ATHLETES' VOICES
(Singapore's Swim Team Share Their Thoughts)
By Jerome Seow
Picture by John Heng in Vientiane
Edited By Jeannette Xavier
Singapore's swimmers (pictured) shone on Day 1 of the competition in the pool on Thursday (Dec 10), delivering five SEA Games golds in style. Behind the medals and drama, what was the evening like for the coaches and swimmers? We offer a glimpse by speaking to some of them.
Zach Ong
He created a stir when he won the Men's 200m Backstroke in an impressive time of 2:03.27 as he edged out favourite Ryan Arabejo of the Philippines (silver) and team mate Rainer Ng (bronze). On his win, Zach said, "I’ve been working on my turns and I knew I could beat him (Ryan Arabejo) on the turns. In the last SEA Games in Korat two years ago, my first 100m was too fast. So this time round, the strategy was to pace my opponent and really give the kick in the last 100m.”
Marcus Cheah
In the Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay, Marcus teamed up with Clement Lim, Joshua Lim and Zach Ong to win gold in 7:30.73. They were followed home by the Philippines and Malaysia. Asked about the experience, he said, “It (the race) was really close! We knew the Filipino team would be strong so our strategy was to just go all out - start strong and finish strong.”
Ang Peng Siong
While proud of the fine start by his charges, the coach stressed the need to stay focused. He said, “This is a five-day meet. So we need to condition some of the swimmers to ensure they remain in peak form for the rest of the competition.”