SINGAPORE - After the highs of the 2017 and 2019 SEA Games when Singapore dominated the pool, national swimming head coach Gary Tan expects this year's Games to be the squad's toughest test yet.
Tan could be without several of his top male swimmers, including Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen, at the May 12-23 Hanoi Games due to their National Service (NS) commitments.
Rio Olympic champion Schooling, 26, enlisted on Jan 3 while Quah, 25, went in last September and is serving as a combat medic with his operationally ready date set for July 2023.
The Republic topped the swimming medal tally at the last two Games, finishing with 19 golds in 2017 and 23 titles in 2019. Schooling and Quah accounted for 16 golds (individual and relays) during that period.
Tan, 39, was under no illusions what the absence of the pair will mean for Singapore's medal haul. He told The Straits Times on Saturday (Feb 19) at the Swim Series II held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre: "For the SEA Games, we don't know what the situation is at the moment.
"From a personal perspective, if we want to do well at the major Games, we need these guys. They play a vital role.
"Of course we want to win as many medals as we can. But I don't see us eclipsing the 2017 and 2019 haul. This will be our toughest one."
It is not just Schooling and Quah whose participation is in doubt. Reigning SEA Games 100m and 200m freestyle champion Darren Chua is also serving his NS, as are national teammates Jonathan Tan, Ong Jung Yi and Mikkel Lee.
All were part of the Singapore National Olympic Council's list of 330 athletes selected for the 31st Games, which was announced on Wednesday.
Head coach Tan said: "We have already been affected by the fact that racing opportunities have been limited leading up to the Games due to the coronavirus.
"The reality is that the boys in NS will be a miss for us if they are not there. We are talking about swimmers who all have good opportunities for gold medals, who might not be there this time."
Quah was circumspect about his availability in Vietnam. He said: "I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. But I am hoping to go. We have a strong tradition of performing well there and I am always looking forward to representing the nation.
"The year is stacked with meets and I do hope to go to the Commonwealth (July 28- Au g 8) or Asian (Sept 10-25) Games this year."
He raced in the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly events on Saturday, his first competitive outing since last year's Tokyo Olympics. Schooling was scheduled for both events but pulled out due to a back injury.
Quah's times of 53.51sec (100m fly) and 1min 50.67sec (200m free) were well below his personal bests but all that mattered was getting back into the pool, which he described as "refreshing".
He said: "I train as much as I am able to and allowed to. I try to get in as many laps as I can on the weekends and do weights, just to keep fit. Of course, It is difficult to juggle NS with swimming but I am striving to have a good balance."
SEA Games golds won
2017
Quah Zheng Wen, six
Joseph Schooling, six
2019
Quah, six
Schooling, four
