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Athletes step up training here and abroad as they prepare for Beijing The California-based Singapore swimmer has been getting up at 4.30am every morning, just so she can hit the pool early. Working with her club coach Dwight Hernandez, the Palm Springs High School student swims up to 15km every day. The reason for her gruelling schedule? She will be making her Olympic debut in Beijing next month, when she will swim in three events: the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle. Lynette is not alone. With the Beijing Olympics just 30 days away, the rest of Singapore's 25-member contingent are also into the final lap of their preparations for the biggest sporting stage of them all. 'I'm nervous and excited,' Lynette admitted. 'But the hard work is helping me to focus on my goal - to get my best times in Beijing.' Halfway across the globe in South Korea, Singapore's badminton squad are at Jeju Island, a popular honeymoon and tourist destination. But romance and sightseeing are far from the minds of shuttlers like Ronald Susilo and Xing Aiying. They have been training daily since they arrived last week, putting in gym work and crossing swords on the courts with their Korean counterparts. 'There are no distractions here,' said Susilo. 'Working with the Korean players and coaches has also helped us with our technique.' In nearby Japan, the Republic's table tennis teams have also set up camp. Since last month, they have been in Osaka, sparring with Japanese club players. Like their counterparts in badminton, the paddlers are using the stint to conduct centralised training and to escape the glare of public attention. Expectations are especially high for the women's team, who are heavily tipped to land Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years. 'Even though the pressure is mounting every day, we are focused on the task at hand,' said women's captain Li Jiawei. Back home, Singapore's sailors and swimmers are leaving no stone unturned in their Olympic training programme. Swim queen Tao Li is undergoing bright-light therapy, which is aimed at stimulating her mental and physical functions in the morning. This is to prepare for the swimming finals at Beijing, where the finals will also be held in the morning. Aside from her daily sessions with coach Peter Churchill, the Asian Games champion is also working with a biomechanist and nutritionist to make sure her body will be in tip-top shape for the biggest race of her life. To better prepare for the Games, all six sailors who have qualified for the Olympic sailing events in Qingdao will travel to the Chinese port this Friday for a 10-day training and acclimatisation camp. This trip is the culmination of SingaporeSailing's highly successful Olympic programme, which kicked off last year and cost the association some $2.5 million. Almost half of the amount has been spent on sending the sailors to a record number of overseas competitions and training stints. Singapore's chef-de-mission to the Beijing Games, Dr Tan Eng Liang, has expressed his satisfaction with the contingent's progress. 'I'm pleased that the athletes have had a good preparation,' he said. 'Now that there are 30 days to go to the Olympics, I hope that they will continue to give of their best in the final stage of preparations, and work hard for themselves and their country.' Athlete: Calvin Kang (men's 100m) SAILING SHOOTING SWIMMING TABLE TENNIS |