Asian Beach Games: Twelve gold medals up for grabs on first day

PHUKET: The curtain quietly rose on the 4th Asian Beach Games in Phuket today, with the gold-medal hunt starting at 9am in four sporting events: sambo, jujitsu, flag football and squash.

The flag football competition is being contested at the Saphan Hin Sports Center. Sambo is being fought out at Karon Beach, featuring the 52kg, 82kg, 64kg, 68kg and 100kg categories.

Jujitsu athletes are tussling it out at Patong Beach, while squash players will take to the court at Karon beach at 6:30pm.

A total of 12 gold medals are on offer today, through six gold medals apiece in sambo and jujitsu.

The first Games gold medal is expected to be awarded in the women’s 52kg sambo, of which the final round will begin at Saphan Hin at 5:24pm.

Thai national sambo head coach Patcharee Pichaipat admitted that Thailand faced a tall order in snatching a first Asian Beach Games gold medal in sambo.

“It’s quite difficult for us to win the first Games gold in the sambo competition. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, both of them are very familiar with the sport and have a better chance of fighting it out for the gold medal,” Patcharee said.

The Phuket Gazette is proud to have been selected as the sole English-language media sponsor for the 2014 Asian Beach Games being held in Phuket (story here).

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