Thursday, October 8, 2009

Thailand ranking raises medal hopes for Sitthideth

Sitthideth Satbieng
Star snooker player Mr Sitthideth Satbieng will be feeling more confident of his medal chances at the SEA Games after taking third place at a high level tournament in Thailand .
Sitthideth reached the semifinal at the world Division 2 snooker tournament in Bangkok last week before being knocked out by a Thai opponent.
The competition, from August 26 to September 5, saw 160 players from France, Australia, India, Laos and hosts Thailand battle it out for a place in the semi finals, which left Sitthideth and three Thai players remaining.
The Lao Snooker Federation entered six players, three of whom made it to the third round.
The Lao team returned to Vientiane last week after training in Bangkok over the past two months before taking part in the tournament. Now they will continue their training in Vientiane in the lead up to the SEA Games.
Sitthideth, 26, was born in Xei-no village in Savannakhet's Outhoumphone district, and began playing snooker when he was 13 years old.
He worked as a resident professional at a snooker club in Bangkok for two years, and has competed in other Division 2 events, which are held five times a year.
Sitthideth rocketed to the top of the sport in Laos after winning no less than three gold medals in the men's singles, doubles and team events at the eighth National Games in Champassak province last December, where he represented Savannakhet province.
The Lao players are expecting a Thai coach to arrive at the end of October to help them continue to improve. They have been training since March, and living on site in the snooker federation's dormitory.
The Lao snooker starting team consists of three women and seven men. There are a further five substitutes among the men, selected by the federation at the National Games.
Snooker players at the 25th SEA Games will compete in men's and women's singles and doubles heats.
The snooker federation will send the Lao team to compete in the Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi , Vietnam , from October to November, their last rehearsal before the SEA Games in December.
The Thai, Philippine, Singapore and Malaysian teams are the hottest tip to win medals at the games, but if the Lao players continue to hit form they could have an opportunity to keep some medals at home. .

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