara Muangsuk of Thailand 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 11-9 while Sun Beibei and Yu Mengyu beat Mai Hoang My Trang and Mai Xuan Hang of Vietnam 12-10, 12-10, 11-6 to ensure gold and silver for Singapore.