Men's regu team take bronze in sepaktakraw
Published: 27 Sep. 2023, 13:30
Updated: 27 Sep. 2023, 22:56
Korea took its first medal in sepaktakraw — “kick volleyball” — at this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, taking bronze in men’s team regu.
Defending champions Thailand beat Korea 2-0, winning all six sets in the first two matches of the semifinal round.
The Korean team's finish matched the nation's result in the last Asiad, where Korea also took third.
Sepaktakraw is a sport with origins in Southeast Asia. “Sepak” translates to “kick” in Malay, and “tekraw” is the Thai word for the woven rattan ball used in play on a badminton-size court.
The rules are similar to volleyball where the goal is to get the ball over the court in three touches or less, and the team wins a point when their opponents fail to return the rally. But players are barred from using their hands, instead blocking the ball with their heads and their feet.
In regu, three players take each side of the court: a feeder, striker and tekong. To start each rally, the feeder throws the ball to the tekong, who leaps up and smashes the ball across the court in a serve. The tekong will typically stay near the back during the match, while the striker is the one primarily responsible for blocks. The first side to 21 points wins.
In team regu, each of the rounds in a three-set match is played by different members of the national team.
The Korean men’s team regu squad earlier beat Indonesia 2-1 in the first preliminary round of the tournament but lost to Malaysia 3-0 in the second.
The women’s team will face Indonesia for a chance to qualify for the gold medal round on Thursday.
BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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