Thailand extended their reign in the Southeast Asian Games women’s volleyball podium with a 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 32-30, 25-21) win over perennial rivals Vietnam in the final at the Olympic Complex: Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Thailand strike gold again in Southeast Asian Games
Thailand added gold medal No. 14 to its staggering SEA Games women's volleyball medal haul, while Vietnam and Indonesia take silver and bronze for the third time in a row.
Published 02:51, 15 May 2023
Thailand secured their 14th successive gold medal – a run that dates back to Chiangmai 1995 when they beat the Philippines.
The most decorated team in SEA Games women’s volleyball history, Thailand, now has a medal haul of 20, including 16 gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
The Thai team will be competing next at the 2023 Volleyball Nations League with the ultimate goal to make it to the Finals in Arlington Texas, from July 12 to 16. They will see action in the stops in Antalya from May 30 to June 4, Brasilia from June 13 to 18, before return to Bangkok for the culminating week of the preliminary round, hosting 2022 VNL champions Italy, Brazil, Croatia, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands and Türkiye from June 27 to July 2.
They will also compete at the Asian Games and the Olympic Qualification Tournament later this year. In the Asian Games, they will try to aim for the top podium spot after finishing with a bronze at Incheon 2014 and silver at Jakarta-Palembang 2018.
From September 16 to 24, they will be in Poland to play at the Olympic Qualification Tournament. They are in Group C with hosts Poland, Italy, United States, Germany, Colombia, Korea and Slovenia.
Meanwhile, Vietnam and Indonesia finished with a silver medal and a bronze medal for the third consecutive time, as the medal round matchups remained the same in the last three SEA Games editions.
Indonesia endured the tough challenge by the Philippines with a 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-23) victory.
Only Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have won gold medals at the SEA Games, while Vietnam has won the most silver medals in the competition at 11. The Philippines and Indonesia have won the most bronze medals, 12 and 11, respectively.
