Kittikorn confident of Thais winning back the title

TTHAILAND’S five- aside visually impaired player Kittikorn Baodee (pic) aims to win back the gold at the Kuala Lumpur Assean Para Games.

The Thais take on Laos in the final at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today hoping to redeem themselves after losing to Malaysia in the final at the 2015 Singapore Games.

“We have prepared well and I’m confident we can win the gold,” said the 25-year-old, who is making his third consecutive appearance in the Games.

“We played well to win all our group games, so I expect the team to end the competition unbeaten.”

Laos had lost 4-1 to Thailand in the group stage on Tuesday, but their Japanese coach Yoichi Shimano believes that they can give the Thais a run for their money in the final as “there is no pressure on us”.

Laos sprang a surprise by knocking out defending champions Malaysia 2-1 in their final group game to advance to the final on Wednesday.

“We have nothing to lose. I think the team over-achieved to be in the final, so our players will be relaxed this time,” said Shimano, who is a Japanese Embassy staff and who coaches on a part-time basis.

“This is the first time we are taking part in the Asean Para Games, so to reach the final is an achievement for us.

“We played without pressure against Malaysia and beat them. We’ll adopt the same approach against the Thais.”