Singapore’s ‘new look’ men’s water polo squad ready to defend SEA Games gold

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s men’s water polo team is heading into next month’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games with a fresh look and renewed confidence to defend its crown.

The refreshed lineup will travel to Thailand determined to retain its gold medal, following its triumphant return to the top of the podium in Cambodia in 2023.

The team’s most recent victory came four years after its 54-year winning streak was broken in 2019. Before that, Singapore had been SEA Games champions for 27 consecutive editions. 

REFRESHED LINEUP

Captain Sanjiv Rajandra, who will be making his SEA Games debut, leads a 15-member squad that includes 10 other newcomers – marking the beginning of a new chapter for the regional powerhouse. 

Though relatively inexperienced, the 23-year-old is determined to uphold the country’s proud legacy.

“It's a lot of pride, and with that pride comes a lot of responsibility that I have to take on,” said Sanjiv, adding that the squad has been putting in the work and ironing out issues it previously faced. 

“I think the team is ready. We have been preparing for it. All of us are excited.”

With an average age of just 21, the squad consists largely of university students.

Among them is 16-year-old Chow Yong Jun – the youngest in the team – taking his first big leap onto the SEA Games stage. 

Juggling school or work with training sessions that stretch late into the night, the players have been sacrificing sleep in their pursuit of excellence – a challenge they have learned to tackle together.

“Our team is very young … so having to accommodate everybody's schedule with the training load has been a big challenge,” said Sanjiv. 

“But I think all my teammates understand the sacrifice it takes to be a national athlete. They understand that if they want to come back with a gold medal, they're going to have to sacrifice something.”

TOUGH PREPARATIONS 

Their journey so far has been one of grit and perseverance.

In July, the team made a historic debut at the World Aquatics Championships on home soil, finishing 15th out of 16 teams.

However, this experience proved useful in terms of improvement. Two months later, they placed fifth at the Asian Aquatics Championships in India.

Preparations for their SEA Games title defence in Thailand, however, are far from complete. 

Head coach Kan Aoyagi said the final stretch before the competition will be crucial. 

The team will soon host a Japanese university side for a sparring match before heading to China for a week ahead of the Games. 

Aoyagi expressed confidence in his players, noting that the current squad is stronger than those that competed at the previous SEA Games and Asian Games.

“We must beat all teams,” he said. “We don't have any issues, just that we must be careful (when playing) against Thailand, because Thailand has a host country advantage.”

The men’s water polo competition will run for five days in Bangkok, culminating in the final on Dec 19. 

Until then, the focus remains on fine-tuning strategies and sharpening gameplay. 

For the young squad, the Games present another opportunity to reaffirm the nation’s dominance in water polo.

Both players and coaching staff told CNA they are confident of reclaiming their position at the top of the podium. 

Vice captain Shaunn Lok, also a SEA Games debutant, said training has been intense, with up to 10 sessions a week spanning nearly 30 hours in total. 

“I think we should be able to win comfortably. That's our goal, to win comfortably for every game, and hopefully the results for every game will be … a clear victory,” he added. 

“We wouldn't want any close games or tight games that (suggest) that the gap is not that big, or that Thailand or the other (Southeast Asian) countries are still close competitors to us.”