Even before the next SEAG could be held, the Philippines starts as the sixth in rank behind Vietnam which had more medals won than the Philippines.

Thailand with 11-9-32 gold-silver-bronze medal tally is the best performing Southeast Asian country in the Asian Games.

Its gold medals came from sailing, sepak takraw, boxing and athletics and will be a major contender in badminton, beach volleyball, billiards, cycling, dragon boat, karatedo, rowing, shooting and tennis in the SEA Games.

Thailand collected a gold in the women’s 4x100m relay to break China’s unbeaten streak of six straight gold medals. The Chinese women settled for the silver.

Thailand has also won 13 of athletics gold medals overall in the sprint events.

Malaysia (9-18-17) had three golds in squash, two each in bowling and karate and one in wushu and cycling.

More importantly, the Philippines and other SEAG members must work overtime to steal a gold medal from Malaysia in diving which it will most likely sweep in Indonesia.

Malaysia was the only country outside China to win nine medals in as many events in both the men’s and women’s competitions. It did not have an entry in the women’s 3m springboard diving, where Sheila Mae Perez was the best placed Southeast Asian entry at fifth.

Three golds, a silver and two bronze medals underlined Malaysia’s dominance in squash in the Asiad.

Nicol Ann David, the women’s world No. 1 the past four years, claimed her third Asiad gold.

Malaysia’s gold medal hopes also look bright in badminton, billiards, equestrian, sepak takraw and shooting where it won silver and bronze medals here.

Indonesia arrived as a force in international dragon boat competition after three gold medals and three silver in the sport’s Asian Games debut.

The Philippine Olympic Committee disapproved the entry of the national dragon boat team, whose results in the trials did not sit well with the POC.

Dragon boat was the forte of Indonesia which won three but it will continue to be a force in weightlifting where it won one silver and four bronze medals here.

It went home with medals in badminton, bowling, cycling, karate, sailing, sepak takraw and taekwondo.

Singapore, a tiny state of 2.5 million had eight medals, including two golds, in sailing and its swimmer, Tao Li gate crashed the elite party of China, Korea and Japan with his gold medal win in the women’s 50m butterfly and silver in the 100m butterfly. It had also a gold and four silver medal finishes in bowling and was a medalist in English billiards and table tennis.

Vietnam, ahead of the Philippines in the medal tally in the last two SEA Games, did not win a gold but it emerged as a top SEAG contender with its 33 medals, higher than the Philippnes’ 16.

Its main strength will be in wushu, taekwondo, wrestling, and karatedo as well as in athletics, billards, chess, rowing, sepak takraw and shooting.

The little country of Myanmar, always in the lower half of the SEAG overall standings made a point in dragon boat where it took three silver medals, and cannot be discounted in billards, sepak takraw and wushu.

Gerry Carpio, Philippine Star