REPORTING FROM MYANMAR
He reigned supreme in the cage over two decades of discus at the Southeast Asian Games.
But the sporting giant that is Singapore’s James Wong was finally toppled from his perch on Sunday morning at the Wunna Theikdi stadium in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
Wong threw a distance of 50.82m to finish fifth – his worst position in 26 years of competing at the Games. This was also the first time since 1993 that the 44-year-old walked away without a gold medal in hand.
And if he sticks to his word, the 10-time regional champion might have emitted his last trademark earth-shaking bellow, at least at SEA Games level.
“It’s enough,” Wong told reporters, when asked if retirement was on the cards. “This is my lowest position ever – how much further down do you want me to end?”
After uncharacteristically hurling the discus into the cage during practice, he proceeded to throw off the mark and at least a metre short of eventual champion Muhammad Irfan Shamshuddin of Malaysia over all six tries.
Wong, Singapore’s record-holder in both discus and hammer, picked up a season’s best along the way but it was not enough to stop the rampaging 18-year-old Irfan, who broke the Malaysian record with a distance of 53.16m.
“From Day One (of deciding to return to the sport this year) I knew it would be very tough,” said Wong. “But it’s OK. I have no regrets and I’m not disappointed or sad.”
“To end my career with a season’s best is not bad, and I’m happy to end with something to be proud of,” he added, finally admitting that age was catching up on him. “For an old man, I would say that’s quite credible.”
“It’s not easy to push the way I once did,” said Wong. “Now, I don’t need to train so hard and go through all the pain. Let the younger guys have the fun.”
Vacant throne
As Wong congratulated his teenage conquerer Irfan, he revealed that he had also challenged the Malaysian to gun for his Games record of 59.87m set in 1999 at Brunei.
“I hope he’ll be the first Southeast Asian to throw 60m,” said Wong, but Irfan has bigger plans – starting with the 2015 edition to be held in Singapore.
“For sure I can break (Wong’s) record at the next Games, on his home ground,” declared a beaming Irfan. “Then I’ll be Games champion more than 10 times, more than James Wong.”
“I’m targeting the Olympics one day,” he added. “Not just to compete, but to get a medal.”
Irfan was throwing up to only 47m as recently as in August, before scoring a personal best and then-national record of 49.90m a month ago.
The business undergraduate attributed his stunning three-metre improvement to the excitement of being at his first Games and having the right “feeling” as he blasted his way to a convincing victory.
Gold to keep
Just across the field, Singapore’s Zhang Guirong and Du Xianhui copped a one-two finish in the women’s shotput event with their winning distances of 14.99m and 14.92m.
“It feels good to retain the title,” said Zhang, 35, who was rounding off a tough year juggling training with coaching and taking care of her one-year-old son. “In 2015, I will come again.”
This was the veteran’s sixth SEA Games campaign and fifth straight gold, after being pipped to the 2003 title by teammate Du Xianhui, 32.
Du also did well to grab silver despite staring down the pressure of an eight-year hiatus without competing at any major meets.
Elsewhere, cyclist Dinah Chan rode home a minute clear of the field in the women’s 30km individual time trial, earning Singapore its first gold medal in the sport since 1997.
Singapore silat exponent Muhammad Nur Alfian B. Juma’en also won gold after outpointing his Vietnamese opponent 5-0 in the weight class of 70-75kg.
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