Indonesia win historic first Gold Medal of SEA Games 2019, ending Singapore’s 52 year run

The 2019 SEA Games are already underway, despite the opening ceremony scheduled for November 30. Several of the ‘team’ sports and qualifiers are currently taking place, with the medal events left for later dates. However, Indonesia has been able to bag a medal nonetheless, becoming the first to do so in this edition of the games. 

Indonesia Men’s Water Polo team has bagged the first gold medal of the 2019 SEA Games. Although they will not receive their medals until a later date, the team has accumulated enough points to build an unassailable lead. The silver and the bronze medals are yet to be decided.

The team secured their gold medal after they beat Malaysia 14-7 in a round-robin match. The win gave them seven points, thereby sealing their top spot.

Indonesia’s win is all the more impressive considering the fact that Singapore has won every single gold medal in this event in the history of the SEA Games. While their dominance may be broken, Singapore have a chance to win either the silver of the bronze medal, with the event still going on.

Despite Indonesia’s medal win, the 2019 SEA Games only officially begin from tomorrow, November 30. The opening ceremony will kick things off for the next ten days, with eleven Southeast Asian nations participating in fifty-six sports.