With the spirit of Asian Games 2018 marching down the street, let’s appreciate and celebrate the value of sports in our region. Here we compiled the list of athletes in Southeast Asia who are too good to only play in the field.
Manny Pacquiao (boxing, Philippines)
image: bankrate.com
Recorded as the highest paid athlete in Southeast Asia, Manny Pacquaio does it all—from sports, politics, actor until musician. In July 2018, he returned to the boxing ring that also marks his 69th professional match in his boxing career. Based on a report, by the end of last year, he made a net worth of at least PHP 2,9 billion making him one of the richest senators in the Philippines.
Michael Christian Martinez (ice skating, Philippines)
image: Gazette Review
It is interesting to know that a tropical country had a highly talented figure skater and became the only skater from Southeast Asia who meets the requirements for the Olympics. In 2014, he was the only Filipino athlete to represent his country at the 2014 Winter Olympics. As part of his training, in 2010, he spent months in the United States working with the 1953 World Champion, John Nicks.
Lalu Muhammad Zohri (running, Indonesia)
image: Reuters
Born and raised in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, last year Lalu Muhammad Zhori struggled to afford running shoes, so he trained barefoot. This year, at just 18 years old, he grabbed international attention through his achievement in Finland, since he is the first Indonesian who won a medal on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) world under-20 championship where he finished the race in 10.18 sec.
Liliyana Natsir (badminton, Indonesia)
image: Tempo.co
Who does not know her? Often called as badminton mixed doubles queen, Liliyana is a six-time mixed doubles champ. Liliyana, with partner Tontowi Ahmad, had made remarkable records by winning top-level tournaments and grabbing most of the badminton’s prestigious titles. It is also reported that she would retire by the end of this year. However, since she has yet to win a gold medal in the Asian Games, she targets to go home with the medal this year and bid farewell shortly after.
Lee Chong Wei (badminton, Malaysia)
image: manoramaonline.com
Even though the Malaysian badminton star, Lee Cong Wei is not considered young anymore, he currently beat Kento Momota from Japan 21-17, 23-21 on Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open 2018, at the Axiata Arena, last July. With the achievement being made, Lee has finally bagged his 12th Malaysia Open crown. He is also listed as one of the best badminton players in the world.
Nicol David (squash, Malaysia)
image: squashmad.com
If people regard Lee Chong Wei as the king of badminton, Nicol David is the squash queen. Her remarkable international sporting achievements led her to be the first Asian woman who awarded the World’s best squash athlete from 2006 until 2015. A nine-time Asian Squash Champion, she is the youngest athlete who won the World Junior Championship.
Joseph Schooling (swimming, Singapore)
image: Tribunnews.com
People took notice of Joseph Schooling after his accomplishment at the Rio Summer Games Olympics 2016 where he won a gold medal for the 100m butterfly event which is the first ever gold medal for Singapore since its independence. What makes Schooling’s career is even more interesting is the fact that he beat his childhood idol! In 2008, he met his hero, Michael Phelps before the Beijing Olympics, and in 2016 at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, he beat Phelps in the pool.
Theerathon Bunmathan (football, Thailand)
image: goal.com
Theerathon Bunmathan or Aum, has been known as the best left-back in Southeast Asia since he obtained regional recognition at the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup. Aum is also considered one of the highest-paid athletes in Southeast Asia with the sale value of €500,000.
Hoàng Xuân Vinh (air pistol, Vietnam)
image: Báo Nghệ An
He has been chosen as the best athlete for he set a new record at the Rio de Janeiro. Hong’s success marked the first Olympic achievement for Vietnam after at least 70 years joining the competition.
Sorn Seavmey (taekwondo, Cambodia)
image: cambodiadaily.com
Even though Cambodia is not famous for its extraordinary achievements, but it has one athlete who has pioneered the country’s sporting achievements. Sorn Seavmey, a taekwondo practitioner, has successfully secured Cambodia’s very first gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon since its participation 1954. She also won a gold medal at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar and four years later at the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia. Although she is not qualified for the Olympics, she has done her best for a country whose rank was lower than most of the countries at the 2017 SEA Games.