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LEARNING FROM THE BEST
(South Korean Swimmer Park Tae Hwan Is A Fine Example For TS Athletes)
By Cai Zhongren
Singapore's top performers at the Asian Games may not match the feats of the nominees for the Samsung Most Valuable Player (MVP) award given out in Doha but they sure can learn a thing or two from those at the very top of their game, including winner Park Tae Hwan, South Korea's swimming sensation.
Clear Edge
The teenager, who won seven medals (three of them gold), received 231 votes out of the 869 cast by journalists covering the Asiad, giving him a clear edge over other nominees like Chinese gymnast Yang Wei and Indian shooter Jaspal Rana.
World Class
What made Park stand out were his two Asian records, in the 200m free and 1,500m free, set at the Hamad Aquatic Centre. In the 200m free, the Korean schoolboy clocked 1:47.12, a time which would be considered respectable even in a world class field. In the 1.500m free, he became the first Asian to break the 15 minute barrier, clocking 14:55.03.
Watch Out
Park also won the 400m free in yet another fine time of 3:48.44 though this was slower than his own Asian record. The most successful Korean swimmer at a single Asian Games, he has now been touted as someone even the Americans, Europeans and Australians would want to watch out for at next year's World Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Sailing Power
If there were a special award for Team Singapore athletes, the likes of swimmer Tao Li (pix, with team mate Joscelin Yeo) and our sailors would certainly be in the running.
A Chinese journalist said, "Your best performer must surely be that little girl (Tao Li) who beat our two big stars (Xu Yanwei and Zhou Yafei) in the 50m fly to win the gold."
A South Korean journalist noted how our sailors stood out, moving ahead of not only his country but also China. "This is a big achievement. We have certainly noted Singapore's rise as a sailing power," he stressed.
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