Thor raises his hand in celebration after defeating Ko Htet of Myanmar for the gold medal at the OCBC Arena. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star
SINGAPORE: It took two hours and 39 minutes before the Mighty Thor finally struck gold.
And the 27-year-old Thor Chuan Leong even described the 4-2 win over Ko Htet of Myanmar in the men’s snooker singles final at the OCBC Arena as his “sweetest ever”.
The affable cueist, however, had to call on all the experience he had to fend off the challenge from the 24-year-old Ko Htet and win 57-41, 0-102, 65-1, 23-76, 74-49, 69-18.
Chuan Leong was simply delighted to have landed the gold medal that has eluded him since making his debut at the 2009 Games.
He has won gold in doubles (2011) and the six-ball (2013) but always played second fiddle in the snooker singles, finishing with a silver in 2009 and bronzes in 2011 and 2013.
“I’m really happy to win this gold medal. This is the one event that I’ve never won ... it’s definitely my sweetest win,” said Chuan Leong, who had romped to an easy 4-1 win over rival and home favourite Ang Boon Chin in the semi-finals earlier in the day.
“But it wasn’t easy because I was under a lot of pressure against an opponent I’ve never played against before.
“Ko Htet’s playing in his first SEA Games and he played very well. I was really lucky to even take the first frame.
“I managed to calm down and told myself to take it one shot at a time.
“Now I can look forward to the doubles and hopefully win another gold ... but no guarantees, though.”
Chuan Leong will partner Moh Keen Ho and they’ll meet Vietnam’s Nguyen Nhat Thanh-Pham Thanh Thuy in the first round.
The Star Online
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