Getting back on topic now . . . . . .

For Seavmey, Rio Olympics Is Reward for Toil



. . . for Sorn Seavmey, Cambodia’s best hope for a medal, it will be the reward for years of toil since making her debut at just 16.

At over 1.8 meters tall, an anomaly for the majority of Cambodian females (1.54 is the most recent recorded average), Seavmey – the youngest of six siblings – has become a household name to many Cambodians since her 2014 Asian Games taekwondo gold medal win, with endorsements and media appearances becoming part of the Koh Kong-born athlete’s program.

Seavmey defeated Iranian adversary Fatemeh Rouhani in the final of the women’s under-73kg taekwondo competition, capturing a historic first gold medal in Cambodia’s 60-year participation at the Asian games and etching her name into the consciousness her fellow countrymen.

After her stunning success, she was invited by Prime Minister HE to the Peace Palace where she was lavished with gifts and rewards for her accomplishments on behalf of the Kingdom.

She was awarded $20,000 from a special government grant to promote sports, $10,000 in a personal capacity by Mr. HE and his family, a motorcycle, a laptop, an iPad, and a controversial automatic pass for the second national high school exam. The government rationalized the decision by saying Seavmey had sacrificed her time for the nation and should therefore be rewarded.

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/27781/ ... -for-toil/