Nagoya, Japan, September 20, 2026: Khin Hnin Wai regained control of her nerves to claw her way back after falling behind three times to deliver Myanmar’s first gold medal at the 20th Asian Games with a nail biting victory in the women’s singles teqball final on Sunday.
Wai lost her only set of the entire tournament to find herself trailing rising Indonesia star Sumaya then slipped 4-2 and 7-6 adrift in the deciding third set, before raising her acrobatic game at the death to seal a 2-1 (10-12 12-8 12-9) victory.
With Spanish football legend Carles Puyol watching from the VIP seats, the 25-year old Wai was mobbed by her team mates while she draped herself in the Myanmar national flag and set off on a celebratory lap of honour at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Centre.
“I kept calm and stayed focused on what I needed to do. I needed to have belief,” Wai said.
“I reflected on my mistakes and realised that I cannot give her points. I was determined to play, to win the second set, and play the third set.
“I tried to control my emotions when I made mistakes and kept believing that I can do it, that I can make things right.”
After Thailand’s double world champion Jutatip Kuntatong opted to play doubles instead of singles, the battle for the individual gold was always going to be tight.
Wai went into the final as the favourite after beating Sumaya in straight sets during the group stage but was put under immediate pressure from the 21–year-old Indonesian and was relieved to get the job done.
“I’m delighted. I’m thankful to my head coach for believing in me and selecting me to play in the women’s singles. I believed that I could do it,” she said.
“My next goal is to win the gold medal for Myanmar at the 2027 SEA Games.”
Japanese crowd favourite Yuina Sakamoto overcame the disappointment of missing out on a place in the final by winning her bronze medal match against India’s Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza 2-0.
“After I failed to win the first-place medal I was aiming for, I felt such a heavy burden of responsibility that I absolutely had to win a medal,” said Sakamoto, who later added a silver in the mixed doubles.
“I had been playing soccer for more than 20 years and, after I retired, I took up teqball about two and a half years ago just for fun, and now I want people to see what a great sport it is and something they can do to stay fit.”
Cambodia’s Dy Koemyean also won bronze in the women’s singles after beating Lebanon’s Kamar Dandal 2-0.
“This is how I can bring Cambodia to the international stage and for people to get to know Cambodia,” Dy said.
“This is my first medal that I won alone on the international stage. I’m really proud of myself and my country.”
