Sruong Pheavy Wins Eighth LPBA Title, Bringing New Recognition to Cambodian Billiards

An eighth title with Cambodia at its heart

Cambodia's Sruong Pheavy has won the LPBA Championship for the 2025–2026 season in South Korea, defeating South Korea's Bo-ra Kim in the final and securing her eighth title on the women's professional billiards circuit. The achievement places her alongside Ga-young Kim, also with eight titles, among the most successful players in the Ladies Professional Billiards Association.

Pheavy was the only female Cambodian athlete in the tournament. Her route to the trophy included a victory over Japan's Ayako Sakai, wins against highly ranked South Korean opponents and a semifinal recovery after losing the opening two sets to Kim Se-yeon.

The final was played under a best of seven sets format, with an 11-point system for each set. Pheavy's decisive victory over Bo-ra Kim was described with a final score of 11–2, completing a campaign that tested both her shot making and her ability to handle pressure.

For Cambodia, where billiards is gaining recognition through her achievements, the title carries meaning beyond an individual result. Pheavy has made representing her homeland a central part of her career, even while living and competing in South Korea.

Her latest success also connects two sides of her public life: a professional athlete pursuing titles and a foundation founder directing much of her prize money toward educational and social projects in Cambodia. Bo-ra Kim, her opponent in the final, has herself supported that charitable work.

How Pheavy reached the final

The LPBA Championship brings together leading players in women's professional carom billiards. Its elimination rounds require competitors to keep winning to remain in the tournament, leaving little room for a poor performance.

Pheavy faced a demanding opponent in the round of 16: Japan's Ayako Sakai, one of the leading earners on the LPBA circuit. Beating Sakai took the Cambodian player into the quarterfinals and kept her pursuit of an eighth title alive.

Pheavy then advanced through the quarterfinals and semifinals against two highly ranked South Korean players. Those victories required the technical control needed to execute difficult shots and the concentration needed to make decisions while a match was moving against her.

The championship's time clock adds another demand. Players must work within a limit on their thinking and preparation time, so success depends on choosing a shot and committing to it under pressure. Across several elimination rounds, maintaining that combination of accuracy and judgment becomes part of the challenge.

Five sets that turned the semifinal around

Kim Se-yeon put Pheavy close to elimination in their semifinal. Pheavy lost the opening set 10–11, narrowly missing an early advantage, then lost the second 2–11.

With two sets gone, Pheavy needed to change the direction of the match. She won the third set 11–6, followed it with an 11–3 victory and took the deciding set 11–6. Three consecutive set wins transformed a difficult start into a place in the championship final.

The scores show how sharply the contest changed. Kim Se-yeon won the second set by nine points; Pheavy answered with winning margins of five, eight and five points in the remaining sets. Her recovery depended on sustaining the improvement through three sets, rather than producing a single strong spell.

Mara Socheat, secretary general of the Cambodia Billiards and Snooker Federation (CBSF), expressed confidence in Pheavy's abilities. Her semifinal recovery gave aspiring Cambodian athletes a concrete example of a competitor adjusting during a match and continuing despite an early deficit.

A final against a rival and charitable partner

Bo-ra Kim, a rising player in Korean billiards, stood between Pheavy and the trophy. Pheavy's commanding performance in the final brought together the technical skill and tactical judgment that had carried her through the earlier rounds.

The best of seven sets structure makes the final a test of repeated performance. A player must keep producing successful sets to win the match, while the 11-point system gives each set a defined target. Alongside the time clock, that format tests strategic thinking and mental endurance as well as control of the cue.

Pheavy and Bo-ra Kim also share a connection away from competition. Kim has served as a director of the Pheavy Foundation and supported its activities, placing two opponents in the final on the same side of charitable work in Cambodia.

Their relationship adds a personal dimension to the result. They competed for the same championship while also contributing to an organisation that supports people beyond the professional billiards circuit.

Injuries, responsibility and the pressure to win

Pheavy's title followed a period marked by injuries, pain and the pressure of representing her country internationally. Over the preceding year, those difficulties accompanied the physical and mental demands of competing at the highest level.

Pheavy, Cambodia's leading carom billiards player, described the longer period of strain in her own words, connecting her effort to national pride and to the Cambodian and Korean flags:

For almost a year and a half, I've borne heavy responsibilities, injuries and pain—all in the name of national pride. I pushed myself through it all to win for the people, for everything, and for you (referring to the Cambodian and Korean flags).

Her statement places the championship within a demanding stretch of her career. Winning required her to manage those personal difficulties alongside the immediate demands of each opponent and each set.

Pheavy has also credited sponsors and fans for helping her continue. In South Korea, she has built a network of supporters who have helped her navigate professional sport. That backing has become part of the connection she maintains with audiences in both South Korea and Cambodia.

Pheavy described the relationship between public attention, pressure and representing Cambodia this way:

As long as this Cambodian daughter keeps stepping up to compete, the louder the cheers get, the more famous she becomes, and the more the world learns about her country. I've become the most-watched player—and I still managed to win under the most intense pressure.

From Tboung Khmum to South Korea

Pheavy was born in Cambodia's Tboung Khmum province and moved to South Korea more than a decade ago, seeking better opportunities to develop her billiards career. Her rise has been built on perseverance and dedication while living abroad.

Cambodia has remained central to how she presents that career. She often dedicates victories to the Cambodian people and uses her public profile to promote billiards in her homeland. Her achievements have made her a celebrated figure among fans in both countries and a role model for young athletes, particularly women.

Pheavy's international success has given Cambodian audiences a prominent competitor in a sport where the country had not traditionally been widely recognised. Each major appearance brings attention to her own performance and to Cambodia's place in cue sports.

Her sporting milestones now connect success at home with victories abroad:

• 2023: Pheavy won gold and bronze medals at the Southeast Asian Games, which Cambodia hosted.
• 2025–2026 LPBA season: She won the championship in South Korea, defeating Bo-ra Kim in the final and taking her career LPBA title total to eight.

The SEA Games medals brought national attention to billiards and showed Cambodian athletes winning in major international competition. The LPBA title extends that record into a professional circuit featuring leading South Korean and Japanese players.

Eight titles and a rivalry with Ga-young Kim

Ga-young Kim and Pheavy now each hold eight LPBA titles. Their matching totals give a clear measure of the Cambodian player's sustained success and make future meetings between them a focus for followers of the league.

South Korean and Japanese players have historically dominated the LPBA. Ga-young Kim and Jung-suk Lim have appeared frequently among its winners, while Ayako Sakai is another prominent competitor contributing to the standard of play.

Pheavy's repeated victories have broadened that competitive picture. A Cambodian player consistently winning against established opponents brings greater international attention and diversity to a league shaped heavily by its South Korean and Japanese talent.

The rivalry with Ga-young Kim is one part of a wider field. Jung-suk Lim, Sakai and other leading players ensure that reaching a final requires more than preparing for one familiar opponent. Pheavy's latest tournament illustrated that depth, with a Japanese opponent in the round of 16 followed by highly ranked South Korean players.

What professional success can fund

Prize money in the LPBA has increased in recent years alongside the sport's growing popularity and professionalism. Larger rewards have attracted more talent and helped raise the standard of competition.

The winner of the LPBA World Championship can receive up to 100 million Korean won, approximately US$75,000. That figure describes the possible prize at the World Championship; no amount was given for Pheavy's latest title.

For Pheavy, prize earnings also help support work outside sport. Much of her prize money goes into projects run through the Pheavy Foundation, linking her professional results to educational and social initiatives in Cambodia.

The foundation was established about a decade ago and supports education, healthcare and social welfare programmes. Its funding includes Pheavy's winnings and donations from Korean enterprises and individuals.

Bo-ra Kim's involvement as a director shows how those activities draw support from within the billiards community as well as from donors outside it. The foundation brings together money earned through competition and contributions from people who support its work.

What the victory means for Cambodian billiards

Mara Socheat of the CBSF has linked Pheavy's victories to the rising profile of Cambodian billiards and to greater investment in training and development programmes. Her success gives the federation a visible example of what a Cambodian competitor can achieve internationally.

Cambodia's 2023 SEA Games campaign and Pheavy's professional titles offer different routes to public recognition. Medals won while the country hosted the regional Games brought attention at home, while the LPBA exposes her performances to an international professional audience.

Young Cambodian athletes now have a prominent example in a sport where their country has been less widely known. Pheavy's influence extends beyond billiards through her role as a woman competing internationally, her public attachment to Cambodia and her charitable commitments.

Pheavy continues to train with further championships and international success in mind. Her rivalry with Ga-young Kim and competition against other leading players will remain central to that pursuit, while Cambodian sporting officials hope her achievements help more players reach international competition.

Her eighth title brings those ambitions into focus: another professional victory for Pheavy, more attention for Cambodian cue sports and continued support for community projects funded in part by her career.

Key Points

• Sruong Pheavy won the 2025–2026 LPBA Championship in South Korea, beating Bo-ra Kim in the final.
• Her eighth LPBA title brings her level with Ga-young Kim on eight championships each.
• Pheavy defeated Ayako Sakai in the round of 16 and recovered from two sets down against Kim Se-yeon in the semifinal.
• Her semifinal scores were 10–11, 2–11, 11–6, 11–3 and 11–6.
• She won gold and bronze medals at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games hosted by Cambodia.
• The Pheavy Foundation supports education, healthcare and social welfare in Cambodia, with funding from her prize money and Korean donors.
• Bo-ra Kim, her championship final opponent, has also served as a director of the foundation.