Singapore Sports Scene

Discussion in 'Chit-Chat' started by Loh, Jan 13, 2016.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Athletics: Shanti Pereira in a 'really good position' now

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    National sprinter Shanti Pereira, 22, during the launch of Singapore Open Track and Field Championships at National Stadium’s OCBC Lounge on March 27, 2019.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

    Published
    Mar 27, 2019, 10:18 pm SGT

    Nicole Chia
    cnicole@sph.com.sg

    As Singapore Athletics (SA) announced its path to the sport's rejuvenation yesterday, which included the unveiling of three sponsors, national sprinter Shanti Pereira is also approaching the year with a new spring in her step.

    The 22-year-old starts her season today at the Singapore Open Track and Field Championships at the National Stadium, where she will compete in the women's 200m and 4x100m mixed relay, and the women's 4x100m tomorrow.

    The Singapore Management University undergraduate had suffered a grade two hamstring tear during the 100m final of the same meet last April. A recurrence of the injury in June meant she did not get much time last year to train for her pet 200m event, although she competed in both the 100m and 200m events at the Asian Games. She failed to get into the finals of both events at the Jakarta Asiad.

    She told The Straits Times yesterday: "The aim of this meet and the reason I'm not doing both the 100m and 200m is because I want to focus on the 200m, just getting used to the curve.

    "I'm just hoping to get a decent time - a sub-24 (second), maybe a 23.8 or 23.7."

    The 2015 SEA Games 200m champion met the 100m qualifying mark of 11.76 for this year's edition in the Philippines when she clocked 11.74 at the Asean University Games last December.

    "My preparations have been pretty good since last year, after the Asian Games.

    "I feel I'm in the right head space, physically I'm getting stronger and I feel I'm ready for the season," added Pereira, who was third in both the 100m and 200m events at the 2017 SEA Games.

    Then, she broke down in tears after losing her 200m crown. Her coach Margaret Oh revealed that she was affected by the infighting within SA's management earlier.

    Yesterday, Pereira said: "These kinds of things happen in an athlete's career... I feel like I've been through a lot over the past couple of years and I'm not harping on it.

    "I've been through all these things, so now I'm in a really good position to give it all I have for this year, next year and the years after."

    SA yesterday unveiled sports apparel brand Under Armour, isotonic drink Pocari Sweat and traditional Chinese medicine expert Kin Teck Tong as its partners.

    The total value of the three sponsorships amounted to a six-figure sum, in cash and kind.

    Tang Weng Fei, who is serving his third stint as SA president after being elected last October, is optimistic about the sport's future.

    In January, 10 local coaches were appointed to lead the senior and age-group relay teams. Earlier this month, 27-year-old Soh Rui Yong lowered the men's national marathon record and hurdler Marc Brian Louis, 16, won Singapore's first Asian Youth Athletics Championships title.

    Referring to these results and initiatives, Tang told ST: "(This) is testament that what we have put in place so far is correct.

    "Our target is really 2021 and beyond... I really hope these youth athletes can continue to improve.

    "I'm looking forward to (the 2021 SEA Games), I think we could get at least 10 medals."

    Almost 400 athletes from 14 countries will be competing at the two-day Singapore Open, which is held concurrently with the final two days of track and field events for the National School Games.

    In addition to Pereira, other stars include Chinese Taipei's Cheng Chao-tsun, the men's javelin Asian record holder and Asian Games men's pole vault bronze medallist Patsapong Amsam-Ang of Thailand.
     
  2. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    S’porean ladies are OG sprint queens who held national gold records for more than 3 decades
    https://mothership.sg/2019/03/glory-barnabas-k-jayamani-singaporean-runners/

    Almost Famous: Glory Barnabas & K Jayamani have recently been inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. :)

    Joshua Lee | [​IMG]March 31, 11:35 am

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    When 22-year-old Shanti Pereira won a gold medal in the 200m sprint in the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, she broke a 42-year-old record last set by one Glory Barnabas.

    She also broke a 36-year-old dry spell of track golds clinched by Singaporean women at the Games ever since long-distance runner Kandasamy Jayamani took home two (and set two still-unbeaten national records in the process) in 1979.

    Now, these two names of our longtime record holders — Glory Barnabas and K. Jayamani — might not ring a bell for most of us today, but the two of them are, and were, legendary sporting icons — especially in their heyday in Singapore, in the 1970s and 80s.

    And in honour of their contributions to the Singapore sporting scene, both Barnabas and Jayamani, now a ripe young 77 and 63 respectively, were last weekend inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.

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    K. Jayamani (left) and Glory Barnabas (right). Photo by Rachel Ng.

    Gold medal Glory
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    Glory Barnabas. Photo by Rachel Ng.

    Barnabas is best known for her double gold medals in the 4x100m and the 200m races at the 1973 SEAP Games — the first-ever international sporting event held in Singapore.

    The then 31-year-old was a dark horse that nobody expected to win.

    Aside from being not as young as one might expect an athlete at their peak condition to be, Barnabas had never won a gold medal at an international meet prior. She had previously chalked up three bronzes in the 1967 SEAP Games, and another three silvers in 1969 but the gold medal always stayed slightly out of reach.

    Added on to that was the fact that Barnabas had stopped competitive running and training for three years from 1970 to focus on her teaching career.

    But, sitting down to an interview with Mothership recently, she tells us she thought since Singapore was hosting the Games, it would be her last chance to try for an international gold medal for the country.

    That being said, the thought of competing against runners who were much younger than her of course had her worried:

    “Everybody expected one of the Burmese girls, Than Than, to win, and they were all talking about her. She was in Lane 3 while I was in Lane 1. Keeping her as a benchmark, I just tried to keep up with her. As we came round the corner, to the last 100m, I saw that she was one metre ahead so I ran as fast as I could and at the finish line I just lunged forward.”

    She had anger as a driver working in her favour too — not long prior, at the opening of the Grand Old Dame two months prior to the SEAP Games, the late and then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore wasn’t interested in medals, just in getting Singaporeans to engage in sport as a lifelong pursuit.

    “We, the athletes, were so angry. We were going for medals. The girls were all worked up: ‘We must show him!'”

    And show him she did — she lunged, it was a photo finish. The crowd roared, and for Singaporeans that day, winning a gold medal was especially sweet since it happened on home ground.

    The Straits Times called her “Glorious Glory” while New Nation trumpeted her win as a shock victory for Singapore.

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    Adapted from NewspaperSG.

    From Glory fan to making own gold medal history for Singapore
    But perhaps the person who Barnabas’s win made the most impact on was 18-year-old Jayamani, who was cheering for her idol among the euphoric crowd that day, and hoping to similarly one day make her mark on the international stage.

    “By then I was already in the training squad (for the national team). In fact, when our seniors were training for the SEA Games, I used to go and join them. I used to train with the long-distance group,” says Jayamani.

    She did not need to wait long. Four years later, Jayamani took home her first gold medals (Singapore’s first in those events, too) at the 1977 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, in the 1,500m and 3,000m races.

    It was an incredible (apart from being historic) feat, especially bearing in mind that the 1977 Games was her first-ever.

    “I was competing against experienced girls from Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia and they had already taken part in at least two SEA Games. It was not easy for me.

    But my coach said ‘Never mind, you just follow them as much as you can. You still have a chance; it depends on how you’re going to run the race.'”

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    K. Jayamani. Photo by Rachel Ng.

    So as the 1,500m race started, Jayamani tried to keep as close as possible to her opponents and paced herself according to their speed.

    It was at the last 200m that Jayamani broke free from the group and sprinted as fast as she could to the finish line.

    “It was like oh my God! Beating those experienced girls was not easy, and I was so very very happy.”

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    Via NewspaperSG.

    In the subsequent 3,000m race, Jayamani employed the same strategy except this time, she waited until the last 100m before she broke free of the group, beat Filipino “Bionic Girl” Arsenia Sagaray, and claimed her second gold medal.
     
    #362 Loh, Mar 31, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2019
  3. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Her records still stand, 37 years on
    Jayamani went on to not only defend her twin titles at the 1979 Jakarta SEA Games, but in the 1983 edition, even struck yet another historic gold in the women’s marathon. She was also the first Singaporean to win at the SEA Games marathon.

    No woman has yet been able to repeat her gold-medal success in any of these three events.

    Yvonne Danson would 12 years later shave 28 seconds off her 3:02:46 timing, but to date, Jayamani is still Singapore’s only female marathon gold medallist, and her 1,500 and 3,000m timings from 1982, by the way, are still unbeaten national records.

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    Jayamani at the 1979 SEA Games. Courtesy of K. Jayamani.

    Jayamani’s journey: from brisk-walking to long-distance running
    For Jayamani, sports was always a family affair. Her father and sisters were into sports. From badminton to volleyball to basketball — you name it, she’s played it.

    “For me it was not difficult. My father and two elder sisters were into brisk walking and slowly I did it too. I also took part in school sports. My father allowed me to take part in all types of sports.”

    She started competing in sports meets when she was 13, first as a competitive walker and then running in 1,500m races. She found that she was pretty good, often placing in the top three, and was spotted by Maurice Nicholas, the coach of a local sports club.

    “He said to me, why don’t you take a day or two days to come run at Farrer Park Stadium,” she explained.

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    Medals that Jayamani won during her childhood. Photo by Rachel Ng.

    From then, she started to train as a long-distance runner under Nicholas. Over time, she started to devote more of her time to running in sports meets and cross country runs instead of competitive walking.

    Training alongside male runners
    Jayamani says her training under Nicholas was rather unique.

    “I was a rose placed among thorns,” she laughs. “He placed me among the boys to run and my goal was to keep up with them. The idea is to push myself and meet the target time.”

    Her training took place in the morning on her own and in the evening at the Farrer Park Stadium track where she did time trials, laps, and dashes to train her stamina.

    Nicholas, she says, was a strict but very caring coach.

    “He was strict in the sense that made sure we reached our target time. If you don’t, he would tell you that you’re not putting in enough effort otherwise you’re not going to go anywhere. He won’t shout but he will give sensible advice.”

    Barnabas’s journey: from netball to sprinting
    Barnabas was also talent-spotted early.

    “When I was in school, I was a very good netball player. Somehow, they found me to be very good as a runner because I had the speed. They made me the centre player. That was my first love.”

    Barnabas was also often fielded by her school in district sports day competitions where she took part in 4x100m relay races.

    “So my teachers would pick us up — myself and a few others — drive us to another school and take part in their races,” she says. “That’s how I got started.”

    After graduating from secondary school, Barnabas enrolled herself at the Teachers’ Training College. By then, almost all her free time disappeared and, being the practical Singaporean she was, she decided to give up sports to concentrate on her training.

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    Two of Glory’s gold medals. Photo by Rachel Ng.

    However, in 1962, during her second year in teacher’s training, a chance encounter reignited her passion as an athlete.

    That year, the training college organised a sports meet at Farrer Park Stadium.

    A miracle comeback
    On the day of the meet, one of the relay sprinters fell sick. Immediately, her team mate phoned Barnabas and asked her to replace the girl.

    “I had no training whatsoever, no warm-up and landed at Farrer Park. It’s a wonder I didn’t tear a muscle,” Barnabas laughs. “And instead of making me the first or second runner, they made me the last runner!”

    Nevertheless, Barnabas took on the challenge and ran:

    “When I got the baton (at the fourth leg of the race), I was last! But I managed to run through and we became first. It was so exciting — from last to first!”

    Immediately after the race, the late national coach Tan Eng Yoon, who was also a lecturer at the Teachers’ Training College, took Barnabas aside and said, “Glory, you will now start coming for training every day.”

    Training under Tan was tough. She had to practise her starts, and ran multiple laps ranging between 200m and 400m — and this was daily, from 4pm to 7pm at Farrer Park Stadium.

    However, if there was one thing she learnt, it was that training does not always guarantee record-breaking times. For a sport where one millisecond determines success, there is a plethora of factors that affect performance.

    “That’s the thing about training. You can never do the best time every time even though you know you put in a lot of hard work, you’ve taken your meals properly, you’ve had rest, still it does not work. There’s going t0 be a point where you hit a plateau.”

    “You can get 13.1, 13.3, 13.4 seconds for a long time,” she says, “and suddenly out of nowhere you hit 12.9. It happens that way.”

    Singaporeans haven’t been able to replicate success because they’re distracted
    It’s not a stretch to say that things were much tougher for athletes in the past. They had no world-class facilities or sports science, much less a specialised sports school to help athletes reach their peak condition.

    Even the spikes on Barnabas’s and Jayamani’s shoes were manually nailed in at a tiny shop in Selegie.

    “Now it’s all high class — Brooks, adidas, Asics. During our time we had to screw in the nails,” Barnabas smiles.

    So if athletes have it better today, why do we not see a repeat of Singapore’s golden generation of track and field athletes from the 60s and 70s?

    Barnabas’s take is Singaporeans today are distracted — by the paper chase, for example:

    “Parents today want more from their kids. They don’t want them to spend too much time outside of their studies. The main thing is still your studies because that’s going to get you somewhere, not sports and stuff like that.

    Students are at a loss. To do well you cannot just do the minimum training.”

    Barnabas says athletes need to have C.P.F. — Commitment, Perseverance, and Focus — without these, a full-time athlete will not be able to reach peak performance; never mind a “part-time” one.

    “A one-hour training is not enough. You need to train twice a day, four or five hours or so. You need to put in the time. But parents are afraid their studies will suffer… At the end of the day, it’s paper qualifications that matter,” she says with a slightly sad smile.

    But this isn’t to say that studies aren’t important, Jayamani adds:

    “During our time, an O-Level can still get you a job, but today, you need a degree.”

    Back then, young athletes didn’t have much in the form of entertainment to distract them.
    “We work, we go to track, and we come home. We didn’t go to see the pictures for entertainment too,” Jayamani says.

    “Today there’s so much on the internet, and so many games. So youngsters might question why they need to torture their bodies to train when they can enjoy their games instead!”

    Coaching, teaching & now still giving back
    Today, both ladies are perhaps not as fast as they were in their heydays, but they are still running, and they’re not just giving back to the sport they made history for Singapore in — they’re also making a difference in society, in their own small ways.

    Jayamani coached a little after retiring from competitive running in 1992 with the Singapore Athletics Association, and then continued on her own as a track instructor in various schools like Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and CHIJ St. Joseph.

    That stopped in 2008 after she decided to become a full-time as a caretaker for a boy who has autism:

    “My initial goal was to be a coach as a way of giving back — and I did it along the way. But things changed. Now I’m still coaching in a way and giving this child the best he can get to become independent.”

    Meanwhile, Barnabas taught at various schools including Mountbatten Primary, Willow Avenue Secondary, and went on to set up Tampines Junior College’s Physical Education department. She still relief teaches from time to time, by the way.

    And although she left the national team in 1977, she remained active in competitive sports and continued winning on the world stage.

    In 1987, at a sprightly 45, Barnabas won a gold medal in the 200m sprint at the World Masters Athletics Championships — a competition for athletes above 35 — in Melbourne, Australia.

    More recently, aged 71, she picked up the gold medal in the high jump and the silver medal in the long jump at the same meet — making it sound as easy as picking up vegetables at the supermarket.
    And today, she is still the President of the Singapore Masters Athletics, the local governing body for athletes aged 35 and up.

    These two great Singaporean women may no longer be running for Singapore today, but they’re definitely an inspiration for all of us.

    Top photo by Rachel Ng
     
    #363 Loh, Mar 31, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2019
  4. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore’s young bowlers stage comeback to win gold at Asian meet
    https://www.tnp.sg/sports/others/singapores-young-bowlers-stage-comeback-win-gold-asian-meet

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    All smiles from Singapore's victorious teams of boys (behind, from left) Brandon Ong, Eugene Yeo, Jomond Chia and Xavier Teo; and girls (front, from left) Jermaine Seah, Charlene Lim, Charmaine Chang and Amabel Chua. PHOTO: ABF ONLINE

    They strike back to win the golds, while Amabel and Brandon claim all-events titles
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    Laura Chia

    Apr 24, 2019 06:00 am

    Trailing by 243 pinfalls after the first day of the team event, Singapore's girls' bowling team came from behind to retain their title at the 20th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in Kuching, Malaysia, after a "nerve-racking" second block yesterday.

    The team - comprising Charmaine Chang, Amabel Chua, Jermaine Seah and Charlene Lim - notched 4,664 pinfalls to win the gold medal ahead of South Korea (4,628) and Malaysia (4,617).

    Said 18-year-old Amabel: "During the second block, we all knew that there was still hope for us to clinch the gold.

    "If one of us opens a frame, we will try our best to cover each other. We made sure we threw one shot at a time and focused only on the present.

    "I thought that our fighting spirit and perseverance made us what we are today."

    The boys' team of Brandon Ong, Eugene Yeo, Xavier Teo and Jomond Chia also came from behind to clinch the gold with 5,123 pinfalls, after finishing third in the first block on Monday.

    The Philippines ended second with 4,996, followed by South Korea on 4,979.

    Amabel and Brandon also won the girls' and boys' all-events titles respectively after their aggregate scores in the April 17-25 event.

    Amabel chalked up 3,652, ahead of Malaysia's Gillian Lim (3,609), while Jermaine took the bronze with 3,594.

    Brandon had 4,103, followed by Malaysian Muhammad Hafiz (3,933) and Filipino Merwin Tan (3,860).

    National head coach Helmi Chew hailed their performance as "a great lesson in never giving up".

    He said: "It was a wonderful result from both the boys and girls. Fighting from behind today showed lots of grit and character from both teams."

    Earlier in the competition, Brandon and Jomond clinched the boys' doubles title with 2,740 while Amabel and Charmaine finished third in the girls' doubles with 2,354.

    The girls' team, along with Brandon, Jomond and Xavier, also qualified for the Masters finals, which will take place today and tomorrow.

    While winning the all-events title is a confidence-booster for Amabel, she said: "I still have to be focused on doing things that can be controlled, which is my process, and get it right. The results will come after."

    Singapore are leading the overall medal tally with five golds and two bronzes.
     
  5. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    #Fitspo of the Week: Sherwin Goh
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    Cheryl Tay
    Fit To Post Sports27 May 2019

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    Sherwin Goh is a physical education teacher. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

    Life goes beyond the digits on the scale and your body is capable of so much more. Yahoo’s #Fitspo of the Week series is dedicated to inspirational men and women in Singapore leading healthy and active lifestyles.

    Have someone to recommend? Hit Cheryl up on Instagram or Facebook.

    Name: Sherwin Goh (@sherwin.goh)
    Age: 27
    Height: 1.73m
    Weight: 70kg
    Occupation: Physical Education teacher
    Status: Single

    Diet: Standard breakfast: Eggs, wholemeal bread/cereal and milk. Usual lunch: Economical rice or minced meat noodles. Usual dinner: Mum’s cooking which is generally very healthy with rarely any fried stuff, little oil and salt. Usual snacks: Fruit and wholemeal bread that I spread every morning to bring to work. Usually do not buy any unhealthy snacks or drinks, so the only time that I consume those products is when someone gives them to me.

    Training: Varies from month to month, but I play soccer, badminton, table tennis, and I also run, swim and do acro yoga and rock climbing." data-reactid="39">Training: Varies from month to month, but I play soccer, badminton, table tennis, and I also run, swim and do acro yoga and rock climbing.

    Q: What kind of sports did you do as a kid?
    A: As a kid, my dad thought that it was important to learn how to swim, cycle and skate, so he taught me those – as well as skiing – when I was four years old. I fell in love with soccer when I started playing it in Primary 4 and continued playing it through the years. Then I joined the track team at the end of Primary 5 and represented my school in the 400m event in Primary 6.

    I was on the cross-country team in secondary school, and played loads of badminton and table tennis in the last few months leading up to the O Levels. I also canoed competitively during my junior college days and also took part in a dragonboat competition.

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    Sherwin Goh takes part in many sporting activities, including football, badminton, ultimate frisbee and floorball. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

    Wow, you were so active! And you still are!
    Yes, I continued to be active. I really fell in love with badminton towards the end of my army days and played nearly every day before my undergrad days. Till today, I still continue to play badminton weekly.

    In university, I decided to just participate in inter-hall competitions and represented my hall for running and soccer. That’s also when I started participating in random small competitions that involve running, like adventure and amazing races because it is fun to win them. I also represented my faculty for ultimate frisbee and floorball in my fourth year, when we won both titles.

    In my third year at university, I learnt how to use the gym properly and realised the importance of it for health, so I try to hit the gym now and then. I also took some parkour lessons with Move Academy during the time between my undergrad and Masters studies.

    I was away at University of Nottingham for my Masters and I spent most of my time hitting the gym until my thighs couldn’t fit into my jeans, and I had to go around in my running shorts even in winter. That was when I tried bouldering for the first time and fell in love with it. I really enjoy outdoor adventures whenever I get the chance to do them, like canyoning, ice climbing, via ferrata (protected climbing), mountain biking, snow dog sledding and skydiving. I also try to have a ski trip every year since I was four and I picked up snowboarding around 2014 when double black diamond (expert) slopes became easy for me to ski down.

    I graduated a few months ago and came back to Singapore, and started dabbling in obstacle course racing, calisthenics and acro yoga. I also taught myself how to swim from YouTube, so I could do a lifeguard course.
     
  6. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    You are involved in quite a lot of different activities, are there any intentions to specialise in one?
    Currently I do about 10 different activities on a regular basis. The various activities bring about different forms of enjoyment, but also similarities such as socialisation, and the intrinsic joy from just doing them.

    Movement-type activities which I have less experience in – like bouldering, parkour, calisthenics and acro yoga – give me enjoyment from learning new things, overcoming challenges, and then being able to teach others what I have learnt.
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    Sherwin Goh's long-term fitness goal is to extend the longevity of his healthy body. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
    Team sports such as badminton and soccer give me the greatest joy when I am able to develop the confidence of my weaker team members and give them the chance to prove to themselves that they can do it.
    Lastly, individual sports like hitting the gym and running give me enjoyment from the fact that I am disciplined enough to take care of my health, and how I feel and look after doing a workout. I also enjoy being good at the activity itself, and winning competitions.
    Having been selected for the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games training squad for laser shoot and run, I will specialise in that for the time being.
    What are your fitness goals now?
    My long-term fitness goal is to extend the longevity of my healthy body. In order to do so, I try to prevent injuries and understand my body more, through movement activities like parkour, calisthenics and acro yoga. However, in the shorter term, it would be to improve in all the sports that I am doing, from running faster (since I just got into the SEA games training squad for laser shoot and run), to climbing more difficult grades when bouldering.

    When did you feel the least confident about yourself?
    When I was depressed, life goes into whack. This happened a couple of times over the last 10 years and I believe it stemmed from being a perfectionist in my school work.
    How did you overcome it?
    Returning back to my regular sporting activities was a major factor in coming out of depression, and my confidence naturally returned too.
    Are you contented with your body now?
    I am contented, but not satisfied. I believe that I can always improve my strength, speed, stamina, flexibility and more.
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    As a PE teacher, Sherwin Goh hopes to reduce the number of sporting injuries in Singapore through education on sports injury prevention. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)

    Why did you choose to study sports science?
    I guess by now you can tell that my life revolves around sports, so I wanted to get a job related to it and one that allowed me to keep active on the job. It was also a plus point to be studying something that I was interested in.
    You just completed your masters in applied sports and exercise medicine. How do you hope to contribute to the local sports scene?
    I hope to reduce the number of sporting injuries in Singapore through education on sports injury prevention. This is especially vital with more Singaporeans getting involved in sport as we move towards realising a sporting nation. Minimising injuries will not only reduce acute pain, but will also prevent chronic pain and increase sport participation, and in turn decrease the associated healthcare and socioeconomic costs of injuries. I aim to realise this vision through my career as a Physical Education teacher and also via outreach in the sporting community.
    Some of current contributions include conducting an injury prevention workshop for runners, volunteering as a pacer for running events, freely dispensing my knowledge and advice regarding sports injuries and writing articles on sports injury prevention.

    What are some misconceptions of fitness in today’s society?
    I would say that believing in any claim that a single solution is the best for a target would be a misconception. For example, just doing crunches will give you six-pack abs would be a misconception. A target such as getting six-pack abs would probably require a combination of several factors such as a proper diet, doing resistance and cardio exercises, and having adequate recovery. If you want to try something new, think whether it will have a negative impact on your body in the long run. More is not always better, progressive training is the key to the prevention of overuse injuries.
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    Singapore #Fitspo of the Week: Sherwin Goh. (PHOTO: Cheryl Tay)
     
  7. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    'This has been my dream since day one': Singapore’s Constance Lien wins world title in jujitsu

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    Constance Lien won the gold medal in the blue belt featherweight category at the 2019 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship. (Photo: Facebook / Team Singapore)

    By Matthew Mohan
    @MatthewMohanCNA
    31 May 2019 12:03PM (Updated: 31 May 2019 02:08PM)

    SINGAPORE: Sixty competitors, six rounds and at the end of it all, stood one winner - Singapore's Constance Lien.

    As the time finally ticked down at the 2019 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Long Beach, California on Thursday (May 30), the 19-year-old leapt up and let out a triumphant shriek.

    Singapore’s first Asian Games medallist in the sport of jujitsu had added a world title - a gold medal in the blue belt featherweight category - to the list of her burgeoning achievements.

    "This has been my dream since day one," Lien told CNA. "I couldn't stop crying the moment I knew I won.

    "It wasn't an easy fight - I was fighting the best of the best. It was an intimidating experience and I wouldn't have gotten so far without the support of my gym, my instructors, my training partners and my family and God.

    "This support system means so much to me and it really made a difference."

    Singapore’s first medal in the sport, a silver, at the Asian Games in Indonesia. She was also crowned Sportsgirl of the Year at the Singapore Sports Awards earlier this month.

    Lien, who recently graduated from Temasek Polytechnic, has taken a year off her academic pursuits to focus on jujitsu.

    Next up for her will be the Ju-jitsu Asian Championship in Mongolia this July, which also serves as a qualifier for this year's SEA Games.

    The youngster will be relishing the opportunity. She said: "Every competition is another challenge, you never know what will happen."


    Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/jujitsu-constance-lien-world-title-11584194
     

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    Loh Regular Member

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    19-year-old Singaporean wins ju-jitsu world title

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    PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao and Walter Lien

    Adeena Mohamed Nagib
    The New Paper
    Jun 01, 2019

    Ju-jitsu exponent Constance Lien was caught in a triangle-choke submission in the finals of the World IBJJF Championships, with just 20 seconds standing between the Singaporean and her dream of becoming a world champion.

    Lien, 19, was leading against Brazilian Jaine da Silva Fragoso, 21, in that final bout in Long Beach, California, on Friday morning (May 31, Singapore time). But, with her opponent's arm restraining her neck, she had to hold on long enough to turn her dream into a reality.

    She told The New Paper through a phone interview that her win was an emotional one, with tears trickling down as soon as the buzzer went off.

    "Before I went on my knees and bawled my eyes out, I actually screamed! It was a whole drama scene. I cried, I ran to hug my coach, and then to the stands to hug my dad and bawled even more," she said.

    The Temasek Polytechnic graduate, who is on a gap year to focus on her training, powered through six rounds of fights in the blue-belt featherweight division to become a ju-jitsu world champion.

    Lien, who was named the Sportsgirl of the Year at the Singapore Sports Awards earlier this month after winning an Asian Games silver medal in ju-jitsu last year, revealed that her hardest fight came in the quarter-final against Julia de Jesus Alves of Grappling Fight Team.

    Singapore's Constance Lien (on top) defeating Thailand's Onanong Sangsirichok in the Round of 16 of the women's jujitsu 62kg category.

    "That fight was the toughest. I was up against (Alves) who won the absolute category - no-weight category - of the blue belt at this competition last year," she said.

    "Then in the final, I was fighting her teammate Fragoso, and Alves was helping her out on how to beat me. I told myself to just give it my all and see where it takes me."

    On the podium, Lien was instantly promoted to a purple belt. Next, she will be competing at the Jiu-jitsu Asian Championships, which serves as a SEA Games qualifier, in Mongolia in July.

    "It was my dream to become a world champion… Now, my dream again is to become a world champion at the purple belt," she said.

    Teco Shinzato, her trainer at Evolve MMA gym, was proud of Lien's feat.

    "We are all extremely proud of her achievements and her newly deserved title as a Brazilian ju-jitsu world champion. She has a very bright future in ju-jitsu and I'm very excited to see her continued success," he said.

    Besides winning the title, Lien is happy to put Singapore on the world map among the ju-jitsu community.

    She said, with a laugh: "No one knew where Singapore was and they were so impressed with my English. But I just hope this inspires girls at home to know that anything is possible."
     
  9. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Football: Ikhsan Fandi the match-winner as Singapore Under-22s beat Thais 1-0 to capture Merlion Cup

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    The Singapore U-22 team celebrating after they won the Merlion Cup, on June 9, 2019.ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA

    Published
    Jun 9, 2019, 9:50 pm SGT
    Updated
    4 hours ago

    SINGAPORE - The Young Lions' hopes of making it to at least the semi-finals of this year's SEA Games - after group-stage eliminations in 2015 and 2017 - will be boosted after they beat the Thailand Under-22s 1-0 to win the Merlion Cup final on Sunday (June 9).

    In front of 3,477 fans, including local tycoon Peter Lim who followed the action from the VIP stand at Jalan Besar, Fandi Ahmad's team created history by becoming the first Singapore team to win the competition outright in eight editions.

    In 1985, the Lions had finished joint champions with the Yugoslav Olympic team.

    Fandi said: "I'm very happy because it has been some time since we last won a trophy. It is important we learn from this victory and build on this for the years to come."

    In recent years, it has become an undisputed fact that Singapore are behind Thailand in terms of pace and technique.

    Get to know Irfan and Ikhsan Fandi | The Straits Times

    But it is never a given that stronger teams always win. It is up to weaker teams to be hungrier and find a way outwit their opponents, be it through well-drilled tactical moves, well-rehearsed set-pieces or simply making the most of the limited opportunities in the game.

    And that was the case for the Singapore U-22s as they manfully held their defensive shape. Midfielder Jacob Mahler was in the wars as he provided a superb screen for goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad and centre-backs Irfan Fandi and Lionel Tan.

    In front of them, Joshua Pereira was equally tenacious, while Man of the Match Hami Syahin was composed with the ball and distribution.

    Thailand U-22 coach Alexandre Gama perhaps paid the Young Lions the best compliment when he said:

    "We could not play our football because Singapore did very well to run and press. They impressed me with their high level of physical condition. They were tall and strong, and their attitude was amazing."

    And perhaps most importantly, the Young Lions now have a clinical poacher in Ikhsan Fandi, who has grabbed six goals in his last seven games for club and country.

    The Raufoss striker, who scored in a 34-minute cameo during the 3-0 win over the Philippines in the semi-finals on Friday, came on in the 32nd minute on Sunday and took just four minutes to make an impression.

    The 20-year-old took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the Thai ranks to round Korraphat Nareechan, who had charged out of his box. And despite a slip, Ikhsan still managed to bury his shot into the bottom corner.

    The rest of Fandi's team also impressed.

    They pressed hard aggressively to retrieve possession and won numerous free-kicks in wide positions in the Thailand's half, which gave Irfan the chance to attack Syahrul Sazali or Hami's deliveries.

    However, it is important to note that while Thailand were able to call 1.98m Italian-born defender Marco Ballini, they were missing key players such as Buriram attackers Supachok Sarachat and Supachai Jaided who were called up to the senior team.

    The rule change to allow two overaged players for the year-end SEA Games in the Philippines could also be a gamechanger should Thailand capitalise on their depth and include established stars like Chanathip Songkrasin and Teerasil Dangda.

    Fandi said: "We will be underdogs at the SEA Games. We need to have a good training game to keep up our fitness levels. It is not that we don't have good players, but we need a good strategy that fits what we have and we got to play to our strengths."

    Hami added: "It means a lot to win a trophy on home ground in front of our own fans. We had no fear of Thailand even before today, we believed we could beat them but we should focus on improving ourselves and not on others.

    "This is a good stepping stone on us and we should build on the momentum from this competition and the AFC Under-23 qualifiers (in March when Singapore were unbeaten against Hong Kong, North Korea and Mongolia)."

    In the earlier third-place play-off yesterday, Indonesia U-22s beat their Filipino counterparts 5-0.
     
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    https://www.foxsportsasia.com/footb...fter-hard-fought-1-0-win-over-thailand-u-23s/

    Asian Football | 17 h ago
    Merlion Cup 2019: 5 talking points as Singapore lift the title after hard-fought 1-0 win over Thailand U-23s

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    [​IMG] Adwaidh Rajan

    Hosts Singapore U-23 national team defeated Thailand U-23s in a nervy final to win the rebooted Merlion Cup 2019 title at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Sunday.

    Meanwhile in the third-place play-off held earlier in the day, there was a comfortable 5-0 win for Indra Sjafri’s Indonesia U-23s over a hapless Philippines side who finished the tournament goalless.

    Here, FOX Sports Asia takes a look at the five major talking points from the final day of the tournament…
    1) Garuda Muda salvage some pride

    Ide foto tim sebelum sepak mula. #PSSINow #KitaGaruda pic.twitter.com/XXE7hUqfR4
    — PSSI (@PSSI) June 9, 2019

    There was a lot riding for Indonesia when they faced Thailand in the opener of the Merlion Cup. After all, it was a chance for them to prove that February’s 2-1 win over the Changusek in the final of the AFF U-22 Championship 2019 wasn’t a fluke. However, it was a reversal of the result this time at the Jalan Besar Stadium as Thailand progressed to the final with a 2-1 win. And that is why the thumping of Philippines means some pride salvaged for Garuda Muda. The Indonesian fans can also cheer for Muhammad Rafli who was pretty impressive with his movement and finishing abilities scoring a hattrick to down the Azkals.

    2) Grim reading for SEA Games hosts Azkals
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    The Philippines are scheduled to host the Southeast Asian Games 2019 from November 30 to December 10 later this year and it will be their U-23 that will represent the country in the men’s football competition at the Games. However, the Merlion Cup 2019 has shown that the young Azkals are some way off from competing against their ASEAN peers. The 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers held earlier this year saw them lose against China PR 8-0, Malaysia 3-0 and even Laos 3-2! And the Merlion Cup was further proof that they could be in for some embarrassing results on their home soil in December if they cannot improve rapidly.

    3) Gama’s Thailand swansong ends in despair
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    The Merlion Cup final was most likely to be coach Alexandre Gama’s final game in charge of the Thailand U-23 side. Gama is wanted by Thai League giants Muangthong United and talks are set to take place between the Brazilian coach and Football Association of Thailand (FAT) once he returns from the Merlion Cup. However, it is expected that Gama will leave as FAT have already confirmed they are searching for replacements. However, Gama could not finish his stint on a high as Singapore snatched a 1-0 win over the Thais. With the coach’s departure coming just months before the important SEA Games, FAT will need to move quickly to appoint a new gaffer for these talented youngsters.

    4) Ikhsan impresses for Young Lions
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    Ikhsan Fandi wasn’t called up to the Singapore senior national team for their friendlies against Solomon Islands and Myanmar by new head coach Tatsuma Yoshida due to his U-23 commitments. But the 20-year-old has proved during the two games in the tournament that he belongs to a level above the U-23s. The young striker had scored one of the three goals in Singapore’s 3-0 rout of Philippines in the opener and was once again the difference between the Lions and War Elephants in the final. Ikhsan recovered from a slip and showed excellent composure to stick the ball into the back of the net from distance in the 36th minute which remained the goal that won his side the Merlion Cup 2019.

    5) Merlion Cup win a boost for Singapore

    Singapore take home the Merlion Cup 2019 after a tough fight in the final! Well done champions! #MC19 pic.twitter.com/su7j9ZI2K4
    — FAS (@FASingapore) June 9, 2019

    The Merlion Cup result will come as a huge boost for Singapore U-23 ahead of the SEA Games. Thailand did miss a few key players due to senior team duty at the King’s Cup 2019, but the Young Lions still had a huge task in front of them to defeat the Changsuek who were the favourites for the title and had got the better of a strong Indonesia side in the opener. Coach Fandi Ahmad can be pleased with the performances of several of his young players and will be hoping to base future successes on this Merlion Cup triumph.

    (Photos courtesy: Football Association of Thailand & Football Association of Singapore)

    Comments
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    Asian Football | 17 h ago

    Merlion Cup 2019: Ikhsan Fandi goal hands Singapore 1-0 win over Thailand and Merlion Cup

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    [​IMG] Sarthak Sharma

    Singapore are the Merlion Cup 2019 winners after a goal in the first half from Ikhsan Fandi earned the Young Lions a deserved 1-0 victory over Thailand.

    Singapore were on course from the very beginning, with Irfan Fandi presented an opportunity to hand his team the lead, but the skipper could only lash one over the top even when completely free inside the box.

    An inspired change by coach Fandi Ahmad saw Ikhsan Fandi come on for Daniel Goh midway through the first period, and it proved to be a masterstroke, as the forward responded just a few minutes later.

    A mess by Thai goalkeeper Korraphat Nareechan allowed Ikhsan an opportunity to get in, and despite losing his footing, he showed great composure to slot the ball past the opposition defenders into an empty net.

    The second half saw some promise from the Thai team, but the Singaporean defence stood defiant, with Irfan Fandi leading from the front with his tackles and challenges.

    Substitutions did tend to slow the game’s momentum down, but Singapore used every opportunity they had to counter attack, going close on a few occasions.

    When the dust settled however and all was said and done, the Young Lions triumphed, and will get their hands on the coveted Merlion Cup trophy in front of their home fans at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

    (Image courtesy: Football Association of Singapore)
     
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    Singapore men's floorball team thrash Thailand 17-1 to claim AOFC Cup
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    Chia Han Keong
    Editor
    Yahoo News Singapore13 July 2019

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    Singapore national men's floorball team celebrate winning the AOFC Cup in Binan, Philippines, after beating Thailand 17-1 in the final. (PHOTO: Singapore Floorball Association)

    SINGAPORE — The Singapore national men’s floorball team clinched the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Cup, after thrashing Thailand 17-1 in the final at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Philippines on Friday (12 July).

    Vignesa Pasupathy and Akmal Shaharudin led the rout for Singapore in the final with three goals apiece.

    The big win exacted a measure of revenge for Singapore, who lost 3-4 to the Thais in last year’s Men’s World Floorball Championships play-offs. They also lost 4-8 to the same rivals in the inaugural 2017 AOFC Cup final.

    This time around, Singapore were imperious in the tournament, winning all their five matches by huge scorelines – against Japan (10-1), Philippines (17-2), India (16-2), South Korea in the semi-finals (13-1) and Thailand.

    The AOFC Cup win will be a big boost to the Republic, as they build up to the SEA Games in November/December, which will also be held in the Philippines.
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore's floorballers putting teammates above personal glory

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    Singapore floorball coach Lim Jin Quan getting a lift from his players after winning the AOFC Cup.FLOORBALL PHOTO: SINGAPORE MEN'S

    Team spirit in Singapore floorball squad so strong that all 19 outfield players scored at victorious AOFC Cup campaign
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    Adeena Mohamed Nagib

    Jul 15, 2019 06:00 am

    Singapore floorball coach Lim Jin Quan was expectedly thrilled when his team won the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Cup in the Philippines last Friday.

    But what made him happiest was that all 19 outfielders in his 22-man Singapore squad scored during the week-long tournament at the Alonte Sports Arena in Laguna.

    The Republic also had a perfect record in five matches, culminating in last Friday's 17-1 final victory over defending champions Thailand.

    Said Lim: "At the end, with Jeremy Chia's goal, it meant that everyone scored an international goal from this tournament, which is great, because they will leave with something to remember."

    Lim, 27, took over the pro-bono post only three months ago and immediately set about getting his players to work as a closely knit unit.

    Admittedly, it took his players some getting used to. But at the same time, his approach also fostered a strong team spirit, with players looking out for one another.

    Once the team had built up a sizeable lead during their AOFC Cup matches, players were setting up goal-scoring opportunities for teammates who had not scored yet, instead of taking the glory for themselves.

    SCORING
    After their group matches - where Singapore thumped Japan 10-1, hosts Philippines 17-2 and India 16-2 - all the outfield players had scored, except defender Chia.

    Lim even switched him to play as a forward in the last minutes against India, and Chia also had several chances in the semi-final against South Korea, where the Republic won 13-1. But to no avail.

    Chia, however, finally broke his duck with 40 seconds left in the final, where the 21-year-old scored after taking a long shot from mid-court.

    When the ball slotted into the bottom corner, he was enveloped by his cheering teammates.

    Said Chia: "It was definitely the highlight of my floorball career... (Having all outfield players on the scoresheet) wasn't an explicit target set by the team but, as more players scored, it became a task that everyone wanted."

    It was the first time the national floorball team had all outfield players scoring in an international tournament, said Singapore Floorball Association president Kenneth Ho, who found it "quite the feat given that the team had eight debutants".

    Man-of-the-Match for the final Vignesa Pasupathy said that the coaching team comprising Lim, assistant coaches Jatin Nair and Timo Suonpaa deserve the credit.

    "Given the short span of time they had, they managed to get all of us to be on the same page and execute their plans," said Vignesa, 23.

    "The preparation was settled with urgency because the coaches wanted us to send a strong message at this AOFC and we played with it at the back of our minds. But teams will be a lot stronger at the SEA Games."

    The team, who returned home last Saturday, will resume court training on Wednesday before heading to the Aug 8-11 Czech Open.

    "The win shows that we are on the right track in our preparation towards the Games but we have no time to waste," said Lim.

    "We're going for the Czech Open in two weeks, where we'll face tougher opponents that are from a higher playing field."

    This is the first time that Singapore will be competing at the annual competition in Prague, where clubs from Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden and Latvia will also be taking part.

    They will be joined by the women's national team, who will also be testing themselves against European sides.
     
  13. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Swimming: Women can still secure Olympic relay spot at SEA Games, says national coach Stephan Widmer
    https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/...spot-at-sea-games-says-national-coach-stephan

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    The quartet of (from left) Christie Chue, Quah Jing Wen, Gan Ching Hwee, and Quah Ting Wen were agonisingly close to securing the Republic's first Olympic relay spot since 1996.PHOTO: SIMONE CASTROVILLARI/SSA

    Published
    Jul 28, 2019, 8:38 pm SGT

    Nicole Chia

    SINGAPORE - The national women's 4x200m freestyle relay team were arguably Singapore's top performers at the Fina World Championships when they finished 13th in Gwangju, South Korea in a national record of 8min 8.44sec on Thursday (July 25).

    The quartet of Quah Ting Wen, Gan Ching Hwee, Christie Chue and Quah Jing Wen were agonisingly close to securing the Republic's first Olympic relay spot since 1996, as they were 0.06 seconds behind 12th-placed South Korea, with the top 12 teams in each relay at the world meet earning their tickets to Tokyo in 2020.

    There are four Olympic berths left, which will go to the four fastest teams in Fina-approved qualifying events until May 31 2020.

    The Nov 30-Dec 11 SEA Games in the Philippines is one such meet, and national swimming head coach and performance director Stephan Widmer is confident of his swimmers' chances at the biennial meet, but he acknowledged that it may prove a tougher challenge than it was at the world meet, which ended on Sunday.

    Widmer told The Straits Times in a phone interview from Gwangju: "The challenge is there's only four spots left and not every nation brought their athletes to the worlds, so scoring those four spots doesn't mean you can be slower than top 12 - sometimes you actually have to be faster to get those four spots than you have to be to finish in the top 12 at worlds.

    "We have to aim beyond that. I'm looking at the 4x200m freestyle relay girls and there's so much potential they can develop in these (next) four months, and we know they normally can perform at that level and they thrive in it."

    However, the relay team would likely have to push themselves at the biennial Games in the Philippines to gun for the Olympic spot, instead of being pushed by their competitors for a good timing.

    The Quah sisters, Chue and Rachel Tseng won the event at the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur in a Games record of 8:10.41, well ahead of Philippines (8:18.58) in second place. In contrast, Singapore were sixth out of seven teams in its heat in Gwangju, with the US winning in 7:51.58.

    In addition to the women's 4x200m free relay, new national marks were set in the men's and women's 4x100m free, and mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, although none of the swimmers progressed past the heats, notably Joseph Schooling in the 100m butterfly and Quah Zheng Wen in the 200m fly.

    [​IMG]
    Related Story
    Don't count Joseph Schooling out yet, says Singapore head coach
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    Swimming: 'Tough as nails' Ledecky hits back to win 15th world gold
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    U.S. all Dressel for success
    Schooling won the joint-bronze with James Guy in the 100m fly at the 2017 world meet, while Quah was 10th in the 200m fly at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Schooling won the 100m fly gold.

    In the aftermath of Schooling's failure to make the 100m fly semi-finals, both coach and swimmer revealed the difficulties the latter had in the last four months adjusting to living and training in Singapore, having spent a decade studying and training in the US.

    Asked on Schooling on Sunday, Widmer said: "With the best teams in the world, (like) the All Blacks in rugby, normally their coaching team has been working together for a long time and so has their support staff.

    The athletes coming through have been mentored by the senior coaches so they speak the same language and understand one another and do it again and again and make it better.

    "We certainly have to look at that as well as a nation, so I prefer people to be in our environment where we can then train the consistency but they have to find that solution for themselves."

    The former Australia coach - who has trained Olympic champions Libby Trickett, Leisel Jones and Jessicah Schipper - is happy, though, with young guns such as 19-year-old Darren Chua and 17-year-olds Jonathan Tan and Cherlyn Yeoh, who made their world championships debuts in South Korea.

    Chua's 48.95sec split in the anchor leg of the men's 4x100m free was faster than his 49.66sec personal best while Jonathan's 22.56sec effort in the 50m free was 0.04sec off his personal best of 22.52sec.

    Widmer noted: "In a heat where you've never experienced this whole environment, that is actually pretty good. There are some kids starting to show some glimpses (of their potential to perform on the world stage), they're definitely not there yet but they acted in this environment the same way as they did at the Asian Games and to me, that's encouraging.

    "Look at where they were two years ago - even (Ting Wen) improved again and moved forward ... so give them another two years and give the coaches another two years to work with them, and get them towards world level and the stage we can and want to work towards."
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    Golf: Singapore clinch Putra Cup double, set sights on SEA Games gold

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    Singapore's victorious Putra Cup team (from left) Donovan Lee, Justin Kuk, national coach Matt Ballard, Low Wee Jin and Nicklaus Chiam. The success is a confidence-booster for the SEA Games in the Philippines at the end of the year.PHOTO: SINGAPORE GOLF ASSOCIATION

    Published
    Jul 28, 2019, 5:00 am SGT

    Golfers handle the pressure to clinch the team and individual golds; now aiming for SEA Games

    Kimberly Kwek

    Holding a single-stroke overnight lead, the Singapore quartet of Nicklaus Chiam, Donovan Lee, Justin Kuk and Low Wee Jin held their nerve yesterday to capture the team title at golf's Putra Cup.

    They finished a combined 12-under 852 at the Heron Lake Golf Course in Hanoi, two clear of Thailand (854), with Malaysia a distant third on 863. Hosts Vietnam finished eighth and last on 939.

    It was the Republic's first team gold at South-east Asia's premier amateur tournament since 2011.

    To make it a double celebration, Chiam, 24, also clinched the individual honours, joining the likes of Mardan Mamat (1993), Choo Tze Huang (2006 and 2011), Quincy Quek (2007), Jonathan Woo (2012) and Gregory Foo (2015).

    Chiam closed with an even-par 72 for a 13-under 275, six shots ahead of Thais Denwit David Boriboonsub (68) and Waris Manthorn (71) and Indonesia's Naraajie E. Ramadhan Putra (71).

    Chiam said: "It was stressful but we kept talking to each other, giving each other motivation and laughing it out.

    "We enjoyed ourselves and had fun with our teammates and even our flight mates. That lessened the pressure on us."

    LET'S DO IT AGAIN

    It's a good start, right direction to bring back a gold medal. Greg and the rest have set the right path and it's our duty to continue it."
    LOW WEE JIN , Singapore 's Putra Cup captain, on retaining their SEA Games gold medal in the Philippines at the end of the year.

    Despite the memorable victory, he and his teammates were not getting ahead of themselves as they have identified certain areas to work on.

    Captain Low, 26, said: "The whole team played good but there's lots to improve on.

    "Scoring wise, we can all do better. We came all together as a team, but we should make fewer mistakes and try to be perfect.

    "Even if it may not be possible, we always strive for that."

    The Putra Cup win will be a confidence boost ahead of this year's SEA Games in the Philippines, where Singapore are aiming to retain their men's team title.

    At the 2017 Games in Kuala Lumpur, the foursome of Gregory Foo, Marc Ong, Joshua Shou and Joshua Ho secured a historic gold for Singapore. It was the country's first golf title at the biennial Games since 1989.

    Only Ho has remained an amateur, with the other three joining the professional ranks.

    Low, 26, said: "It's a good start, right direction to bring back a gold medal. Greg and the rest have set the right path and it's our duty to continue it."

    This new team can emulate their predecessors, said Singapore Golf Association vice-president and chairman of training and selection committee Lyn Sen.

    She added: "I'm thrilled that they have brought back the Cup and individual title. We now work towards defending our SEA Games gold in November."
     
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    Loh Regular Member

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    Sailing team clinch Singapore's second-ever medal at World University Games
    https://sg.news.yahoo.com/sailing-t...pore-at-world-university-games-020339038.html
    [​IMG]
    Chia Han Keong
    Editor
    Yahoo News Singapore30 July 2019

    [​IMG]
    The bronze-winning Singapore sailing team at the 2019 World University Games: (from left) Matthew Scott Lau, Tan Jen-E, Cheryl Teo and Jillian Lee. (PHOTO: Singapore University Sports Council)

    SINGAPORE — They barely had time to train together as a team, and also had to adapt to a new class of keelboat which they had never sailed in before.

    Despite those difficulties, Singapore’s Jillian Lee, Cheryl Teo, Tan Jen-E and Matthew Scott Lau still managed to clinched a bronze medal in the mixed team keelboat event at the biennial World University Games in Naples, Italy, earlier this month.

    Their bronze win was just the second time in which Singapore had clinched a medal at the Games, which is the largest global multi-sport event apart from the Olympics, with over 6,000 tertiary-institution athletes from 118 nations taking part.

    The only other time a Singaporean athlete had clinched a medal at the Games was in 2011, when sailor Victoria Chan won a silver medal in the laser radial class.

    Training difficulties, unfamiliar boat class
    Winning a medal, though, was far from the four sailors’ minds when they were selected as one of two teams to represent the Republic, after trials by the Singapore Sailing Federation in March.

    “We had only one or two training sessions as a full team, due to all of our different commitments outside sailing,” said Lau, 19, who is studying medicine at National University of Singapore.

    “But we knew everyone for a long time. All of us are in the sport for many years, so we knew each of our own capabilities. There wasn’t any pressure on us winning any medal, so while we came into the Games excited, we just wanted to take things a step at a time, play to our strengths and try to make the best out of it.”

    [​IMG]
    The bronze-winning Singapore sailing team in action at the 2019 World University Games. (PHOTO: International University Sports Federation)

    Their strengths and experience were needed right at the start of the competition, as they had to adapt quickly to an unfamiliar RS21 keelboat class, which had subtle differences to the SB20 keelboats they were training in back in Singapore.

    “We had only a two-hour training session to get used to the boat, before the actual competition began,” said Teo, 19, a Ngee Ann Polytechnic business and social enterprise student.

    “Also, we had to share our boats with other competitors, so the technical committee did not allow us to make any modifications. In a way, it levelled the playing field, and everyone had to rely on just experience and tactics during the races.”

    Mental focus to recover from poor opening race
    After the opening round of 16 races, the quartet were placed third among the eight qualifiers for the final round of four races on 12 July.

    Despite a sixth-placed finish in their opening final-round race, they show creditable mental focus to recover and finish third, third and second in the following races. That gave the quartet 17 points, enough for a bronze-medal placing, behind gold-medal winners Finland (seven points) and second-placed Austria (14 points).

    “Our coach gave us a national flag to go to the podium, and we felt a lot of pride in winning a rare medal for Singapore,” Lau said.

    Lee, the 23-year-old skipper of the team, added, “Because the World University Games committee changes sports and events with every edition, we’re not sure if we will have the chance to compete together again at the Games. So this medal is quite precious to us.”

    [​IMG]
    The bronze-winning Singapore sailing team with their fellow team-mates at the World University Games. (PHOTO: Singapore University Sports Council)

    Future plans for team members
    All of them hope that they can compete as a team again in next year’s sailing World University Championships. Some also harbour hopes of making the national sailing squad for upcoming events like the SEA Games in December.

    For Teo, she has had to deal with ending her push for 2020 Olympic qualification in the women’s 470 class earlier this year, despite taking a year off school to chase her dream.

    Her partner for the double-handed dinghy class, Yukie Yokoyama, had suffered a near-death sailing incident during a training camp in 2018, and decided to stop the duo’s Olympic qualifying campaign to deal with her post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Nonetheless, the disappointment in missing out on next year’s Tokyo Games has not doused Teo’s ambition to be considered for subsequent editions.

    “It’s still early, so I haven’t actually settled on a plan for the 2024 Olympics yet, and I’m trying to see what the sailing federation has in line with my own plans,” the 2017 SEA Games gold-medallist said.

    “But if there is a chance for 2024, I definitely want to try and go for it.”
     
  16. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Sport Singapore keeps close eye on governance issues in NSAs, says Singapore Sport Institute chief

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Governance in NSAs has come under scrutiny this year following the Singapore Taekwondo Federation's preliminary suspension by World Taekwondo in May.PHOTO: ST FILE

    Published
    Aug 6, 2019, 10:05 pm SGT

    Sazali Abdul Aziz
    Correspondent

    SINGAPORE - Sport Singapore believes the key to good governance in national sports associations (NSAs) lies in developing a strong secretariat, said Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) chief Toh Boon Yi on Tuesday (Aug 6).

    "We have a lot of passionate, committed, elected officials, but they may not be clued in to what is the expected standard of governance," he said during an update of the Vision 2030 national blueprint for sport at the Black Box Auditorium at the Singapore Sports Hub.

    "A lot of times, the errors (in governance) we've picked up are not deliberate. It's just a case of: 'Oh, I thought this could be done because this is how I run my business'.

    "If you have a strong secretariat and technical leaders - your technical director, national coaches and so on - then the (elected) volunteers don't have to worry so much."

    Governance in NSAs has come under scrutiny this year following the Singapore Taekwondo Federation's (STF) preliminary suspension by World Taekwondo (WT) in May. The STF has also been suspended by the Singapore National Olympic Council.

    Other NSAs like athletics and floorball have also been hit by governance issues in recent years.

    Toh, who was previously SportSG's chief of strategic development and marketing for over four years before assuming his current role in September 2016, said the national agency wanted to nurture more sport development and administration professionals.

    It already places such individuals in NSAs like the Singapore Badminton Association and Volleyball Association of Singapore.

    Related Story
    Taekwondo: Singapore Taekwondo Federation surprised by suspension by world body and SNOC
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    ButSportSG must also tread a "fine line" of not breaching rules of international sports federations (IFs) which often frown upon government interference in NSAs, noted Toh.

    "We must not cross the line of usurping the NSA's independence and their link with the IF," he said. "We respect that. But because there are also public resources invested... There's a partnership."

    SportSG fund more than 40 NSAs, which are registered as a society and charity, and therefore classified under the Code of Governance for Charities and Institutions of a Public Character. According to SportSG’s 2017/18 annual report found online, grant expenses (noted as mainly pertaining to the disbursements made to the various NSAs) was about $63 million.

    Besides conducting different degrees of audits, including surprise ones, SportSG constantly reviews and tries to help NSAs improve their constitution.

    Toh said: "Some NSAs have been around for quite a long time, so they have interesting things already in the constitution that may not meet today's standards of good governance.

    He cited an example of an NSA whose constitution assures an affiliate a seat on its management committee as long as it has a certain membership size.

    Toh also revealed the SSI had tweaked its carding framework to now be more "targeted" at "investing in and optimising potential" of athletes. The change took effect on April 1.

    The framework allocates financial support for athletes in areas like medical care, training assistance grants, and sports science, among others.

    Whereas the former system had five tiers and was pegged to an athlete's level of achievement - world, continental, regional, national or just outside of national standard - the new one has 12 groups within a matrix.

    Toh said: "In the past, we looked at your past performance (and even) if we assess that you have the potential to be at a higher tier, you would remain in the lower tier until you prove your performance.

    "Now, we are more subjective, we work with the coaches, we look at trends... we card you the same as the athlete above you already, because the idea is to give you the resources you need to make that step up."
     
  17. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Pickleball is fast catching on
    https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/08/11/pickleball-is-fast-catching-on/

    By Zaheera Johari on August 11, 2019, Sunday at 12:02 AM Features

    [​IMG]
    NSJA members play pickleball after learning the basics of the game.

    ASK anyone about pickleball and they will probably give you a blank look and tell you to repeat the name.
    Yes, it’s pickleball, a sport invented in the 1960s, which is slowly (but surely) catching on with sports enthusiasts in Malaysia.

    Pickleball is a combination of badminton, tennis, and table tennis and is something for all ages. This racquet sport was started in the United States. Today, Singapore, Thailand, as well as other neighbouring countries are playing it. In fact, the sport has been included in the Singapore National Games.

    College principal Farrell Choo regularly conducts pickleball sessions for his students in Miri as one of their extracurricular activities.

    Recently, he and his wife Sally Jong ran a pickleball workshop for the Northern Sarawak Journalists Association (NSJA) at the Miri Indoor Stadium.

    Choo said he discovered pickleball through the internet and then did some research on the sport and its origins.

    What excites him is that this racquet sport can be played by all ages – from kids to seniors in their 80s.

    He introduced the sport to the students and staff and they enjoyed playing it. He also created a Facebook page to promote the sport and connect with pickleball communities around the world, including in the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, and other Asian countries. The information he has gotten from them has been very enlightening.

    “I realise pickleball has yet to make a strong presence in Malaysia. That’s where I plan to get the sport going by promoting it to various organisations and schools in Miri,” he told thesundaypost.

    [​IMG]
    Choo (right) shows reporter Lee Cheng Choi the fundamentals of pickleball.

    Quite easy
    According to Choo, playing pickleball shouldn’t be much of a problem for Malaysians since they are used to badminton, tennis, and table tennis.

    The sport is easy to pick up and very exciting to play. After a few games, you should already get the hang of it. Many people take it up to promote good health, but it’s also fast becoming a competitive and professional sport around the world.

    “This sport has tremendous potential. It can provide the community with an avenue to pursue an active lifestyle and offer those wishing to take up competitive sports not only the opportunities to get started but also the prospect of representing their teams in local and international tournaments,” he said.

    Court and rules
    The pickleball court is the same size as a badminton court, while the net is pretty similar to tennis’ – strung across at 36 inches on both ends and 34 inches at the centre.

    It can be played outdoors or indoors, with either wooden or composite paddles. There are two formats – doubles and singles – but the former is more popular.

    The game is played using a perforated, lightweight, and resilient plastic ball, which can bounce. It’s called a wiffle ball.

    The serve must be made underhand where paddle contact with the ball must be below the server’s waist (belly button level). It must also be made diagonally (cross court) and land within the confines of the opposite diagonal court. Both feet must be behind the baseline for the serve (neither foot may touch the baseline or the court area until after the ball is struck).

    Only one serve is allowed, except in a ‘let’ (ball touches net and lands in proper court).

    [​IMG]
    A pickleball racket and ball.

    The ‘kitchen’
    There is a zone called the non-volley zone, also known as the ‘kitchen’ – the court area within seven feet on both sides of the net. Volleying is prohibited within this zone.

    This rule prevents players from executing smashes from a position within the zone. It’s a fault if or when volleying a ball, a player steps on the non-volley zone, including the line, and/or when the player’s momentum causes him or her to touch the kitchen zone, including the associated lines.

    A player is allowed to enter the kitchen zone any time except when volleying.

    A volley is simply a ball hit out of the air that hasn’t bounced and a player cannot hit a volley while standing inside or on the line of the kitchen zone or while moving into the zone.

    It’s a fault even if the player hits a volley outside the kitchen zone but the momentum carries him into it.
    Both players on the serving doubles team serve and score points until they commit a fault, and at the beginning of each new game, only one partner on the serving team serves before faulting, after which the service passes to the receiving team. Subsequently, as noted above, both players serve.

    The first serve of each side-out is made from the right-hand court and if a point is scored, the server switches sides and initiates the next serve from the left-hand court.

    As subsequent points are scored, the server continues switching back and forth until a fault is committed and the first server loses the serve.

    The second server continues serving until his team commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing team.

    Once the service goes to the opposition (at side out), the first serve is from the right-hand court and both players in that team have the opportunity to serve and score points until their team commits two faults.

    Double bounce
    According to Choo, there is also a double-bounce rule where when the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning. Likewise, the serving team must also let the ball bounce before returning, hence two bounces or the double-bounce rule.

    After the ball has bounced once in each team’s court, both teams may either volley the ball or play it off a bounce. The double-bounce rule eliminates the serve-and-volley advantage and extends rallies.

    Points are scored only by the serving team and games can be played to 11, 15 or 21 points, winning by two.
    The server calls the score before serving. The score is called out as three numbers – serving team score, receiving team score, and server number (one or two).

    To start a match, the score is called out as ‘zero-zero-two’ (note on the initial serve, only one member of the serving team serves).

    At the beginning of the game, the player on the right side of the court serves and if a point is scored, the server moves to the left side of the court and serves again.

    The serving team continues alternating as points are scored. The receiving team does not alternate sides.

    “It’s a very easy game once you get the hang of it. We hope it’ll grow and catch on fast in Miri and other parts of Malaysia. We would like to see more organisations and schools take up pickleball,” Choo said.
     
  18. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore mixed relay team pip China to silver at Fina Swimming World Cup
    [​IMG]
    Staff Writer, Singapore
    Editorial Team
    Yahoo News Singapore17 August 2019

    [​IMG]
    The silver-winning Singapore mixed 4x100m freestyle team at the Fina Swimming World Cup: (from left) Darren Chua, Pang Sheng Jun, Cherlyn Yeoh and Quah Ting Wen. (PHOTO: Singapore Swimming Association/Simone Castrovillari)

    SINGAPORE — Singapore’s mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team snared a silver medal on the second day of the Fina Swimming World Cup Singapore at OCBC Aquatic Centre on Friday (16 August).

    The team comprising Darren Chua, Pang Sheng Jun, Cherlyn Yeoh and Quah Ting Wen clocked 3min 31.53sec to pip China (3:32.64) to second place, finishing behind winners Australia (3:26.45).

    Yeoh was credited with gaining two places for the team during her leg, racing from fourth to second place.

    “I just went in and tried to swim really, really fast. I wasn’t focusing on who was beside me, but I was like, I need to get to the wall super-fast for Ting to make sure we have a lead,” she said.

    Schooling 4th in unfamiliar race
    Singapore’s Olympic champion Joseph Schooling took part in an unfamiliar race – the 200m individual medley, an event he has not raced in since the 2015 SEA Games.

    He clocked 2:00.23 to finish fourth, just shy of his personal best of 1:59.99 and behind medal winners Mitchell Larkin of Australia (1:57.43), Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys (1:59.14) and Australia’s Thomas Fraser-Holmes (1:59.98).

    Schooling has said that he is doing middle-distance races to build up his stamina and power in preparation of defending his Olympic 100m butterfly gold next year.

    He said after the race, “I finished a lot better than I thought I would, so it gives me something to work on going back into training. It has put me in the right head space too – I didn’t necessarily know where I was this morning but overall, two solid swims.”

    Morozov breaks two World Cup records
    Men’s series leader Vladimir Morozov extended his dominance, breaking two World Cup records en route to gold medals on Friday.

    In the 50m backstroke, he timed 24.40sec, beating his own previous World Cup record by 0.03. Then, he powered to a 47.88 timing in clinching the men’s 100m freestyle gold, also breaking his own record of 47.99 set earlier this year.

    Australians swimmers also continued their strong showing from Day One, by winning another six golds – in the men’s 1,500m freestyle (Ben Roberts), 200m individual medley (Larkin), 200m butterfly (Grant Irvine), women’s 100m backstroke (Emily Seebohm), 50m butterfly (Holly Barratt) and the mixed 4x100m free relay.
    The World Cup series will end on Saturday. Tickets ($30) are on sale here.

    Related story:" data-reactid="36">Related story:
    Quah Jing Wen smashes national 200m fly record by more than 1 second at Fina World Cup
     
  19. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Quah Jing Wen smashes national 200m fly record by more than 1 second at Fina World Cup

    [​IMG]
    Staff Writer, Singapore
    Editorial Team
    Yahoo News Singapore16 August 2019

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    Singapore swimmer Quah Jing Wen after breaking the national record for the women's 200m butterfly at the Fina Swimming World Cup Singapore. (PHOTO: Singapore Swimming Association/Simone Castrovillari)

    SINGAPORE — The youngest of the three Quah swimming siblings, Jing Wen, made a big splash on the opening day of the Fina World Cup Singapore at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on Thursday (15 August).

    The 18-year-old broke the national record for the women’s 200m butterfly, clocking 2min 10.26sec to lower the previous mark of 2:11.38, also set by her two weeks ago in the Tokyo leg of the World Cup series.

    Her effort earned her a bronze medal in the event, behind top Hungarian swimmers Katinka Hosszu (2:07.07) and Zsuzsanna Jakabos (2:07.48).

    “Today was a lot better than I expected. I touched the wall and I didn't expect to see 2:10, so I'm super happy, this is an amazing feeling,” Quah said after her race. “I trained for only four days after the break in Japan, so I really wasn't expecting that much.”

    Rapsys bounces back from disappointment
    Meanwhile, Lithuania’s Danas Rapsys shook off his disappointment at last month’s Fina Swimming World Championships in winning the men’s 400m freestyle race in 3:45.59, beating Henning Muhlleitner of Germany (3:52.12) and Ben Roberts of Australia (3:53.27).

    Rapsys, 24, was disqualified for moving on the blocks after coming in first in the men’s 200m free event at the world championships, losing out on what would have been his first gold at the elite event.

    “I was thinking about (the disqualification) all night, but it happens. I need to keep going stronger. Everything is in the mind, so I need to keep working to get better,” he said.

    Australians dominate Day One
    Day one of the Swimming World Cup was dominated by the Australian swimmers, who won five golds out of the 10 finals in the evening. Women’s series leader Cate Campbell won the 50m freestyle race in 24.02 seconds, maintaining her slim three-point lead over Hosszu.

    “For the 50s, sometimes if you try a little bit too hard, they don’t work out as well. I was trying to remain relaxed but strong at the same time, which can be a bit of a tough combination. I’m really, really pleased to come away with the win tonight,” said the 27-year-old two-time Olympic gold medallist.

    Other Australians who contributed to the gold medal haul were Maddy Gough (women’s 400m freestyle), Holly Barrat (women’s 50m backstroke), Mitchell Larkin (men’s 200m backstroke) and Grant Irvine (men’s 100m butterfly).

    Men’s series leader Vladimir Morozov also stormed to victory in the 50m free, clocking 21.27 for a new World Cup series record. The Russian finished ahead of the United States’ Michael Andrew (21.78) and Italy’s Santo Condorelli (22.21).

    The World Cup series will be held at the aquatic centre until Saturday. Tickets ($30 per day or $60 for three days) are available here.
     
  20. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Singapore’s first national surfing team hopes to make waves at SEA Games

    By Navene Elangovan

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    Michelle Ooi Siew May is one of six members of the national surfing team that will represent Singapore at the SEA Games in the Philippines later this year.

    Published18 August, 2019
    Updated 18 August, 2019

    SINGAPORE — A fitness trainer, a veterinarian and a warehouse assistant: On their shoulders rest Singapore’s hopes of glory in the sport of surfing at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines this December.

    They, along with another three members of the national surf team, all of whom hold full-time jobs, will be going up against regional powerhouses such as Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia in the surfing competition at the biennial Games.

    It is the first time surfing is being contested at the SEA Games, but the team of four men and two women are quietly confident of their prospects.

    “We are the underdogs, but I will give my best to the team and to the country,” said Mr Nurimran Jaafar, 31, who works as a warehouse assistant and will be competing in the men’s shortboard category.

    “The competitors are tough and well known, but in the water, we will all be fighting for our nation.”
    The six have already made history just by being part of the first national surfing team.

    But the odds of them coming back with anything are stacked against them. For a country that is surrounded by water, Singapore’s biggest handicap is the fact that its waters lack the giant waves that are integral to surfing.

    Mr Arfian Abu, the president of Surfing Association Singapore (SAS), said that he and his friends used to drive up to Desaru in Malaysia during the monsoon season to surf back in the early 2000s.

    At that time, they would try to improve their skills as they surfed alongside the Malaysians.

    In 2006, Mr Arfian and his friends decided that more had to be done for local surfers.

    “There was nothing for our local surfers to look forward to (when they go to Desaru) for them to gauge their standard… so we started this competition for them to feel like there’s something in it for them to achieve and to win,” said the 39-year-old.

    Paying out of their own pockets, Mr Arfian and his friends started the “Monsoon Mayhem International Surf Challenge” in Desaru which was open to Singaporean and Malaysian surfers to participate.

    “Slowly we started to see our standard getting better, becoming on par with the Malaysians who had more exposure to natural waves,” said Mr Arfian.

    [​IMG]
    Mr Nurimran Jaafar, 31, who will be competing in the men’s shortboard category.

    THE EXPERIENCE FACTOR
    A lack of competitive experience is another disadvantage for the Republic’s surfers.

    To select Singapore’s representatives for the SEA Games, qualifiers were held in June this year at the Rast Bali competition in Bali, Indonesia, and the Pearl of the Andaman Surfing Contest in Phuket, Thailand.

    One of those who participated was 30-year-old veterinarian Michelle Ooi Siew May. She had picked up surfing in 2010 while studying in Australia but, before the qualifiers, had never surfed competitively before.

    “I was just going surfing on my own and I never had a team or friends who also competed in surfing,” she said.

    “So when I saw the notice (about the qualifiers) online, I thought why not give it a shot… It was an opportunity to get better.”

    Ms Ooi is an accomplished free diver, having swept several free-diving medals at international competitions over the years, but she admitted feeling nervous in her first surfing competition.

    “It was scary because the first time round, there were a lot of other really good competitors who were so experienced.”

    She will be taking part in the women’s short board category at the SEA Games.

    [​IMG]
    Mr Arthur Kor Kim Hock, 36, said taking part in the SEA Games is 'like a dream'.

    Another Singaporean who made the cut, despite having had no prior competitive surfing experience, was Mr Arthur Kor Kim Hock, 36.

    For the man who as a teenager had to work at a fast food restaurant to save money to buy a second-hand surfboard, taking part in the SEA Games is “like a dream”.

    “I’m a Singaporean living in a country without waves. I never thought this would happen,” he said.

    In preparation for the SEA Games, the personal fitness trainer trained up to six times a week in the gym, and mimicked surfing manoeuvres on his skateboard.

    The other members of the team are Mr Mohamad Nazir Salleh, 47, Mr Michael Lim Chee Siong, 43, and Ms Beckie Liu, 24.

    With five months left until the SEA Games, the team will be increasing the intensity of its training. There are plans to ramp up their training schedule from twice a week to almost daily.

    The SAS has also arranged for the team to travel to Indonesia in September to train under professional surfer Dede Suryana, who won the Asian Surfing Championships in 2016.

    Despite the fact that they are going up against big guns like the Philippines and Indonesia at the SEA Games, Mr Arfian is confident that the team stands a shot at winning.

    “We’re not just there to make up the numbers,” he said. “We also want to aim for a medal.”

    He hopes that the team will be able to make a lasting impression at the Games and inspire Singaporeans to take up the sport.

    Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ional-surfing-team-hopes-make-waves-sea-games
     
    #380 Loh, Aug 19, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2019

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