Photo: Singapore Sports Council

Sailors are out to end Singapore’s 48-year wait for second Olympic medal

WHEN the 29th summer Olympic Games in Beijing officially gets underway on Aug 8, all eyes in Singapore will be on the women’s table tennis team.

Ranked world No 2, they are the best bet of ending Singapore’s 48-year-wait for its second ever Olympic medal, following weightlifter Tan Howe Liang’s silver medal at the 1960 Rome Games.

But Singapore’s six sailors — Captain Koh Seng Leong (picture, men’s Laser), Lo Man Yi (women’s Laser Radial), and the pairs of Terence Koh and Xu Yuanzhen (men’s 470) and Deborah Ong and Toh Liying (women’s 470) — are betting on themselves.

The six sailors, who left Singapore for the Games’ sailing competition venue of Qingdao on Thursday, have a genuine belief that they’ve a shot at Olympic glory.

“Yes we have a chance. Why not? A medal is possible. Everyone in the team believes in that,” said Koh, without batting an eyelid.

Added team-mate Xu: “It’s definitely possible to make it happen. Everyone put in so much effort, especially during the qualifiers.”

This is the first time Singapore has had so many sailors qualify on merit.

Prior to the Beijing Olympics, former national sailor Stanley Tan, competing in the Laser at the 2004 Athens Games, was the only Singaporean to have qualified on merit for the Olympics.

For the sailing competition (Aug 9-21), 400 sailors from 62 countries will compete across 11 classes.

The sailing squad have reason to be optimistic, having tasted enough international success to confidently stand up to the world’s best.

In 2005, Teo Wee Chin and Terence Koh became the first Asians to win at the World Youth Sailing Championship, when they clinched the boys’ 420 title in Busan.

In 2006, Colin Cheng won the world Laser 4.7 title in France, before Singapore emerged as Asia’s No 1 sailing team after winning five gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the Doha Asian Games in December.

A month later, Griselda Khng finished second at the Optimist World Sailing Championship in Uruguay.

Approximately $2.5 million was been spent between January 2007 and March this year as SingaporeSailing assembled a 14-strong squad to try to qualify for four of the 11 classes at the Beijing Olympics.

The much-sought after sailing guru Craig Ferris was hired in January this year to drive the programme.

Singapore eventually qualified for the Laser Standard, Laser Radial and the men’s 470. Late last month, they were offered a spot in the women’s 470 via the ISAF’s Unused Quota Position.

Koh agreed that the current squad is the best prepared of all so far.

“I believe this is our chance, better than before,” he said. “For the 2004 Olympics, we weren’t well prepared.

“But since then, we’ve spent almost two years training for this full-time, taking part in numerous Grade 1 events which are of very similar standard to the Olympics. Many of us also have experience gained from the SEA Games and Asian Games.”

Last month, the six-Olympics bound sailors returned from a 10-day stint in Qingdao in what was their final opportunity to test the waters there before the Games. Winds in Qingdao tend to average about five knots, and are said to favour the lighter and smaller physique of Asian sailors. But at least one sailor isn’t subscribing to that belief.

Men’s 470 skipper Xu thinks when the sailing programmes gets underway on Aug 9, it will be pretty much a level playing field for all.

“We’ll have an advantage in that we’re more used to the similar culture and food, but the top sailors can sail in all conditions,” said the 23-year-old.

“But there is a reason why the top sailors are the top. The Europeans may be disadvantaged to a certain extent by their bigger physiques, but I don’t think the light winds will be a problem for them.

“They will simply just adapt to it, like they have always done at all major meets throughout the world.”

Koh agreed.

“No matter how much we prepare, we still have some way to go to learning how to win medals (regularly) at the Olympics,” he said. “That is why if we can come close this time, it will set a path for the next generation (onto the London 2012 Games).”