Cambodian carom billiards star Sruong Pheavy was unable to defend her title at the LPBA Championship 2025-26 in South Korea, and so missed the chance to become the first player of the season to win three consecutive Tour events.
Pheavy had to settle for second place after losing to Korean home favourite Ga-young Kim in Sunday’s final. Still, she regarded the result as a personal success, saying it was the product of giving her best effort, supported by strong encouragement from Cambodians everywhere.
“Even if your daughter only finished runner-up, for me she is always strong and amazing. Even though I didn’t win, I’m deeply grateful for all of your support that helped me fight until the very end without giving up,” she said, in a Monday social media post.
The LPBA Championship, which began on August 31, saw Pheavy fight her way through tough matches against strong opponents.
In the round of 32, she beat Vietnam’s Hoang Yen Nhi Nguyen, followed by a round of 16 victory over South Korea’s Mi-rae Lee 3, sets to 2.
In the quarterfinals, she defeated Korean Jung-suk Lim, and then delivered a dominant 3-0 performance to beat South Korean Ye-eun Kim, to reach the final.
That set up a much-anticipated clash with veteran star Ga-young Kim, who also eliminated four opponents in her run to the final.
Both players are among the most decorated in LPBA Tour history: Pheavy has won nine titles, while Ga-young Kim has 15. In this season alone (2025–26), Pheavy had already claimed two back-to-back championships and hoped to make it three.
However, on the night of September 7, she could only take one set, losing 3–1 to Ga-young Kim, who was crowned champion and received a prize of ₩40,000,000 (around $29,000).
As runner-up, Pheavy earned ₩2,000,000 (about $1,438). Despite the loss, the Cambodian star — who is married to a South Korean — did not show disappointment. Instead, she expressed even greater determination to improve her game and pursue more titles in future tournaments, as a way of honouring the love and support of her fans.
“Your support and faith are the source of my great strength. I will continue to grow and improve in the future to repay you with even better performances. I will never stop — I’ll keep working harder! Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she told fans.
