SEA Games 2023: Finally, Singapore are water polo kings again

PHNOM PENH – A little boy leapt into water polo player Paul Tan’s arms, grinning happily as the father-and-son duo soaked up the atmosphere at the National Olympic Stadium Swimming Centre on Tuesday.

Four years after their Clark calamity at the Philippines SEA Games

, Singapore were South-east Asia’s water polo kings again.

And the party is set to continue through the week after the men’s water polo team stamped their dominance at the SEA Games, winning all five of their matches en route to the gold medal.

In their final round-robin match on Tuesday, they defeated hosts Cambodia 22-14.

After the win, Paul and four-year-old Liam were joined in the pool by head coach Kan Aoyagi, while around them were a delighted crowd of proud parents, wives, girlfriends and children.

More than 1,000km away, back home in Singapore, Whatsapp groups – comprising former water polo players – that went silent in 2019 were buzzing again.

The community was what won the gold for Singapore water polo, said player Loh Zhi Zhi.

The 33-year-old, who retired in 2017 and returned for the Games, posed for photos by the pool with his 62-year-old father Loh Ghim Guan and 64-year-old mother Wong Yoke Yin on Tuesday.

He said: “It is a close-knit community and we have felt the support. The families, whether those that are here or those at home, have all supported us all the way, so this is for all of them.

“There is a real unity and it’s great to see a strong family spirit in the squad.”

Captain Lee Kai Yang noted that “it really took a community effort to win”.

He added: “All our families have become so close... The sacrifice is greatest not from the players but from the family members. Because it’s not their dream, but they are the ones that say: ‘Go ahead, go chase it’.”

Former player Yip Ren Kai, who was part of the gold-winning teams in 2005, 2007 and 2009, said: “When we lost it in 2019, it felt like all of us had a part to play in it. We were all hurting together.

“We had the confidence these boys would bring it back. They deserve it and we are all just watching on with pride back home.”

This unity did not happen overnight, as Aoyagi, who was appointed in March 2021, said that the team then lacked confidence and “did not believe in the future”.

“Now the mood is good and everybody wants to be part of the national team,” added the Japanese.

Building a strong family culture was key for the coach, as one of the major changes he made was to shift the usual evening training sessions to 5am in the morning. This was so that the players could spend time with their families at night.

He cited his experience as a former national player in Japan, when he would return home only late at night after training to see his wife and children asleep.

He said: “I would wake up, say bye bye and the cycle continued. I don’t want these players to go through that. I want them to spend time with their family, their girlfriends.”

Debutant Cayden Loh, the youngest in the team at 17, credited his parents for their commitment, saying that they “have been through with me all the way and have put in a lot of work into this too... this is for them”.

Celebrations for their 28th gold medal will certainly go on in the days ahead, after a painful four years that began in 2019, when Indonesia

ended Singapore’s 54-year reign as the region’s top dog.

That year in the Philippines, Singapore finished with a bronze after the loss to eventual champions Indonesia and a draw with the hosts. The sport was not contested in Hanoi in 2022.

They have been on a rampage here, dominating with maximum points from their five matches. Last Sunday, in their most important match,

Singapore secured a 12-5 win over Indonesia

for sweet revenge.

Indonesia claimed the silver, while Thailand won the bronze.