SINGAPORE - National paddler Koen Pang was only 13 when the SEA Games were held in Singapore in 2015. While he was too young to compete, he was a volunteer and remembers being in awe of the atmosphere at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Pang told The Straits Times: "When the Singapore players were playing, there was this atmosphere - it's different playing in Singapore compared to overseas because there are so many more spectators cheering for you.
"My aspiration (to play for Singapore) was already there but this spurred me on even more."
Since then, Pang has become one of Singapore's up-and-coming young paddlers, who in 2019 became the first local player to reach No. 1 in the world under-18 rankings before winning the SEA Games gold in the Philippines.
This week the 19-year-old will notch another career milestone when he competes in the March 7-20 World Table Tennis Singapore Smash, where he will finally get to experience the buzzing home atmosphere as a competitor.
Pang and 14 other local players have earned wildcards into the main draw and qualifying matches of the tournament. They include Olympian Clarence Chew, as well as rising stars Izaac Quek, Zhou Jingyi and Ser Lin Qian. They will join veteran world No. 9 Feng Tianwei and world No. 62 Lin Ye in action at the OCBC Arena.
Pang is excited to play in front of a home crowd for the first time.
The men's world No. 139 said: "The supporters play a crucial role because having them supporting you makes you feel more confident."
Adding to his motivation is the loss he suffered to teammate Chew at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament final last year, resulting in him missing out on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
He said: "In last year's qualifiers, I was kind of disappointed in myself because I didn't play (the best way) I could, so it definitely will spur me on positively.
"I just tell myself to train harder and just go for it instead of being so anxious and scared to lose.
"This competition will definitely be an eye-opener. It's almost as big as the world championships and the Olympics because all the world's best players are here. I'm not really nervous but I'll just try my best to win. None of them are easy opponents so it's going to be a good experience."
Reigning SEA Games women's singles champion Lin is also looking forward to competing on home soil again after the 2015 SEA Games, where she won the women's doubles and women's team gold.
The 26-year-old said: "I'm very happy that this competition will be held here and that I have this opportunity to compete at home. The atmosphere is different because in Singapore, the pressure and motivation will be more compared to in other countries.
"The opponents will be very strong so for me... No matter who I play, I just want to do my best and take it one point at a time."
Lin will draw on lessons learnt during her Olympic debut last year when she featured in the women's team alongside veterans Feng and Yu Mengyu. She will also use the US$2 million (S$2.72 million) Singapore Smash to see what she needs to work on ahead of the Hanoi SEA Games in May.
She said: "Every competition before the SEA Games is important to me because with Covid-19, it's not easy to compete so every competition is a good opportunity to gain experience and tactical insights."
Singaporeans Lucas Tan and Andy Wong will be the first in action on Monday (March 7) when the qualifying matches begin.
Up to 3,000 spectators may attend each session of the inaugural event at the OCBC Arena. Ticket prices start from $10 for the qualifying matches and from $18 for the main draw, which begins on March 11.
Packages including day passes for the main draw are also available from $35. Visit the Sistic website for more information.
