A year ago, Cambodia couldn’t buy a win. On Sunday, July 19, it beat the best team in Asia for a gold medal. In one of the most stunning turnarounds in Southeast Asian volleyball history, Cambodia stormed past heavy favorite Indonesia, 25-23, 28-26, 23-25, 22-25, 15-11, to capture the SEA V Cup title at the Candon City Arena — a result that instantly announces the once-winless squad as a genuine force in the region.

Cambodia Shocks Reigning Asian Champions in Five-Set Classic

Ranked a lowly 117th in the world entering the tournament, Cambodia had no business sharing the court with an Indonesian squad that had captured the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Men’s Cup in India just last month. Yet across five grueling sets, Cambodia matched Indonesia blow for blow, closing out the decider 15-11 to complete one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

Voeurn Veasna was the driving force behind the gold-medal triumph, exploding for 29 points on 26 attacks, two aces, and a block. He got major support from Kuon Mom, who added 27 points on 22 attacks and four blocks, giving Cambodia the firepower to outlast an Indonesian team that had won on the biggest stage just weeks earlier.

For Indonesia, Halim Farhan led the way with 23 points on 21 attacks and two aces, while Boy Arnez Arabi chipped in 22 points, all from attacks. It wasn’t enough to stop a Cambodian squad that, just last year, finished a dismal 0-8 in the SEA V League — a stunning reversal of fortune that will reverberate across the region’s volleyball landscape.

Thailand Edges Vietnam for Bronze in Another Five-Set Battle

The gold-medal thriller wasn’t the only five-set classic on the tournament’s closing day. Thailand rebounded from a rough start to defeat Vietnam, 23-35, 30-28, 25-20, 28-26, and claim the bronze medal in the tournament presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the City of Candon under Mayor Eric D. Singson.

After dropping the opening set in lopsided fashion, Thailand regrouped to outlast a resilient Vietnamese squad that refused to go away quietly. Bhinijdee Nadapet was sensational for the Thais, erupting for 30 points on 28 attacks and two blocks to draw roars from the closing-day crowd. Thungkham Chaiwat added 21 points and anchored the defense with six of Thailand’s 15 total blocks.

“We are very happy about today. We’re looking forward to next week, we will try our best,” said Thailand’s Thaweerat Thanathat. “We help each other, we support each other.”

Nguyen Ngoc Thuan put on a show in defeat for Vietnam, tallying a match-high 32 points on 28 attacks and four blocks, while Tang Ngoc Hieu and Tran Duy Tuyen chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Elsewhere, the Philippines salvaged fifth place on Saturday with a straight-sets win over Myanmar. All six teams will regroup next week for the second leg of the competition, set to be held in Indonesia — where Cambodia will look to prove its historic gold-medal run was no fluke.