Singapore’s sailors aim to improve Asiad medal haul in Hangzhou

SINGAPORE – Five years after winning a gold and a bronze at the 2018 Asian Games, Singapore’s sailors will be aiming to better their haul at the Sept 23-Oct 8 Asiad in Hangzhou, said Singapore Sailing’s head of high performance and coaching Chung Pei Ming.

At the 2018 Jakarta edition, Kimberly Lim and Cecilia Low clinched a gold in the 49erFX, while Ryan Lo bagged a bronze in the Laser class.

With reigning Formula Kite world champion Maximilian Maeder making his Asiad debut at the Games in China, there is cause for optimism that the team can improve on their previous tally.

Speaking at an event at the National Sailing Centre on Sunday to unveil the 13 sailors who will be representing Singapore at the upcoming Asian Games, Chung knows that there will be expectations on Maximilian to perform, but is confident that the 16-year-old will be able to deliver.

“Their format is different from traditional sailboat racing (with the winner decided by the first who secures three victories in a medal series on the final day as opposed to a cumulative score),” Chung said.

“There are higher stakes at play, but Max has shown he can take on this kind of pressure and has delivered. I’ve got confidence that he can deliver that winning performance at the Asian Games.”

Maximilian believes that his outing at August’s World Sailing Championships in The Hague sets him up well for the Asiad.

The teenager said: “I feel primed and ready, steady and confident.

“There is a certain level of gratitude that comes with the entire World Sailing Championships process and having such a high-profile event already behind me is good experience for the upcoming Asian Games.”

Among other medal hopefuls Chung highlighted are Lim and Low, Lo as well as Nacra 17 pair Justin Liu and Denise Lim.

He acknowledged that a change of equipment in the 49erFX class could make it tougher for Lim and Low to retain their title, saying: “The equipment has changed to favour heavier teams – this is what we’ve seen in the past few years and they’re not the heaviest among the Asian teams... For them, it would be really good if they could defend it, if not a medal would be just as good.”

Lo, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic berth for the ILCA 7 at the World Sailing Championships, is hoping to win a gold medal at the Asian Games this time and secure the sole Paris 2024 quota spot in Hangzhou.

There were 17 spots up for grabs at the world meet, with Portuguese Eduardo Marques, who finished 24th, clinching the last one.

Lo was the top Asian at 26th, with his closest counterpart from the region – India’s Vishnu Saravanan – coming in 37th. Malaysia’s Khairulnizam Afendy, the silver medallist at the past two Asiads, was 48th.

At the previous Games, Lo felt he went in as an underdog, but believes that the experience he has gained since then will serve him well in Hangzhou.

The 26-year-old said: “Back then I was a very young, aspiring sailor entering the Olympic circuit. It was my first campaign and I’d just come out of national service.

“But five years later, I’ve become more experienced, a better sailor, more able to handle pressure. I’ve definitely learnt a lot from the past few years.”

While the sailors’ best Asiad haul came in 2006 in Doha, where they racked up five golds, three silvers and two bronzes, improving on their 2018 tally would be a step towards their aim of becoming the top sailing nation in the continent.

Chung said: “We may not be there yet, especially this year when China are really strong but that’s always the target we’re working towards.

“The target is eventually to be the top Asian sailing nation.”