Cambodian wrestlers bring home gold, valuable experience from Singapore champs
PHNOM PENH: The Cambodian wrestling team has returned from the South-East Asian and Invitation Championship 2025 laden widen with medals. The team considered the haul — of 1 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze — a strong result and noted that the athletes gained valuable experience, especially as the 33rd SEA Games, to be hosted by Thailand at the end of 2025, approaches.
Heng Vuthy, who won gold in the 92kg freestyle category, said the competition was extremely tough because countries outside of Asean also participated. It was an open tournament that allowed each country to enter 2 to 3 athletes per class, making the contest even more competitive, he explained.
He spoke with the media upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport on May 13.
'I performed well at this competition, but it was really tough because countries like Australia, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei also competed. Some weight divisions involved fighting from morning until evening before results were known,' he added.
Despite the challenges, Vuthy said he will take the lessons he learned in Singapore and use them to fuel his determination as he prepares for the SEA Games.
'What we went through was an experience and a test for us, and should help us achieve good results at the SEA Games. We've seen that the athletes from Australia and Chinese Taipei are even stronger than those from Vietnam, so we've learned from them in order to improve for the SEA Games this December,' he continued.
Team coach Chov Sotheara described the haul from the Singapore competition as a positive sign, ahead of the December games.
'These results are a good sign for our SEA Games preparations — not just for the medal winners, but also for those who didn't win this time. We need to take the experiences from the Singapore competition and use them to strengthen both our conditioning and technical skills for the SEA Games later this year,' he told the media.
The kingdom sent 12 athletes to the championship, which took place from May 10-12. The team was sponsored by Casey Barnett, vice-president of the Cambodian Wrestling Federation (CWF), with the goal of evaluating and improving the team's performance as part of preparations for the upcoming SEA Games.
Barnett, himself a former wrestler, expressed his pride in the Cambodian team's success.
'Strength, skill and bravery. Cambodia's wrestling athletes brought home 1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze medals — and national pride — from the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship in Singapore,' he said, via social media. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
32 minutes ago
- The Star
If Azeem skips, Aiman's on the blocks
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) 100m sprint champion Aiman Ikhwan Yahya ( pic ) has emerged as a potential replacement should national star Mohd Azeem Fahmi skip the Thailand SEA Games later this year. The 18-year-old SMK Tunku Anum student blazed to a meet record of 10.40s, a time faster than the bronze medal mark at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games where Khairul Hafiz Jantan clocked 10.45s.
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Maba back young cagers to shine on Fiba Asia Cup stage
Team for future: The Under-16 national team posing after the flag handing ceremony. PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's rising basketball talents will have a golden chance to impress selectors for a place in the Thailand SEA Games squad when they take the court at the Fiba Under-16 Women's Asia Cup, to be held at the Karisma Arena in Seremban from Sept 13-28. Drawn in Group B of Division Two, Malaysia will face Indonesia, Hong Kong and Tonga. The tournament offers the perfect stage for the cagers to prove themselves while aiming to lift Malaysia's standing in the region. The women's team last shone at the SEA Games in 2017, but have since only managed bronze, making the hunt for fresh impact all the more pressing. At the national flag presentation on Thursday (Aug 21), Malaysian Basketball Association (Maba) deputy president Datuk Wong Kun Yew urged the players to rise to the occasion. 'I hope you will achieve excellent results and bring pride to Malaysia and Maba,' said Kun Yew. Maba deputy secretary Shen Sieng Hsing highlighted the tournament's importance beyond SEA Games selection. 'This tournament is held once every two years. If Malaysia win the Division B title, they will be promoted to Division A in the Under-18 category in 2028,' he said. Also present at the ceremony were Maba deputy president Datuk Lee Yin Fong, secretary-general Chan Ki Sian, team manager Lau Chin Chuan and representatives from sponsors Milo, showing strong backing for the young cagers. Division One Group A: Australia, Taiwan, South Kora, The Philippines Group B: Japan, New Zealand, China, Syria Division Two Group A: Samoa, India, Iran, Uzbekistan. Group B: Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Tonga.
New Straits Times
16 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Adam Adli: Sports Ministry supports use of naturalised athletes but local talent remains priority
KUALA LUMPUR: The Sports Ministry does not object to the use of naturalised or heritage players to strengthen the national team but still prioritises the development of local talent, said Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim. He said the recruitment of such athletes is subject to strict conditions, including obtaining citizenship approval from the Home Ministry and complying with the criteria set by international sports bodies and their respective national sports associations. According to him, the approach of using naturalised or heritage athletes has proven to have a positive impact and plays a role in boosting national sports performance. "For example, on June 10, the national football team recorded a 4-0 victory over Vietnam, which at the time was ranked 109th in the world, in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. In that match, three naturalised players were listed with the national squad. "The last time the national team defeated Vietnam was in 2014. The presence of naturalised and heritage players has been seen to help improve the quality of local football while also raising the team's performance," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today. He was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota), who asked about the ministry's policy on using naturalised players in the national team. Nevertheless, Adam Adli said the Sports Ministry maintains that the recruitment of naturalised players must not undermine the development of local talent. "Each NSA (National Sports Association) must take into account the conditions set by the relevant authorities so that a balance can be achieved between developing local talent and improving national sports performance through naturalised players," he said. Replying to Saifuddin's supplementary question on the status of the Malaysian Basketball Association's application to recruit two naturalised players and one heritage player in preparation for the SEA Games in Thailand in December, he said KBS has no objection to this, but the final decision lies with the Home Ministry. — BERNAMA
