[Asian Games] Southeast Asia makes strong showing in sailing

The Asian Games has been known as China's, South Korea's and Japan’s festival for a very long time because the three countries always have ranked first, second and third in the medal tables.

Since the New Delhi 1982 Asian Games, China, Japan, and South Korea have placed as the top three in all the Asian Games held, with just the order of those three teams varying every four years. In many sports the three countries have been outstanding.

But sailing in Incheon 2014 is an exception.

First of all in Men’s 420, the Singaporean duo of Jia Yi Loh  and Jonathan Yeo in the men's 420 class are hot favorites for medals. The pair won gold in the 2014 Tavira Youth Championship and at the test event in Wangsan, they took the bronze.

The Malaysian pair is another strong contender.  Mohamad Faizal Bin Norizan and  Ahmad Syukri Bin Abdul Aziz took the gold medal in Wansan test event and the silver in the 2014 Tavira Youth Championship. Having placed eighth in today's race, they have taken the lead.

In the women’s 420, The Singaporean pair Min Kimberly Lim and Kiah Hui Savannah Siew are aiming for gold. They won the silver medal in the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games and in the 2014 World Championship. Another strong contender is Nuraisyah Binti Jamil and Umi Norwahida Binti Sallahuddin of Malaysia. At the moment, the Singaporean pair are lying in first place.

In the Laser Radial category, Singaporean Elizabeth Yin who ranked 11th place in the ISAF is the favorite for gold. She won a gold medal at the 2013 SEA (South East Asian Games) and also a bronze at the 2013 Laser North American Championships in Canada. Currently, in Incheon, she is racing fifth but she has still many races to come.

In the Hobie-16 category, the Vongtim brothers, Damrongsak Vongtim and Kitsada Vongtim of Thailand are strong contenders. Damrongsak Vongtim, the elder by 12 years, is eyeing his fourth Asian Games gold.

And in 29er which is introduced in the Asian Games for the first time, the Singaporean pair of  Rui Xi Priscilla Low and  Rui Qi Cecilia Low , a gold medalist in Wangsan test event, are strong favorites for medal. Rui Qi Cecilia Low won the gold medal in the 420 class at the Guangzhou 2010 Asian games. Their biggest opponent is Noppakao Poonpat and  Nichapa Waiwai of Thailand. They are in first place so far, ahead of the Singaporean pair.

There are 14 medals on the line in sailing. Even though there is a huge gap between Japan ranked third and Kazakhstan ranked fourth, after the sailing finishes, there could be a change in rankings as we expect to see Southeast Asian’s outstanding performance.

By Kim Hyun-ji (AGNS)