25th SEA Games, Laos

Khamla Xayavong, 21, has become the latest Lao hero after scooping three gold medals in shooting events.

Yesterday Khamla struck gold in the 10m running target mixed event.

She won the event with a score of 358, beating silver medallist Ha Dang Hong of Vietnam, who scored 353 points, while Khamla's team-mate Hongkham Xayalath took the bronze medal with a score of 352.

Khamla also bagged a silver medal in the mixed 10m running target category, scoring a total of 1,040 points.

The gold medal in this event went to Vietnam with 1,043 points, while bronze went to Thailand with 977 points.

“I am very happy and proud to win three gold medals and a silver for the home fans. In the future I will try to improve my shooting skills and hope to be a national shooter forever if the nation needs me,” said an excited Khamla.

Before picking up her third gold medal yesterday, Khamla scored 367.0 to set a new SEA Games record in the women's 10m running target event on Saturday. The previous highest score in this event was 358.0. She collected another gold medal on the same day in the women's 10m running target team event.

Now sports fans around the country are in awe of Khamla because it is the first time in Lao sporting history that one competitor has won more than one gold medal at the SEA Games.

Three gold medals is a wonderful present for Khamla as she approaches her 22nd birthday on December 30.

So far, Lao shooters have amassed three gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

Photo: Khamla Xayavong is delighted with her gold medal and a new SEA Games record.

Khamla Xayavong, 21, made sporting history for Laos after she won a gold medal on Saturday in the women's 10m running target shooting event.

Her gold medal is not only the first ever for Laos in shooting, but her score of 367.0 set a new SEA Games record. The previous highest score in this event was 358.0.

The gold medal is a wonderful present for Khamla as she approaches her 22nd birthday on December 30.

“I am very excited and happy to win this gold medal, which I hoped to win because I trained hard since earlier this year,” Khamla said.

Other records were set at the shooting range on Saturday.

Linn Aung from Myanmar won the men's 50m rifle prone event with 695.40 points (previous SEA Games record 592.0 points). Aung Nyein Ni also from Myanmar took the silver medal in the same event with 694.70 points (previous SEA Games record 592.0 points).

On Fri day, Tanyaporn Prucksakorn won the women's 10m air pistol event with 483.0 points (previous SEA Games record 481.5 points).

In the swimming pool, the Singaporean team set a new record in the women's 100m freestyle with a time of 03:45:73, beating the previous record of 03:51.86 set at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007.

Cai Lin Khoo of Malaysia won the women's 400m freestyle with a time of 04:10.75. The previous SEA Games record was 04:18.20.

Huu Viet Nguyen of Vietnam took gold in the men's 100m breaststroke with a time of 01:01.60, besting the previous SEA Games record of 01:01.92.

Yi Ting Siow of Malaysia won the women's 100m breaststroke, setting a new record of 01:09.82. The previous SEA Games record was 01:01.15.

Daniel Bego of Malaysia took gold in the men's 100m freestyle with a time of 00:50.16, shaving less than one second off the previous SEA Games record of 00:50.80.

In the men's 100m breaststroke Indra Gunawan of Indonesia took gold with a time of 01:02:59, breaking the previous SEA Games record of 01:02.96.

Other swimming records tumbled on Thursday. In the women's 100m freestyle Ting Wen Quah of Singapore set a time of 00:56.03, beating the previous SEA Games record of 00:56.05).

In the women's 200m individual medley Yi Ting Siow of Malaysia set a record of 02:14.57, breaking the previous SEA Games record of 2:17.17.

In the women's 200m freestyle the Singaporean team won in a time of 08:11.75, significantly cutting down on the time of 8:20.77 set previously.



By Sisay Vilaysack
Vientianetimes