The final tally was nowhere near the target of 17 gold medals set by the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Olympic Committee of Thailand, not to mention the wishful thinking target of 20 predicted by the Sports Writers and Photographers Association of Thailand.

It was another failure for the Kingdom after they finished with just 72 golds at last year’s SEA Games, way down on the SAT’s target of 125. Each of the sports is now expected to hold post-mortems into why such high hopes ended in bitter disappointment.

As usual, the sepak takraw team accounted for the highest number of golds with four, followed by two from taekwondo (the women’s poomsae team and Panipak Wongpattanakit in the women’s 49kg) and paragliding (women’s team accuracy and Nunnapat Phuchong in women’s individual accuracy).

Three sports returned one gold each: jet ski (Attapon Kunsa in the runabout 110 stock), skeet (Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit in individual) and cycling (Jai Angsuthasawit in the men’s keirin).

The women’s sepak takraw quadrant team

Sepak takraw didn’t just yield Thailand’s best return of any sport – it also gave Thailand gold medals in all four sports entered: (the men’s and women’s regu teams, the men’s team doubles and women’s quadrant team, which has maintained its status as No 1 in the world.

Credit is also due to the Taekwondo Association of Thailand for winning two golds instead of the projected one, especially the women’s poomsae team following its stunning victory over South Korea, the original country of this martial arts.

The Royal Aeronautic Sports Association of Thailand did an excellent job to produce two stunning victories from paragliding, which was having its Asiad debut.

Panipak Wongpattanakit 

The Thai Cycling Association emerged as one of the most outstanding bodies in Asiad with one gold, two silvers and three bronzes, while the women’s volleyball team vindicated the fans’ faith by reaching the final for the first time in 56 years.

However, several associations were, frankly, a major letdown. Despite being an Asian powerhouse in golf and the Thailand Golf Association confidently predicting two holds beforehand, the team came home empty-handed.

The weightlifters, after doing the country proud by winning two golds at the 2016 Olympics, failed to win even one in Indonesia. They did, however, come home with seven medals from nine events – one silver and six bronzes – so the trip was not a complete embarrassment.

The men’s boxing team had five semi-finalists but none reached the final, the first that has happened in 44 years. One female boxer, lightweight Sudaporn Seesondee, did reach the gold-medal bout, only to lose to South Korean Oh Yeonji.

Sailing, which yielded gold medals over the past three Games, also missed its target by winning only bronze medals, while tennis won just a silver after giving Thailand a gold, silver and bronze in 2014.

Sutiya Jiewchaloemmit 

Last and also the least, the highly anticipated football team was dumped out in the group stage with no wins in three games, a depressing outcome which ahs already cost coach Worrawoot Srimaka his job.

What is of most concern is out of Thailand’s 11 gold medals, only three – taekwondo (not poomsae), cycling and skeet – are internationally recognised sports, down from seven, in 2014.

The warning could not be clearer: the Thai sports authorities must stop the rot or the Kingdom risks becoming a second-rate Asian sports nation.

The second-seeded Swiss withstood an early onslaught from the unpredictable Aussie, firing 51 winners that included an unlikely forehand flicked around the net post that Kyrgios couldn’t believe.

“Definitely a bit of luck and good feet,” Federer said of the shot that had Kyrgios wide-eyed at the net.

Federer had the luxury of a two-set lead when the duo’s most entertaining exchanges thrilled the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.

Things would have been much different if Kyrgios could have converted one of four break points in the seventh game of the opening set.

But Federer escaped, breaking Kyrgios to pocket the first set and dominating the second.

“He’s an unbelievable frontrunner,” Kyrgios said. “When he gets in front, there’s not much you can do.”

Federer will be seeking a 13th appearance in the US Open quarter-finals when he plays Australian John Millman, who reached the last 16 of a major for the first time with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin.

If he makes it past Millman, Federer could find Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic waiting in the last eight.

Djokovic, winner of US Open titles in 2011 and 2015, extended his dominance over Richard Gasquet with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory in front of a rowdy night crowd on Ashe.

“It was the best match of the week so far without a doubt, and one of the best performances of the hardcourt season after Wimbledon,” said Djokovic, who warmed up for Flushing Meadows by beating Federer in the Cincinnati Masters final.

Djokovic saved all five break points he faced to book a meeting with Joao Sousa of Portugal, a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5) winner over France’s Lucas Pouille.

– Kerber can’t get it done –

The third round was the end of the line for men’s and women’s fourth seeds from Germany — Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber.

Kerber, the 2016 US Open winner tying to become the third woman in the last 20 years to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same season, was bundled out by Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Zverev, the 21-year-old sensation, who has lifted titles in Munich, Madrid and Washington this year and reached finals in Miami and Rome, fell 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 to veteran compatriot Philippe Kohlschreiber.

It was another Grand Slam disappointment for Zverev, touted as the youngster most likely to end the major dominance of Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Kohlschreiber will seek a quarter-final berth against 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori after the Japanese downed Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1.

Kerber’s defeat followed the early exits of world number one Simona Halep and No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki — who were both also seeking a second Grand Slam title of the year.

Fifth seed Petra Kvitova was also ousted, the two-time Wimbledon champion falling 7-5, 6-1 to rising Belarussian star Aryna Sabalenka.

In all just three of the top 10 women made it through to the fourth round, although Kerber didn’t blame a domino effect for her departure.

“I’m not looking around who was winning or who was losing,”  she said. “You have sometimes days where you are trying everything, but it’s not really working as you wish.”

Cibulkova, the 29th seed, moves on to face 2017 finalist Madison Keys, who shook off a slow start to beat Serbian Aleksandra Krunic 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Sabalenka will play Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who crushed Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0, 6-0.

Sixth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France also departed, beaten 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) by Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, and Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova sprang a surprise, too, with a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (7/1) victory over 13th-seeded Belgian Kiki Bertens.

Suarez Navarro, seeded 30th, next faces 2006 champion Maria Sharapova, who defeated 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2.

Vondrousova, through to a Grand Slam third round for the first time, will play Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, who defeated Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-0 after taking out Wozniacki in the second round.

South Korea beat Japan 2-1 in extra time at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, south of Jakarta, and defended their Asiad title. This means Son has cleared what could be the biggest obstacle in his career: military service.

All healthy South Korean men between 18 and 35 must serve about two years in the armed forces. But athletes who win either an Asian Games gold medal or any Olympic medal receive exemptions. They only have to undergo four weeks of basic training.

Son was not on the South Korean team that won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games.

He represented South Korea at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, but South Korea suffered a quarterfinals exit.

To extend his impressive career in Europe without interruption, grabbing the gold at the 2018 Asian Games was the last chance for Son, whose military service postponement period was to end in 2019.

Son recently signed a contract with Spurs that runs through 2023. To make the new contract worth it, both Son and Tottenham choose to gamble by participating in the Asian Games — and it turned out to be a success.

With Tottenham’s permission, Son joined South Korea’s football team for the Asian Games as one of three “wild-card” members. The men’s football competition at the Asian Games is open to players

who are aged 23 or under, but teams can field three players who exceed the age limit. Son turned 26 on July 8.

If Son had not claimed gold, things would have been very complicated.

Son could still have played with Spurs even if he failed to win gold. He could have done it by earning permanent residency in a foreign country. In that case, he could postpone his military service until age 37, but public sentiment would have been a problem as South Koreans may have thought he was dodging military service.

Son could have searched for ways to join military football clubs in South Korea or play in the K3 League, which is possible under his current conscription status, but none of these scenarios matter now.

With the military service issue cleared, Son’s next step will be let his career fly high in Europe with Tottenham.

Son missed Tottenham’s early English Premier League (EPL) season matches due to the Asian Games, and in his absence, Lucas Moura has taken his spot with brilliant form. Although he now has to fight for a place again once he returns to London, Son will probably go back with a bigger smile as he now doesn’t have to worry about his career having an intermission.

After the the gold medal match, Son was still searching for words to describe his emotions. He dedicated the gold medal to the fans in the stands in Indonesia and back home in South Korea and said, “I have the gold medal around my neck but it really belongs to the people.”

Coach Kim Hak-bum made Son his captain, and Son thanked his younger teammates for following him from start to finish.

“I’ve said a few harsh words, but they didn’t take it personally and instead figured out what they had to do,” Son said.

“I think we have good guys who also happen to be good football players. We were a hungry bunch and that’s what got us to the top.”

As South Korea entered extra time, Son said he told the team never to give up and to think about how they’d come that far in the first place.

Son said the extra half hour of play would be “the most unforgettable 30 minutes” of his life.

“We scored a couple of goals and also gave one up. It reminded me of the fact that a lot can happen so quickly in football,” Son said. “When I saw our fans waving the national flags in the stands at the end, I was incredibly grateful.” (Yonhap)

Twenty-four youngsters have been shaping themselves up under the Toyota Junior Football Clinic project sanctioned by the Football Association of Thailand and the Miracle of Life Foundation.

A total of 6,181 junior players participated in the national selection, with 99 making it to the final round on July 1 in Bangkok.

Only two dozens were selected last month to undergo basic training at the Ekkono Method Soccer Service of the Football Association of Thailand’s Academy.

They are now in their final training session at the Armed Forces Development Command under the supervision of the former national striker, Piyapong Pue-on.

The team will defend their title in the Toyota International Junior Cup in Japan between September 15-17.

Founded in 2008 with Dr. Somporn Juangroongruangkit as its first president, the Thai LPGA was only able to organise 4-6 tournaments a year in its early days.

The turning point came in 2013 when the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) allocated Bt500,000 for each of seven Thai LPGA events, peaking with a total prizemoney of Bt3 million for the Thailand LPGA Masters in the same year.

Since 2017, overall prizemoney for eight Tour events has increased to Bt1 million, with the Masters soaring to Bt4 million, reflecting the strength of women’s golf in Thailand.

One important factor has been the sanctioning of the Thai LPGA Masters by the Australian LPG (ALPG), China LPGA (CLPGA) and Thai LPGA.

This year’s prestigious season-finale will be held from September 19to 21 at Bangkok’s Panya Indra Golf Club with Bt4 million purse money and world-ranking points.

“The Thai LPGA Tour keeps growing and is now truly international – it is now in the front row of women’s golf of Asia,” said Patinya Kuantrakul, the president of The Thai LPGA. “This year, we can organise our own nine tournaments with a total Bt12 million purse money.

“In the future, we will keep growing the association. We believe that we are on the right track, which is evidenced by many of our member players are competing in overseas tours.”

Thai players feature prominently on the international stage, in world-class circuits including the Taiwan LPGA Tour, China LPGA Tour, LPGA of Japan Tour, Ladies European Tour and the highest of them all, the US-based LPGA Tour.

Three Thais – Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn plus Thidapa Suwannapura – have won 5 titles on the LPGA tour. In June Kanyalak Preedasuttijit clinched the title of Ladies European Thailand Championship while several other Thai LPGA players finished in the top 10.

Patinya Kuantrakul

Nowadays, the Thai LPGA is committed to developing the next generation of talented players to maintain the progress made in the past 10 years.

“I would like to encourage any new faces to keep their golf practising for the sake of their own success.” Patinya said.

“There are a lot of competitors out there on the world stage. You have to keep up your eyes on, and work as hard as, your role models. Not only watching their success, but looking and studying how they have dedicated themselves to it until they have gained the attention of the world.”

The 21-year-old Swapna Barman spoke after winning the regional Olympics title on Thursday of how her rare deformity caused agony with each step in her final event, the 800m.

A government-run enterprise in the southern city of Chennai has come forward to help Barman get customised shoes.

“After she won the gold I saw on TV that she had a deformity in her feet,” said Sudhanshu Mani, general manager of Integral Coach Factory, a railway coach manufacturer that also funds training for athletes.

Mani told AFP that Barman needs four different pairs of shoes for the heptathlon’s seven events.

“We are in touch with Nike. We are waiting for her to come back so that we can get her size and get the customised shoes made for her,” he said, explaining that his company would bear the cost.

Barman comes from an impoverished family in the West Bengal city of Jalpaiguri and her plight has touched the nation.

Her rickshaw-puller father has been bedridden for several years since suffering a stroke. Her mother Basana Devi left her job as a tea garden worker to look after her husband.

They have relied on the earnings of their son, a stone mason.

A video of the family watching Barman’s gold-winning feat on TV has become a social media sensation in India.

The weeping mother can be seen rushing to a temple outside to thank a deity for Barman’s fairytale finish.

Basana Devi told local media that surgery to fix her daughter’s feet had been impossible because of the cost.

“How could I get that done? I myself was born with six toes on one foot. It is because of me that Swapna is this way.

“I managed. We thought she would too.”

The West Bengal government has promised a reward of one million rupees ($14,110) and a government job for Barman.

Barman shot to prominence last year by winning the Asian Championships in India before suffering a string of injuries that kept her out for nearly a year.

But she came back in time to finish second in India’s Asian Games qualifiers.

In Jakarta she won her specialist high jump, the shot put and javelin, to record a personal best score of 6,026. Besides her shoe woes, Barman also had to contend with a toothache and ran with a taped jaw.

Sudaporn’s loss meant Thailand won no gold medal in the 18^th Asian Games after five male boxers lost in the semi-finals on Friday.

With one gold from the women’s sepak takraw quadrant team in the morning, it appears that Thailand will finish the Asiad with 11 golds as the sports extravaganza concludes on Sunday.

The sensational 25-19 25-17 25-13 triumph with incredible unbeaten record stretched the China’s invincibility to eight. They had already claimed seven gold medals in the quadrennial sports extravaganza including four times in a row from 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010, but went down to hosts Korea in the final showdown in the previous Games in Incheon four years ago.

China, fully loaded with seven players who competed in the Rio Games gold-winning side led by star spiker Zhu Ting, Gong Xiangyu and Liu Xiaotong, made a storming start in the first set, with the high-flying Zhu spearheading the team’s defence. Zhou, 194cm tall, used her height advantage to overcome the smaller-built Thais with her exceptional attacks and put her team in front with a 3-point advantage at 19-16.

From then on, China dominated the whole game, while the Thais were utterly outclassed and lost the set 19-25. The world No.1 still combined extreme power through Zhu’s fine attacks and solid block by the 199cm Yuan Xinyue and Yan Ni to seize the 7-2 lead for good in the second set, while Thailand had to battle hard, trailing by five points at 5-10 and despite their sturdy challenge, the going got tough. The Chinese went on their fine attacks to snatch the second set 25-17.

Thailand, also undefeated en route to the Saturday’s final clash, gradually pulled their game together for a attempted comeback in the third set, but failed to make the grade. China were well in control to win the one-sided set 25-13, match and the gold medal. China reigned supreme over the 18th Asiad volleyball competition, while Thailand picked up maiden silver, the medal they have never won in 56 years since the competition debut in 1962 in Jakarta.

Title-holders Korea came in third place after powering past Asian champions Japan 3-1 in the third-place playoff. The competition venue was fully packed to its 3,000-seater capacity. IOC President Thomas Bach and FIVB and AVC Honorary Life President Mr Wei Jizhong also watched the final match inside the venue and shook hands with Thai players after the match.