MALAYSIA’S snooker player Moh Keen Hoo admitted he only had himself to blame after his disappointing loss to Thai Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn in the men’s singles final at the Philippines Sea Games yesterday.
Keen Hoo had his chances for gold but choked when it mattered, allowing the Thailand player to secure a 65-0, 64-57, 0-86, 72-49, 21-69, 64-39 win in the best-of-seven decider at the Manila Hotel.
Keen Ho, 33, who last week won the men’s doubles gold with Lim Kok Leong, did not mince his words when it came to describing his performance.
“I feel terrible right now, I should have won that match, I had a chance in every game but I made too many simple mistakes. My opponent didn’t play well today. I was the one making too many mistakes.
“There was one blue ball in the second game, it was an easy shot which I would have pocketed a hundred times without blinking in training, but I missed it. Maybe I wanted this gold too much and placed too much pressure on myself.
“I shouldn’t have put too much pressure on myself because I had already won the doubles gold.”
Keen Hoo, who won the singles gold at the 2007 Korat Games, is worried about the future of snooker in Malaysia due to lack of support from the National Sports Council.
“I made my Sea Games debut in 2003 when I was 17. At that time we had a good programme and often had chances to go abroad for training and competitions and that was what helped to shape me.
“But the youngsters of today don’t have the same exposure or opportunities, so it is difficult for them to grow as players,” added Keen Hoo who is based in China where he competes in the Chinese 8-ball pool circuit.