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BEIJING—Eleven days into the Beijing Olympics Tuesday, the Philippines continued to lay a big fat egg while five of the country’s Southeast Asian Games rivals have already barged into the medal standings.

SEA Games powerhouse Indonesia cashed in on its strength in badminton to bag one gold, one silver and a bronze. Two more bronzes in weightlifting made the Indonesians the most successful so far among the region’s athletes with a total of five medals.

Thailand, which succeeded the Philippines as the region’s sporting power at the 2007 SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, is the only other winner of an Olympic gold with a victory in women’s weightlifting.

Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam also boast a silver each in different sports.

The other SEA Games nations still struggling to land a medal, apart from the Philippines, are Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Cambodia, East Timor and Brunei.

The Indonesians struck gold through the men’s doubles team of Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan, a silver from the mixed doubles pair of Nova Widianto and Liliyana and a bronze courtesy of Maria Kristin Yulianti in the women’s singles.

Lifters Eko Yuli Irawan and Triyatno bagged a bronze each in the men’s 56 kg and 62 kg classes, respectively.

Thailand beat its neighbors to the scoreboard by landing the gold in the women’s 53 kg class of weightlifting through Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarak.

The Vietnamese, benefiting from what their coach said was an expensive two-year-long training in China, landed a silver in the men’s 56 kg through Hoang Anh Tuan.

The women’s table tennis team of Feng Tianwei, Li Jiawei, Wang Yue Gu and Sun Bei Bei—all former Chinese mainlanders—gifted Singapore with its silver.

Malaysia’s world No. 2 shuttler Lee Chong Wei settled for the silver after bowing in straight sets to China’s world No. 1 Lin Dan in the men’s singles.

By Ted S. Melendres
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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