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Pongsaklek to defend
WBC crown in Chiang Mai
WBC champ Pongsaklek Kratingdaeng Gym (center) poses with eight Muay
Thai champions at the press conference held at Le Meridien Chiang Mai
hotel on August 5.
Supoj Thiamyoj
A real boxing bonanza for fight aficionados will take place on
Friday, August 28, when a Muay Thai ‘marathon’ and a WBC world title
fight will be staged at Kad Cherng Doi on Chonlaprathan Road in Chiang
Mai.
The event is being co-produced by Petchyindee Boxing Promotions and
Toyota Vigo Smart Muay Thai Marathon and will feature eight Muay Thai
champions competing for some 500,000 baht in prize money. At the top of
the bill on the fight card, which kicks off at 2 p.m., Pongsaklek
Kratingdaeng Gym will defend his WBC ‘interim’ flyweight title against
Japanese opponent Takahisa Matsuda. The fight is also expected to be
shown live on Thai terrestrial TV.
A press conference was held August 5 in the Grand Ballroom of Le
Meridien Chiang Mai hotel to publicise the event and was attended by
honorary guest and Chiang Mai District Chief, Adisorn Kamnerdsiri,
together with Kij Mahajuntakarn, PR director from Toyota Motor Thailand,
Tassanai Booranoopakorn, Chief Executive of Chiang Mai Provincial
Administrative Organization, Surachai Sirijanya, Assistant Vice
President of Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL, Wirat Wachirarattanawong,
President of Petchyindee Boxing Promotions and Ken Santitham, Chiang Mai
Municipal Clerk,
Also, to coincide with the boxing, a Vigo Smart’s Muay Thai Marathon and
Products for Sale Festival will take place between August 28 and 30 at
the same venue. Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL will bring their products
including fresh and processed food and readymade products for sale at
special prices.
The aim of the event is to help ease the burden being experienced by the
public during this time of economic crisis as well as help to promote
Chiang Mai’s tourism.
All the activities at the festival including the boxing will be open to
everyone, free of charge.
Mass Media team battles for a draw with CM University
A Chiang Mai Mass Media team, featuring
Chiang Mai Mail’s very own Editor, Phitsanu
Thepthong, lines up with Chiang Mai University’s
Political Science alumni before a traditional
annual friendly game of football at the
University’s sports field. Both teams played
their part in a competitive but good natured
affair, which finished in a 3-3 draw after 90
minutes. As previous holders of the cup, the
Mass Media team retained the trophy which they
were presented with at the conclusion of the
game by Chiang Mai governor Amornphan Nimanant.
Another burst from Bolt
nets another world record
Pat Graham
Berlin (AP)
- Teeth
clenched, Usain
Bolt grimaced as
he churned
toward the
finish line,
hoping to coax a
fraction more
out of his lanky
frame.
The big, yellow
numbers flashing
another world
record time,
told the
Jamaican
sprinter he had
gotten what he
wanted out of
the 200 meters
last Thursday at
the world
championships.
Beyond the mark
of 19.19
seconds, though,
was something
else - the fact
that he is
altering his
sport.
For the second
straight race -
five, if his
record-breaking
runs at the
Beijing Olympics
are counted -
Bolt’s biggest
competitor was
the clock. He
bettered his old
world record by
a whopping .11
seconds, the
same margin he
shaved off the
100 four days
earlier, when he
finished in
9.58.
“I’m on my way
to being a
legend,” Bolt
said, without a
trace of
arrogance.
No debate there.
He is erasing
chunks of time
from records
that normally
take years to
break. He is
beating the
so-called
competition by
body lengths -
this time,
Alonso Edward of
Panama was 0.62
seconds behind -
in a sport often
decided by photo
finishes.
“He’s a gift to
this earth,”
said American
sprinter Shawn
Crawford, who
finished fourth.
“He’s a blessing
to the track
game. ... I’m
just waiting for
the lights to
flash ‘game
over,’ ‘cause I
felt like I was
in a video
game.”
Bolt can’t be
caught, even
when he gives
away tips. Just
before the start
of the race,
Bolt told good
friend Wallace
Spearmon to stay
close to him on
the curve and
follow him home.
The American
tried.
“Even if I run
the best turn of
my life, I’m
still going to
be behind,” said
Spearmon, who
finished with
the bronze. “I
knew what was in
store for the
race. I expected
it to be at
least that
fast.”
When he saw his
record time,
Bolt pointed at
the display,
then stuck out
his tongue in
his best Michael
Jordan
impersonation.
“Even us in the
field, we think
there is going
to be something
phenomenal from
him,” Crawford
said.
Bolt feeds off
the energy from
the crowd. The
louder they get,
the more playful
he becomes. He
showed up at the
start wearing a
T-shirt with a
new take on
President John
F. Kennedy’s
famous Cold War
quote “Ich bin
ein Berliner.”
This time, the
slogan said,
“Ich bin ein
Berlino,” a
reference to the
bear mascot of
the
championships.
The audience ate
it up, along
with Bolt’s hand
gestures and
other assorted
antics.
Then it was time
to go to work in
his yam-colored
Pumas. He jetted
out of the
blocks, turned
the corner and
it was over. No
one was going to
catch him once
he reached the
straightaway.
“I was surprised
with myself that
I did so well,”
Bolt said.
After that, came
his favorite
part - the
celebration. He
involved just
about everyone
as he made his
way around the
track, stopping
to sign
autographs for
kids, mugging
for pictures and
posing with
Berlino, who
joined Bolt in
the sprinter’s
signature
bow-and-arrow
stance.
Midway around
the track, Bolt
took of his
shoes and
carried them.
“I was so tight,
I couldn’t even
really jog. I
was just tired,”
said Bolt, who
celebrated his
23rd birthday
Friday.
So how low can
Bolt go? Even he
has no clue.
“I keep saying
anything’s
possible as long
as you put your
mind to it,” he
said.
Former sprint
star Michael
Johnson, whose
record of 19.32
stood for 12
years before
Bolt broke it
last year,
believes the
19-second
barrier might be
next.
“He could,”
Johnson said.
“He’s very tall
and has an
extremely long
stride. He’s not
the only person
in the world
that’s 6-foot-5
(1.96 meters),
he’s just the
only one that’s
6-5 and that
fast.”
Before the race,
Johnson said he
didn’t think
Bolt would break
the mark. Not
today. Not with
his top rival,
Tyson Gay, on
the sideline
with a groin
injury. But he
also threw in a
qualifier.
“Anytime Usain
Bolt steps on
the track, a
world record is
possible,”
Johnson said.
For a warm-up
act, Bolt
comically threw
a roundhouse
punch at
Spearmon and
hammed it up for
the camera.
For the
performance, he
blistered the
field.
For the finale,
he broke another
world record.
Not bad theater.
“Insane Bolt,”
Spearmon said.
“That’s what we
call him.”
Bolt overheard
that remark.
“Yo, Spearmon,”
Bolt yelled from
across the room.
“Don’t call me
insane, man. I
heard you called
me insane.
What’s up with
that?”
As a way to
describe how
Bolt is tearing
up the track,
there may be no
better word.
Chiang Mai Pool League
Results & Standings August 14 (week 14)
Division 1
Team Played Won Lost
Frames Points
Blue Sky Bar 14 14
0 93 14
Inter Bar 14 11
3 86 11
Half Moon 14 10
4 80 10
Oasis 14 9
5 82 9
Blue Sky Garden 14
8 6 61 8
Ralph Fitch (1) 14 5
9 58 5
Chiangers & Bangers 13 5
8 46 5
Blue Sky Ladies 14 3
11 49 3
The Local 13 3
10 27 3
Chiangers Chicks 14 1
13 40 1
Results: Chiangers Chicks 3 v 6
Blue Sky Bar, Ralph Fitch (1) 6 v 3 Blue Sky Ladies, Blue Sky Garden 5 v 4
Oasis, Inter Bar 9 v 0 Half Moon
Division 2
Team Played Won Lost
Frames Points
Honey Moon 15 11
4 79 11
Ralph Fitch (2) 16 11
5 78 11
Em & Em 15 10
5 82 10
Happy Bar 16 8
8 68 8
Lucky Bar 15 8
7 64 8
Rama Bar 16 7
9 72 7
Oasis Soiy TT 15 7
8 66 7
The Brickies 16 6
10 71 6
Smile Bar 15 6
9 65 6
Tiger Bar 14 6
8 59 6
Blue Sky Won 16 5
11 61 5
Results: Rama Bar 4 v 5 Lucky
Bar, Oasis Soi TT 3 v 6 Tiger Bar, Smile Bar 4 v 5 Em & Em, Blue Sky Won 3 v
6 Ralph Fitch (2), The Brickies 4 v 5 Happy Bar.
Yang’s PGA win helps push another Asian golf surge
Jean H.
Lee
Seoul, South
Korea (AP) -
Y.E. Yang’s
stunning win
over Tiger Woods
at the PGA
Championship
last week gave
the burgeoning
golf market in
Asia something
that no amount
of money can
buy: the
region’s first
major champion.
Golfers and fans
in Asia had
access to some
of the world’s
newest and most
lush courses,
the attention of
global sponsors,
broadcasters and
administrators
and a group of
seven South
Korean women who
combined for 11
major titles,
but Yang’s
come-from-behind
win over Woods
was
unprecedented in
so many ways.
Not least the
impetus it gives
the game across
the far-flung
Asian continent.
Woods had never
lost in the 14
previous majors
in which he’d
taken a lead
into the final
round. But Yang
was never
overawed, giving
Asians a
homegrown men’s
champion to
cheer for rather
than rely on
familial links
with Woods, who
has a Thai
mother, and
Fijian-born
Vijay Singh, a
major champion
of Indian
heritage.
“It’s a great,
great day for
Asian golf,”
Asian Tour
executive
chairman Kyi Hla
Han told The
Associated
Press. “Probably
our biggest day.
It’s always been
our hope that we
will see an
Asian player win
a major, and
that day is
here.
“It will provide
so much
inspiration. Our
players have
never contended
that strong in
majors. Maybe
top 10 but never
really
contended. And
now we’ve not
only got a
winner, but
someone who beat
Tiger Woods. It
was as
high-pressure as
you can get.”
Han said there
are a number of
players in their
early 20s from
Thailand, South
Korea, India and
other Asian
countries who
are probably
more technically
sound than their
older
compatriots
were.
“These players
will peak in
their late 20s,
and it was
always a case of
a longer process
for them to
mature,” Han
said. “But this
has raised the
bar a lot, and
Yang’s win will
provide them
with a big
mental boost. I
see a great
future ahead for
Asian golf.”
One of those
young players -
Asian Tour
rookie Mohammad
Siddikur -
recently became
the first player
from Bangladesh
on the Asian
Tour.
“It’s really
exciting news to
see an Asian
winner at a
major,” Siddikur
said. “This is
good for Asian
Tour players. He
has become our
pride and joy.”
Shane Hahm, who
covers sports
for Seoul radio
station TBS eFM,
described it as
an historic win
for Asia.
“The historical
significance is
huge, in terms
of golf and how
it’s blooming in
Asia, the
fastest growing
market,” he
said. “For the
first Asian-born
player to win
... It’s just
unbelievable,
the way he did
it, too - by
beating the No.
1 player in the
world.”
South Korea’s
top golf
official, Park
Sam-koo of the
Korea
Professional
Golfers’
Association,
told Yang his
win “provided
our members and
junior players
with
immeasurable and
strong pride
that they can do
it, too.”
Max Garske,
chief executive
of the PGA of
Australia, which
has ongoing
contact with
events in South
Korea and Asia
via the recently
formed OneAsia
tour, said
Yang’s win will
help nurture the
sport in the
region.
“It will also
provide a huge
amount of
confidence for
Asian male
players because
it’s taken such
a long time for
them to break
through in a
major,” Garske
said. “We need a
couple of Asian
heroes.”
Garske said the
37-year-old
Yang’s win would
no doubt
increase the
number of
regular golfers
in Asia.
He said that
although Japan,
with its single
biggest star now
17-year-old Ryo
Ishikawa, has an
estimated 15
million golfers
and South Korea
3 million to 3.5
million, most of
those golfers
play or practice
only at driving
ranges.
There are about
3,500 golf
courses in
Japan, where an
18-hole round
can cost up to
$500 to play,
and just 200
quality courses
in South Korea.
In Australia,
impact studies
show 1.2 million
have taken up
the sport, but
the criteria is
that those
golfers play at
least four
rounds a year on
a course.
Garske said the
biggest room for
growth is in
China, where the
Australian PGA
is in the second
year of a
program with the
China Golf
Association to
train between
5,000 to 10,000
local Chinese
coaches.
“They’ve got
about 1.1
million who have
memberships at
golf courses,
and in excess of
350 golf
courses,” Garske
said. “They are
growing at about
40 percent a
year, and
working very
hard on their
elite player
program. Yang’s
win will help
there as well as
everywhere
else.”
The Asian region
will also get a
boost when a
World Golf
Championship
event - the HSBC
Champions - will
be played from
Nov. 5-8 in
Shanghai, with
Woods in the
field.
China has no
regular golfers
on the PGA Tour,
but has Wu
Ashun, Liang
Wenchong and
Zhang Lianwei
among its best
male players.
“Korean players
represent the
emergence of
Asian power in
golf. Their
performance
shows that
Asians are
really suited to
playing golf,”
Yang Jie,
director of golf
department under
the official
General
Administration
of Sports, said
in Beijing.
“Y.E. Yang sets
an excellent
example for
Chinese players,
showing that if
you work hard,
you will be
rewarded with
results.”
Se Ri Pak won
the LPGA
Championship and
U.S. Women’s
Open as a rookie
in 1998, among
seven South
Korean players
who have
combined to win
11 majors on the
LPGA Tour. Yang
and K.J. Choi
are the only PGA
Tour players who
learned the game
in South Korea
before going to
the United
States.
Jeev Milkha
Singh, who
finished tied
for 67th at the
PGA, is the
first Indian
golfer to play
at the Masters
and qualify for
the U.S. Open.
“Golf in Asia
has been growing
steadily, so to
have the guy who
finally found a
way to beat
Tiger on Sunday
is so big for
the region,”
said Australian
Geoff Ogilvy.
“It’s hard for
us here in the
U.S. to imagine
the impact this
will have.”
Joe Steranka,
the chief
executive of the
PGA of America,
said: “Earlier
this week, I
said the
addition of golf
to the Olympics
is the single
biggest thing to
accelerate the
growth of the
game. I stand
corrected. ...
There are now
going to be
other Asian
nations saying,
‘OK, how are we
going to prepare
our players to
go play on the
international
stage?’”
Teaching
professional
Peter Heiniger,
who was part of
an Australian
PGA coaching
clinic to
Beijing earlier
this year,
agreed the
addition of golf
at the 2016
Olympics will
have a huge
impact on the
sport in China.
“They are
looking for the
next step,
another level,”
Heiniger said.
“In China, the
biggest
difficulty has
been funding.
And now that
there is a good
chance it will
become an
Olympic sport,
it will help the
game even more.”
Heiniger says
Yang’s win,
though, will
have an
immediate
impact.
“Everyone in
Asia saw what
K.J. Choi had
done, and he
hadn’t even won
a major,” said
Heiniger. “I
think Yang’s win
will prove to be
huge.”
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