The bitter feud between the two sides stretches back to the 1994 Asiad in Hiroshima, the last time Malaysia won a men’s team gold medal in the skilful game that involves shuttling a rattan ball with the feet and head over a net by a three-person team.
Since that defeat in 1994, Thailand has won every single men’s team gold including this latest in southern China.
Even without star player Suebsak Phunsueb, who is known for his whiplash 160km/h serves but whose patchy form saw him sit out the match on the bench, the aggressive Thais stormed to a 2-0 win in an inspired display of the depth of its talent.
In the first regu, or match, Anuwat Chaichana’s brilliance at the net saw his acrobatic overhead bicycle kicks and deft drop shots consistently batter the Malaysian trio while balletic blocks with his feet proved a formidable defense.
The talented 28-year-old, wearing a white bandana emblazoned with the Thai flag, wheeled across the court time and again to wild roars and drumming by a boisterous Thai crowd.
“Malaysia has always been a tough opponent for us.” said a beaming Chaichana afterwards. “Winning against them is definitely the most satisfying feeling.”
The Malaysians never really got into the game and were let down by poor serving with a string of points wasted.
“If you fail on the serve you demoralize the players,” said Malaysian manager Awang Sham Amit. “We are lacking in stamina in terms of effectiveness of players,” the manager added.
“The Thais were very aggressive. Thailand is considered the top. We tried our best against them.”
The ancient sport, popular in Indochina and Southeast Asia, was first mentioned in the 15th century Malay cannonical text, “The Sejarah Melayu,” while a lively mural in the sacred Wat Phra Keow temple in Bangkok shows the Hindu monkey god Hanuman playing the game with monkeys.
While the Thais have been dominant at the game in recent years, at the King’s Cup world championships in July, the South Koreans mounted an inspired challenge and nearly pipped the Thais to victory. At the Asian Games, however, they could only manage a bronze in the men’s team competition.