KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia failed again to win their first ever Olympic gold medal, we can only watch in envy as our Southeast Asian neighbours won gold at the Paris Games which came to an end yesterday.
While Malaysia relied on badminton to deliver a pair of hard-fought bronze, through Lee Zii Jia and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, the Philippines and Indonesia basked in glory with two gold each while Thailand took one gold.
For the record, only five Southeast Asian countries have won gold at the Olympics, and Malaysia do not belong to this gold-class club.
Indonesia were the first country from this region to strike gold at the greatest show on Earth - in Barcelona, 1992 - after the inclusion of badminton in the Olympic programme, followed by Thailand in Atlanta, 1996, through boxing.
It wasn't until 20 years later that Singapore and Vietnam produced an Olympic champion each, in Rio de Janerio through swimming and shooting respectively.
In the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, the Philippines joined the Southeast Asian gold club via weightlifting.
Timesport looks at how these five Southeast Asian nations fared in the Paris Olympics.
PHILIPPINES:
Building on weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's breakthrough gold in Tokyo 2020, the Philippines reached new heights in Paris, thanks to gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Yulo won not one, but two gold, triumphing in the men's floor exercise and vault. His success was not unexpected, given his status as a two-time world champion (floor exercise in 2019 and vault in 2021).
In boxing, a sport where the Philippines traditionally excel, Nesthy Petecio failed to defend her silver in the women's featherweight, but got a bronze. Aira Villegas added another bronze in the women's flyweight division. This is Philippines' best-ever showing at the Olympics as they became the best performing Southeast Asian nation at the Paris Olympics.
INDONESIA:
Indonesia won two gold in Paris, their best performance since Barcelona 1992. Surprisingly, this success came without any contribution from badminton, which previously accounted for all of Indonesia's 10 Olympic gold.
Though their shuttlers faltered, Indonesia secured gold from new sources. Rizki Juniansyah won the men's 73kg weightlifting gold with an Olympic record. Additionally, Veddriq Leonardo triumphed in the men's speed category of sport climbing.
Their weightlifting gold marked a breakthrough in the sport for Indonesia after 15 medals (including seven silver) since Sydney 2000.
Indonesia narrowly avoided ending their badminton campaign empty-handed for the first time since London 2012 after Gregoria Mariska Tunjung saved face by clinching the women's singles bronze.
THAILAND:
Thailand not only continued their gold medal-winning run at the Paris Olympics, but also improved by securing four medals, which was more than they achieved in Tokyo.
Taekwondo star Panipak Wongpattanakit successfully defended her women's 49kg gold title while Thailand continued to excel in weightlifting, bagging two silver through Theerapong Silachai in the men's 61kg (a category also contested by Malaysia's Aniq Kasdan) and Weeraphon Wichuma in the men's 73kg. Surodchana Khambao added a bronze in the women's 49kg category.
In badminton, reigning men's singles world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn created Olympic history by becoming Thailand's first medallist (silver) in the sport.
Boxing, a sport in which Thailand boast four historical golds, was a disappointment for them, with Janjaem Suwannapheng being the sole medal winner - a bronze in the women's welterweight division.
SINGAPORE:
Singapore avoided returning home from Paris empty-handed for the second straight Olympics, thanks to a bronze won by sailor Max Maeder.
There was no big news from the pool this time as their current batch of swimmers failed to match the level of Joseph Schooling, who won gold for Singapore in the 100-metre butterfly at the 2016 Rio Games.
VIETNAM:
Vietnam, the kings of the Southeast Asian Games, were given a harsh reality check at the Paris Olympics after failing to win a single medal.
It marked the first time in nearly 30 years that Vietnam went through two consecutive Olympics empty-handed.
Vietnam, who topped the Sea Games last year with a whopping 136 gold, had hoped to win an Olympic medal of any colour in shooting, which brought them their first gold in Rio 2016, and in weightlifting events, but did not succeed. Their best bet for a medal, Trinh Thu Vinh, finished fourth in the women's 10m air pistol.