SINGAPORE — Thailand snatched final gold medals in badminton and volleyball Tuesday as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games table-topper ended the tournament on 95 titles. Host Singapore also grabbed one more win in the men's water polo to reach 84, a record for the country after the 50 it amassed on home soil in 1993. Vietnam finished third with 73 and Malaysia, which will host the next SEA Games in 2017, was fourth with 62 after a strong showing in the badminton. Chong Wei Feng beat his Malaysian compatriot Mohammad Arif Abdul Latif 21-8, 21-9 to win the men's singles, the 28-year-old's first major title. It gave a measure of solace to Chong, who was axed from Malaysia's world championships squad to make way for Lee Chong Wei after the ex-number one's return from a doping ban. “It means a lot to me and it shows that my game is still there,” said Chong. The women's doubles was also an all-Malaysian affair and ended with Amelia Alicia Anscelly and Soong Fie Cho upsetting the higher-ranked Vivian Hoo Kah Mun and Khe Wei Woon. Thailand's Busanan Ongbumrungpan beat Hanna Ramadini in the women's singles final, making up for her defeat in the SEA Games decider two years ago. “I am very happy right now because last time I got runner-up, this time I tried to get the gold medal and this is (now) my turn,” said Ongbumrungpan. Thailand also beat Vietnam 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 in the men's volleyball on the last day as all 403 gold medals were finally handed out. Attention now shifts to the closing ceremony later Tuesday where the 11-nation, 36-sport tournament will conclude before reconvening in two years' time. Colorful Games end The 28th Southeast Asian Games closed on a somber note at Singapore's new national Stadium Tuesday, drawing the curtain on the region's biggest multi-sports event. Singaporean President Tony Tan officially declared the Games over after Tan Chuan-Jin, the president of the SEA Games Federation, delivered an emotional closing speech, paying tribute to the victims of the Mount Kinabalu earthquake in nearby Borneo. Eighteen people, including a teacher and eight Singaporean primary school children died in the quake, which occurred on June 5, the same day as the Opening Ceremony for the SEA Games. The deaths cast a long shadow over the Games. Singapore and Malaysia both observed an official day of mourning with flags flown at half-mast and a minute's silence observed at all the SEA Games venues. In his closing speech, Tan Chuan-Jin read the last blog entry that the victims had posted after climbing the mountain, saying it served as a reminder of the enduring spirit of friendship between Southeast Asian countries. “Though it was an exhausting hike to Pendant Hut, step by step, inch by inch, we all made it up! It wasn't easy but they all succeeded getting up there. How did they make it up? The answer? Each other. They encouraged each other.” In keeping with tradition, the SEA Games cauldron was then extinguished and the SEA Games flag was lowered and handed over to Malaysia, which will host the next edition in 2017. About 50,000 spectators filed into the stadium for the two-hour ceremony that celebrated the performances of more than 4,000 athletes from the 11 competing nations and ended in an explosion of fireworks and laser beams. — Agencies
