| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
SINGAPORE: At the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand, Singapore emerged as the region's top swimming nation with a haul of 26 medals, 11 of which were gold.
With seven days to the start of the Laos SEA Games (December 9-18), the Singapore Swimming Association's (SSA) target is to equal their 2007 gold count.
In a telephone interview from his Phuket base Tuesday night, where Singapore's swim team are currently preparing for the Games, national head coach Ang Peng Siong told MediaCorp that 11 is a "healthy" target.
That's considering the absence of experienced heads like the now-retired Joscelin Yeo and America-based university students Bryan Tay and Nicholas Tan, whose examinations clash with the Games.
"We are working with a very young side, with 11 first-time SEA Games swimmers, so 11 (golds) is considered a healthy number," he said.
"We are hoping to win more than 11, but that's a starting point."
SSA secretary-general Oon Jin Gee added: "We always endeavour to better the previous outing. Gone are the days where we send swimmers to the SEA Games just for experience.
"We now expect them to aim for gold in every event they compete in.
"They all qualified on merit, and so we expect a lot more of them."
The SEA Games swimming competition, to be held at the National Sports Complex in Vientiane, the Laotian capital, from December 10-14, will have 32 gold medals on offer.
Swimming traditionally accounts for most of Singapore's overall medal tally at the biennial Games, and with bowling and sailing dropped from the schedule, there is more pressure on the swimmers to deliver.
However, Singapore will face tough competition again from the Philippines - in particular Ryan Arabejo and Miguel Molina, the 2007 SEA Games' top male athletes with four golds.
In July, Arabejo, the defending 200m backstroke and 1,500m freestyle champion, clocked 3min 57.25sec in the 400m freestyle at the USA Swimming Speedo Championship series in Florida, surpassing the SEA Games record of 3:57.34 set by Thailand's Torlarp Sethosothon in 1995.
But Yeo, the winningest athlete in SEA Games history with 40 gold medals in eight appearances from 1991 to 2005, offered words of encouragement for Singapore's current swim team.
"Trust the training you've done, focus on what you can control, ebb and flow with situations and things beyond your control," she said. "Most of all, have fun."
On Sunday, 19 of the Republic's 23-strong swim team - which includes the likes of Beijing Olympics women's 100m butterfly finalist Tao Li and top Asian Youth Games female athlete Quah Ting Wen - left for the week-long training camp at the Phuket British International School.
Preparations were given an early boost when their carrier Thai Airways waived excess baggage fees as a goodwill gesture, which the Singapore swim team deeply appreciated.
"The main focus is on pacing themselves, resting and recovering. So we're minimising any additional activities," said Ang.
Team manager Aloysius Yeo added: "It's been a good training environment as it is far from all the distractions.
"Here's a one-stop facility where you can find a good pool, dining and dry land training facilities. The swimmers can also have adequate rest to recover."
- TODAY/yb
|
