• Society

Billiards Female Player Takes Gold

• By Phoung Vantha
• May 9, 2023 10:41 AM

PHNOM PENH – Cambodian billiards player Sruong Pheavy won the gold medal on May 8 in the Women's 3-Cushion Carom Single contest, defeating Vietnamese player Hoang Yen Nhi Nguyen.

Under the high ceilings of the Aeon 2 shopping mall, where the competition was held, she took the advantage over her opponent and won the game 25-20.

Winning a gold medal for Cambodia, especially during the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, has been a long-time dream for Pheary, who’s been playing as a professional player in South Korea for years.

Following her victory, she said that it was the greatest achievement for her home country and that she feels more enthusiastic than the previous times she’s won a medal.

“Since I chose this career, my husband told me that one day I would get a medal for my country,” she said. “More than 10 years have passed and my dream finally becomes true.”

During the qualification phases and semi-final on May 7, Sruong Pheavy defeated another Vietnamese player, Kien Tuong Phung, 25-10 and the Filipina player Chezka Luy Centeno.

The native from Kampong Cham province discovered billiards after she moved to South Korea to get married, in 2010. She has since then become a billiards celebrity in her adopted country and a recognized athlete on the world stage.

While she ranks among the top players in the Korean circuit, she also finished 3rd in the women’s world championship finals in Izmir (Turkey) and Valencia (Spain) in 2018 and 2019 respectively.