Singapore claim eight-medal haul at Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championships

SINGAPORE – The Singapore teams returned from the Asia Pacific Youth Tchoukball Championships (APYTC) in Iskandar Puteri with an impressive haul of eight medals, including three golds, from all eight age categories contested.

At the eighth edition of the championships held from Aug 19 to 23, Singapore’s Under-23 men and women’s teams defeated their Hong Kong counterparts 55-42 and 40-36 respectively to emerge victorious while the U-19 boys clinched the third title by edging out Chinese Taipei 52-51 in the final.

The silver medals were won by the U-13 and U-16 boys while the U-13, U-16 and U-19 girls settled for the bronze medals.

This is the first time the U-23 category was included in the APYTC, with Singapore sweeping both the titles at stake.

In a joint statement, national youth development coaches Muhammad Raziq, Amos Chan and Shah Rykal, who are current national players, said coaching the young players had given them a new perspective.

“As national players ourselves, we know what it feels like to wear the Singapore jersey and the responsibility that comes with representing the country, and coaching these young players gives us a different perspective,” they said.

“More importantly, we want to pass on what we have learnt from our own international experiences – not only the technical side of the game, but also discipline, teamwork and what it means to represent Singapore.

“We are proud to see how much they have grown and how hard they fought, especially during the close matches. Some of these players could become our future national players. Being able to play a small part in their journey is something very meaningful to us.”

Singapore U-19 boys’ captain Dylan Siow hailed the resilience and unity in the squad, especially during the “challenging moments”.

He said: “I am very proud of the team. There were moments when the matches became very close and we were under pressure, but everyone continued to trust one another and fight until the end.

“During the round-robin (stage), we faced some challenging moments when our opponents would taunt us whenever we lost a point. It could have affected us mentally, but we reminded one another not to react, to stay composed and let our performance on the court speak for us.”

He added: “Wearing the Singapore jersey is already an honour, but leading the team made the experience even more meaningful.”

Tchoukball Association of Singapore general secretary Delane Lim said the creditable results across every age group showed its development pathway was on the right track.

He added: “We are extremely proud of the fighting spirit shown by our young athletes. Many of the matches were very tight, and our players had to fight for every point. To medal in every age category, from U-13 to U-23, is encouraging.

“What makes us equally proud is the sportsmanship and discipline our players showed throughout the competition, even during difficult moments when emotions were high.”

Noting the stiffer competition among the teams across the Asia-Pacific, Lim said: “We cannot be complacent, there is still a lot of work ahead, but this performance gives us confidence that our next generation is heading in the right direction.”

The Singapore youth teams will next turn their attention to the world youth and juniors championships in Italy and South Korea in 2027 respectively.