Put the national men's water polo team and the SEA Games in the same conversation and one would be hard-pressed to avoid mentioning "the streak". It will be on the minds and shoulders of the team the moment they walk into Kuala Lumpur's National Aquatic Centre on Aug 16 for their first match of the 29th SEA Games.
"The streak" refers to Singapore's record of winning men's water polo gold at every Games since 1965 (then known as the Seap - South-east Asian Peninsular - Games). It can also include wins in all their round-robin matches at the biennial event.
A 52-year legacy, proudly built over 26 Games editions. No wonder goalkeeper Lee Kai Yang says: "Everyone in the team knows about the streak and wants to be a part of it."
The 22-year-old added: "The most important thing about the streak is that no single person or team can call ownership to that streak, so it's something that is bigger than any individual."
But ask the players whether they feel the pressure of maintaining this legacy, and the answers vary.
Left-driver Koh Jian Ying, the most experienced member of this year's squad, having featured in the past three editions, said: "I think (outsiders believe) we have more pressure than we actually do.
