HOMESTRETCH

By Mark Koh, TS Student Reporter, NUS

Nothing is left to chance as Team Singapore athletes enter the homestretch of their SEA Games preparations with more training and competition. While each sport has its own plan, the goal is the same for all: to make sure our athletes peak in Laos next month.

Impressive Haul

The paddlers, who are hoping to repeat their impressive haul of seven golds and two silvers from the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand, competed recently at a few major meets. There were some encouraging results. Top women's player Feng Tianwei, for instance, led us to second-place finishes at the World Team Cup and Asian Table Tennis Championships. But there were also some upsets. At the Polish Open in Warsaw, for example,  Feng made it to the quarter finals only to lose to South Korea's Park Mi Young. In the same meet, players like Wang Yuegu, Sun Beibei (pix) and Gao Ning also crashed out earlier than they had hoped. But the players are confident that things will pick up again in Vientiane.

Training Camp

The swimmers, who took part in the Fina World Cup held here recently, are now in Phuket for a training camp before leaving for Laos. They know they have their work cut out there as they try to maintain their status as the top swim team. In 2007, they won 11 golds, ahead of closest rivals Philippines (eight) and Malaysia (seven). Swimmers to look out for this year Rainer Ng, Zach Ong, Tao Li, Shana Lim and Quah Ting Wen.

Encouraging Results

In track & field, the athletes have been competing in regional meets, including the Asian Athletics Championships in Guangzhou last month (November). More recently, they took part in the Singapore Open. Among the more encouraging results was long jumper Matthew Goh's bronze with his effort of  7.44m.  The 4x100m men's relay team of Izwan Firdaus Hanif, Gary Yeo, Lee Cheng Wei and Muhammad Elfi Mustafa also showed some form with a  season-best time of 40.44secs as they clinched the silver medal.