The Kingdom’s taekwondo sensation Sorn Seavmey and jiu-jitsu star Jessa Khan won gold at the Southeast Asian (Sea) Games on Monday, as Cambodian women took home two further silvers in martial arts.
Seavmey defeated the Phillippines’ Kirstie Alora in the heavyweight (73kg+) final to add to her top honours in previous editions in Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and Naypyidaw in 2013, both at middleweight (67-73kg).
She won bronze at lightweight (57-62kg) at the 2011 Sea Games in Jakarta at the age of 16 before taking home continental honours at the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea at middleweight.
Cambodian-Mexican American jiu-jitsu practitioner Khan defeated the Philippines’ Jenna Napolis in the final of the -49 category to add to her 2018 Asian Games gold medal.
Cambodian-American Casandre Nicole Tubbs collected her silver on the Sea Games podium after her lightweight (62kg) final with Vietnam’s Pham Thi Thu Hien, while Chhoeung Aliza also took silver after going down to Pauline Louise Lopez of the Philippines.
Cambodia’s medal success on Monday saw the Kingdom’s gold haul rise to four after the first was won last Monday when bokator proponent Yong Mengly won gold at Philippine martial art arnis.
Mengly defeated the Philippines’ Billy Joel Valenzuela in the lightweight final to secure the gold medal for his country.
He was joined later by the Cambodian gold-winning women’s petanque team of Sreng Sorakhim, Khoun Yary, Duong Dina and substitute En Sreya, who took top honours in the women’s triples on Thursday, beating Malaysia 13-4.
A large part of Cambodia’s medal haul has been won so far by way of arnis. The national martial art sport of the Philippines uses weapons-based fighting, hand to hand combat, grappling and weapon disarming methods.
Cambodia’s fighters have bagged 20 medals from the sport, with one gold, two silver and 17 bronze medals.
Cambodia’s Sea Games medal haul stood at four gold, six silver and 36 bronze as of Monday, with the Kingdom seventh in the 11-nation medal table.
Hosts the Philippines lead with 350 medals, including 140 gold, ahead of second-placed Thailand with 285 medals (88 gold).
