Double dominance as Singapore, Thai sprinters follow 200m with 100m gold at SEA Games

Singapore’s Shanti Pereira took gold in the women’s 100m in Phnom Penh, before Thailand’s Soraoat Dapbang won the men’s.

Pereira’s win was an improvement on her silver in the event last time out in Hanoi.

The 26-year-old finished in 11.41 seconds, to add to the 200m gold she retained four days earlier.

Thailand’s Supanich Poolkerd took silver, with Vietnam’s Thi Nhi Yen Tran bagging bronze.

In the men’s, Soraoat also made it a double of 100m and 200m with his victory, which came in 10.37 seconds.

Soraoat Dapbang (L) won the men’s 100m at SEA Games 32 in 10.37 seconds, May 12, 2023. Photo by AFP

The 20-year-old would have had a fellow Thai rival in both events if reigning double-gold medalist Puripol Boonson had not pulled up with an injury in the 200m heats days earlier, ending the teenager’s involvement.

The 100m silver went to Marc Brian Louis of Singapore, while Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi scooped bronze.

Soraoat’s win pushed Thailand up to second in the medals table, just above hosts Cambodia in third.

Vietnam is pulling ahead at the top of the table, with 63 golds, and 197 medals in total.

Their push was helped by the unstoppable Thi Oanh Nguyen, who blew away the field in the women’s 10,000m, peeling away on the final lap to finish 10 seconds ahead of compatriot Thi Hong Le Pam, who took silver.

Bronze went to Odekta Elvina Naibaho of Indonesia, who won the marathon on the event’s opening day.

Oanh’s win makes it four golds for the 27-year-old, who also won the 5,000m. A day after that, she won the women’s 1,500m and the 3,000m steeplechase within half an hour of each other.

She now has 12 Southeast Asian Games golds.

Another winner burnishing their legacy was Eric Cray of the Philippines, who on Thursday won the men’s 400m hurdles — the sixth consecutive Games that he has done so.