Kuala Lumpur: Thailand will finish second in the medal race when the 29th SEA Games end today.
At press time last night, Malaysia had 137 gold medals, Thailand 69 and Vietnam 58.
There are only eight gold medals on offer on the last day of the biennial event.
On a bumper penultimate day, with 60 gold medals up for grabs, Malaysia snared 26, putting an unbridgeable distance between them and the chasing pack.
Malaysia already have about one-third of the 404 gold medals at the mini-Olympics, smashing their previous record of 111 and sealing the top spot for the first time in 16 years.
Controversies kept raging at the Kuala Lumpur Games yesterday, trimming Thai gold medal hauls in martial arts disciplines of muay (Muay Thai) and pencak silat.
The Thai dreams for a sweep of muay medals were yesterday done in by a shocking last-minute change in schedule by the SEA Games organising committee.
In pencak silat, a Malaysian finalist was awarded win over a Thai opponent despite the former being unable to continue the fight.
Thailand's muay exponents had marched into the title matches in all five events.
Taekwondo champions Panipak Wongpattanakit, right, and Tawin Harnprab.
The finals, three of them pitting the Thai fighters against Malaysian opponents, were scheduled to get underway at 3pm (Thai time) yesterday but were moved ahead by two hours.
No advance notification had been served and the Thai team officials learned about the change through their liaison officer late yesterday morning, only a few hours before the start.
A Thai official said it was a part of the "mind games" that the host country has been playing with the Kingdom's athletes since the start of the biennial tournament on Aug 19.
The two Thai winners yesterday were Anueng Khatthamarasri and Mana Sumchaiyapoom.
Anueng was involved in a close contest with Meun Sophea of Cambodia before sealing the 71kg gold medal with a 30-27 victory.
Mana's success in the 67kg showdown also didn't come the easy way as he was engaged in a close contest with Tengku Sharizal of the host country before clinching a 30-27 decision.
In the 57kg title bout, Thachtana Luangphon was edged 29-28 by Ain Kamarrudin from Malaysia.
Another Malaysian fighter, Mohd Ali Yaakub, denied Surachai Nakthaem, winning the 54kg final with a 30-27 decision.
Chonlawit Preedasak failed in his efforts to get the better of Cambodia's Khun Dima in 63.5kg title clash, losing 29-28 after a close fight.
Despite those losses, Thailand still succeeded in topping the muay medal chart with two gold medals and three silvers.
Malaysia took the second spot with two gold medals and one silver, with Cambodia finishing in third place with one gold and one silver.
Thailand coach Surat Sianglor later claimed that Thailand could not sweep all five golds because of "politics".
He said "senior people" had ask him to "give" some gold medals to the hosts.
If Thailand were completely dominant in their traditional sport, it could be axed from the future SEA Games, he said.
Meanwhile in the men's pencak Silat tanding class 65kg final, Thailand's Pornthep Poolkaew lost to Malaysia's Razak Kazari.
The shock decision came despite the Malaysian fighter's inability to continue fighting.
According to the tournament officials, Kazari was awarded the gold medal as he led Pornthep 3-1 at the time the fight was stopped.
Chobree Jaenee made amends for the Thais by bagging the men's tanding class 60kg top honours, beating a Vietnamese opponent in the final.
The latest controversy has come hot on the heels of an accusation of cheating in pencak silat levelled by Indonesia.
Earlier, Malaysia's Taqiyuddin bin Hamid and Rosli bin Mohd Sharif took gold in the men's artistic doubles, but Indonesia team manager Edhy Prabowo claimed they were awarded an unfairly high score.
Thailand also won three gold medal in badminton yesterday.
In taekwondo, Olympic bronze medallist Panipak Wongpattanakit took gold in the women's 49kg, while Rio Games silver medal winner Tawin Harnprab was champion in the men's 58kg.
Traipob Thongngarm was triumphant in the men's 500m speed skate.
The biennial SEA Games have a well-worn tradition of allowing the hosts to tailor the sporting programme to suit their strengths, meaning they often finish top.
Some of Malaysia's results have faced scrutiny, including in boxing, sepak takraw and pencak silat, and a #ShameOnYouMalaysia hashtag has been used by critics online.
Thailand's delegation chief Thana Chaiprasit also took aim at the hosts when he said: "They have organised sports they are good at and omitted events in which other countries are good at."
Since Malaysia last hosted and topped the SEA Games in 2001, their biggest tally has been 68 gold medals in 2007. Two years ago in Singapore they won 62, finishing fourth.
But Malaysia's haul of gold medals isn't outlandish for the SEA Games. In 2007 Thailand won 183 out of 477 on home soil, and in 2011 host nation Indonesia finished with 182 out of 554.
Yesterday, the home team had wins in badminton, sailing, diving, pencak silat, muay, speed skating and water ski and wakeboarding. Malaysia's polo team, which features the country's sports minister, also won gold.
