People in Cambodia didn’t waste the opportunity to meet the legendary pool player Efren “Bata” Reyes during the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
On May 9, Reyes has been defeated by his opponent representing Cambodia, Woo Donghoon who’s a naturalized player from South Korea.
Despite losing the match in the men’s carom three-cushion, Reyes still gained the respect of the majority of the Cambodians who admired the pool player for his legendary record.
In some videos uploaded on social media, some fans tried to take a selfie with Reyes and asked for his autograph.
Reyes didn’t refuse the request from his foreign fans despite having a busy schedule.
It can be recalled that the same scene happened during the 31st SEA Games held in Vietnam where Reyes was also popular.
Some Cambodian fans said that they knew about Reyes because of his videos on social media.
Meanwhile, Reyes said that he was caught by surprise by his opponent.
“Kala ko nung una, kayang kaya ko ‘yung kalaban ko maski may edad na siya. Yun pala ang galing. ’Yung kalaban ko galing pa ng Korea,” Reyes said.
“Pakiramdam ko, wala kaming medalya,” he added.
Despite the possibility of not winning any medal this SEA Games, fans believed that Reyes has nothing to prove anymore and thanked him for representing the country despite his old age.