IN THE DRIVING SEAT: Koh (right) and Lo (second from right) are on course to fly the Republic’s flag in Beijing.

Lo currently leads in the Laser Radial, Tay and Chung head 470 men’s field

IF LO Man Yi and the combination of Roy Tay and Chung Pei Ming continue their good form, they could well make the cut for the Beijing Olympic Games sailing competition.

With SingaporeSailing’s selection trials for the Olympics at the halfway stage, Lo leads four other women in the Laser Radial class, while Tay and Chung lead two other pairs in the men’s 470.

The Olympic Games will be held in Beijing from Aug 8-24 and Singapore have qualified for the
Laser Radial, men’s 470 and Laser Standard events.

Koh Seng Leong is the Republic’s top performer in the Laser Standard event and should get the nod for Beijing, although SingaporeSailing expect the 24-year-old to race in the European meets they have stipulated as Olympic trials.

The Expert Olympic Garda (April 7-13) was a trial for the two Laser classes and the upcoming
European Championships (June 5-14) will be an Olympic qualifier for the men’s 470 — both in Italy — while the Sermaine Olympique Française in France (April 19-25) and the Holland Regatta (May 21- 25) would be for all three classes.

Lo currently tops the Laser Radial group with 53 points after two meets, ahead of Victoria Chan (57), Elizabeth Yin (63) and Siobhan Tam (80), while Tay and Chung head the men’s 470s with 36 points after one meet, ahead of Xu Yuanzhen and Terence Koh (42), and Teo Wee Chin and Benjamin Tan (56).

It is the first time that such a selection system has been implemented. Should the final results be inconclusive, an additional meet could be chosen for a sail-off.

A seven-member panel from SingaporeSailing could also make their choice based on the performance of the sailor/team at the 2006 and 2007 Qingdao International Regatta and 2007 and 2008 World Championships, medical reports and coaches’ reports, the sailors’ commitment and discipline and their compliance with the Athlete Agreement.

The panel includes SingaporeSailing CEO Andrew Sanders, secretary-general Edwin Low, high performance head Mark Robinson and 1994 Asian Games gold medallist Dr Benedict Tan. SingaporeSailing have until end-June to send their nomination list to the Singapore National Olympic Council.

All the sailors currently involved in the battle for Olympic tickets are aware of their current positions. Sanders believes they are well-equipped to handle the pressure.

“We have a very strong team ethos which is reflected at all levels, from the sailor to the staff at
SingaporeSailing,” he said.

“Our sailors have very strong camaraderie and we try to create the best environment for them
when they train or live together.

“But a healthy level of rivalry and competitiveness is natural.”

Tay and Chung, who will leave for the Netherlands next Saturday, are keeping up as normal a lifestyle as possible. “I read to keep my mind fresh,” said 25-year-old Chung.

Tay added: “I have just returned from a diving trip in Pulau Aur over the weekend. I also read and listen to music to relax.”

The pair revealed that a recent training camp in Qingdao — venue of the Olympic sailing competition — had helped them a great deal.

“We trained near the competition area and the conditions in Qingdao are very unpredictable. So we have to prepare ourselves to be ready for all conditions,” said Chung.

Said partner Tay: “We achieved what we set out to do and spent time testing equipment and getting used to the varying conditions.”