sports 15
THENEWPAPER Friday, June 5 2015
(JUNE 5-16)
young and fearless
sabre fencer ywen, 15, earns a bronze on her sea Games debut Report by BENJAMIN LIM benlim@sph.com.sg
At 15, she was the youngest competitor on the piste. And Ywen Lau proved that age and size did not matter, as she powered her way as the top-ranked player in the preliminary round to claim the joint-bronze medal for the women’s individual sabre yesterday. Although she narrowly missed out on a spot in the final, Ywen was still proud of her debut performance in the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games. “I feel that I could have done better in the semi-final, but this was a good experience for me and I will definitely learn from here and improve,” she told The
New Paper. Coach Andras Decsi said it was already a great achievement to win a medal and it would be a good stepping stone for her. “Ywen is an exceptional and dedicated athlete. She has great potential and we’ll definitely see better results in the future.” Indeed. Ywen was unfazed as she scored the first point against Thailand’s 2011 bronze medallist Sirawalai Starrat in their semi-final. The duo hacked and slashed at each other fearlessly, at times forcing the other on the edge of her area. They entered the half-point break almost neck to neck at 8-7. Both continued their offence, albeit
with a bit more caution, and Ywen led 12-10. But that proved to be the turning point as Sirawalai went on a four-point streak. Ywen snatched a point back to keep her hopes alive, but it proved to be in vain as the Thai prevailed 15-13.
winners can cry
Decsi, 38, said that Ywen might have been confused after the break because her original game plan did not work out. “She expected her opponent to take a bit more risk, but she didn’t and Ywen couldn’t react quickly enough after that,” he said. “She was very disappointed because she wanted to be in the final badly and
it was so close. But I told her that this is not the time for crying — only the winners can cry.” Dr Lau Chee Chong, Ywen’s father, was exhilarated that his daughter’s hard work and sacrifice had paid dividends in the SEA Games. He said that Ywen had missed about 50 per cent of her classes at United World College (Dover Campus) for training and competitions, and her mother had to accompany her on overseas stints. Mrs Cynthia Lau added: “It’s quite daunting to be up there (competing) and we think it’s fabulous Sports Singapore and Fencing Singapore give a chance to young athletes like Ywen and Kevin (Chan).”
oNE foR thE futuRE: Coach Andras Decsi hails 15-year-old Ywen Lau (right & inset) as an exceptional and dedicated athlete, and one with great potential. tnp
photo: jeremy long, photo courtesy of singsoc/Action imAges
14 sports
Thursday, June 4 2015 THENEWPAPER
sports 15
THENEWPAPER Thursday, June 4 2015
WAnT MOre neWs?
GeT THe DAILY seA GAMes ACTIOn DeLIvereD TO YOU! sIGn Up fOr THe DIGITAL neWsLeTTer AT Tnp.sG/seAGAMes2015
(JUNE 5-16)
Finally a medal,
and gold it is
Report by NICOLE CHIA cnicole@sph.com.sg
National fencer Wang Wenying could hardly keep the emotion out of her voice, when she spoke to the media after her semi-final victory in the women’s foil individual event yesterday. “I’m happy as this will be my first individual medal,” said Wang. “I’m very happy and excited, but I must control and be calm for the final.” And calm she was, as the 34-year-old went on to defeat Justine Gail Tinio of the Philippines 15-7 in the final to clinch fencing’s first gold medal of the 28th South-east Asia (SEA) Games. Sharing an emotional hug with coach Simon Senft after her win, Wang’s first words were: “I’m very happy. “It’s my first individual SEA Games medal and I did it — I got a gold.” Wang had contested in the 2007 and 2011 editions of the SEA Games, but did not win an individual medal until now. Revealing that this Games would probably be her last, she added: “I had been very nervous the last time I competed in the SEA Games, but this time I just kept reminding myself to keep calm. “This win really means a lot to me.” Wang’s victory at the OCBC Arena makes her only the second Singaporean to win an individual fencing SEA Games gold. The first was claimed by Choy Fong Leng in the women’s individual epee event at the 1989 Games in Malaysia. Singapore’s last gold medal in fencing came at the 2007 SEA Games in Korat from the quartet of Wang, Ruth Ng, Tay Yu Ling and Serene Ser in the women’s foil team event.
nerves
TNP PHOTOS: KEN LU
Wang’s calmness proves vital as she hits jackpot after two failed attempts It’s my first individual SEA Games medal and I did it — I got a gold. — Singapore’s Wang Wenying (above and near left), who won the women’s foil individual event
Wang’s opponent, Tinio, who made her SEA Games debut yesterday, reckoned it was nerves that caused her loss. “I was a bit scared, but also excited as I didn’t expect to reach the final,” said Tinio. “I was really nervous because she’s good, and I think that really affected my performance.” Nevertheless, the 19-year-old, who will compete in the women’s foil team event on Saturday, has learnt valuable lessons from yesterday’s final. “Next time I’ll be more focused and pray before my match,” said Tinio, who will be aiming to win gold in the women’s team event. “My team and I will just train really hard and make sure we keep our focus.” Wang will also be competing in Saturday’s women’s foil team event, and she is confident she and her teammates will deliver. “My teammates are all well prepared,” she said. “We know the team event won’t be too easy, but we’ll fight all the way.” Wang, who coaches at fencing academy Absolute Fencing, is the only Singaporean finalist who won gold yesterday. Her male counterparts Lim Wei Wen and Choy Yu Yong each clinched a silver medal in the men’s epee individual and men’s sabre individual events respectively, while Samson Lee won the jointbronze medal in the epee individual event with Thailand’s Chamcharern Panthawit.
I want to compete in the Olympics next year. — Men’s individual sabre gold-medallist Vu Thanh An (second from far left) of Vietnam, on his next goal
TNP PHOTO: KEN LU
so close, yet so far Choy comes close to winning men’s individual sabre gold but is let down by inexperience
Report by BENJAMIN LIM benlim@sph.com.sg
A shocker looked on the cards. Singaporean fencer Choy Yu Yong, 17, was leading 2011 South-east Asia (SEA) Games silver-medallist Vu Thanh An 8-7 in the men’s individual sabre final yesterday. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be for the SEA Games debutant. His inexperience ultimately told, as he went down 1115 to let the gold medal slip from his grasp at the OCBC Arena. But Choy was in no mood to sulk. In the first place, the second-year junior college student from Hwa Chong Institution didn’t think he would make it this far. “I did not expect to make it to the final, because this is my first time at the SEA Games,” he told The New Paper yesterday. “I came up against a strong opponent and fought all the
The Singaporean said that was the turning point of the match. He said: “After the break, my opponent sort of figured me out and I was slow to change my style. He was constantly attacking and putting me on the defence, which is worse for me, especially in sabre fencing. “I lost four points in a row and that was what cost me the match.”
exHILArATeD
PHOTO: SINGSOC
way to the last point.” Choy had earlier laboured through a tense semi-final match to beat Thailand’s Wiradech Kothny 15-12. On the other hand, Vu, ranked 55th in the world, had breezed into the goldmedal match. After dismantling Singapore’s Clive Leu (15-5) in the quarter-finals, the Vietnamese comfortably beat Malaysian Yu Peng Kean 15-4 in his last-four tie. Choy knew he had a tough
GOOD SHOWING: Choy Yu Yong (main picture, far left) is happy with his silver medal after the Singaporean (above, left) surprisingly made it to the men’s individual sabre final.
task on his hands. Only last year, he had lost to Vu in the Asian Fencing Championships, so he already knew what was in store. What he didn’t count on, however, was taking the lead against the favourite at the halfway mark. But the 22-year-old Vietnamese rallied to score a four-point streak after the break with successive quick attacks to break down Choy’s defence.
Meanwhile, Vu was exhilarated to win the gold medal after a four-year wait. Fencing was not included at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar. “I was so focused on winning this year that two months before the Games started, I was already starting to feel nervous every morning about competing here,” he said. Vu added that he capitalised on Choy’s repetitive moves to turn the game around after the break. The Vietnamese will be competing in Singapore again at the end of this month at the Asian Fencing Championships, but he has set himself a bigger goal. “I want to compete in the Olympics next year,” he said.
4 sports
sports 5
THENEWPAPERONSUNDAY June 14 2015
Want more?
Hungry for the latest SEA Games news? Here’s where to get them. l Website: www.tnp.sg/seagames2015 l Twitter: Follow us @TNPSports l Newsletter: Sign up at www.tnp.sg/ seagames2015
(JUNE 5-16)
What a comeback, Darren
after recent lows, Choy hits golden heights with new partner Yeo
Reports by BENJAMiN liM benlim@sph.com.sg
They say sailors are some of the toughest people. The truism in that saying came through, when Darren Choy displayed immense strength to bounce back from a seemingly withering career to win the 470 dinghy race and his first SEA Games gold medal yesterday. He and partner Jeremiah Yeo crossed the line third in the final race, but that was enough for the Singapore duo to taste glory at the National Sailing Centre. Their closest rivals the Philippines, who were trailing by four points before the race, finished fourth and were unable to close the gap. “We sailed smart and according to plan, that’s how we got the gold,” Choy told The New Paper yesterday. As he sailed back to shore victorious, all the 21-year-old could feel was the achievement of redemption. Memories of his underwhelming performance at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) still lingered during the four days of competition.
— Darren Choy (above right and near left), who won the 470 dinghy race with Jeremiah Yeo
helped me a lot this time.” The YOG experience has also taught Choy to deal with the expectations of competing on home ground. Instead of letting the cameras and the microphones get to his nerves, he embraced the spotlight. “Previously, I felt very pressured, like I was being dictated by the media,” he said. “But now I enjoy interacting with the media, because I know how much they have helped to promote the sport of sailing.”
BooSt
Yesterday’s win also gave Singapore’s Olympic hopes a boost, with the 470 being the competition class. Ben Tan, president of the Singapore Sailing Federation, said the gold not only serves as a good stepping stone for Choy’s Tokyo 2020 ambitions, but also showed the sailor’s tremendous progress over five years. “We want our sailors to have fortitude. They must be able to take defeat and eat the humble pie before they go onto the next step and, today, Choy has demonstrated that,” he said. “If he had given up after the YOG, he would not be here today.”
Sea GameS CarnIVaL
toDaY tILL tUeSDaY from 10am SInGapore SportS HUB
Immerse yourself in the SEA Games spirit by heading down to the 28th SEA Games Carnival. Happening on the sidelines of popular sports like basketball and football, the carnival is set to keep you and your family entertained. Have a go at giant inflatables in the junior zone, creative sports try-outs, Laser Tag and walk-on-water for the more adventurous. Coupled with a slew of light shows and artist performances, the carnival is the perfect option to complete your 28th SEA Games experience. For more information, go to www.seagames2015.com/getinvolved/28th-sea-games-carnival
BeSt In aSIa anD SoUtH-eaSt aSIa
FlyiNG DuNk: Try dunking a basketball while bouncing on a bungee. PHOTO: VOXSPORTS
Jodie, 14, shows why she is peerless in the optimist class
roaD CLoSUreS
The feeling did not quite sink in for 14-year-old sailor Jodie lai.
We sailed smart and according to plan, that’s how we got the gold.
Back then, the 16-year-old was the poster boy for the Republic’s athletes, even lighting the cauldron at the inaugural event. But the media hype got the better of him, and he finished a disappointing seventh in front of an expectant home crowd. The young sailor failed to rediscover the form that had won him back-toback world titles in the Byte CII dinghy class. At the 2013 Games in Myanmar, he could manage only a bronze in the 470 race. But this year, the tides have turned for Choy. Sailing with new partner and long-time friend, Yeo, has been the spark for his resurgence. Choy struggled with different sailing styles of his previous teammates, but, with Yeo, he communicated effectively on water. “He is the most important factor for our win today. We know how to give each other feedback and that’s very important in a team sport like doublehanded sailing,” said the skipper. “It’s 50-50 between the helmsman and crew, and Jeremiah definitely
Her win in the female Optimist event at the National Sailing Centre yesterday puts her as Singapore’s youngest gold medallist at the 28th SEA Games. She was at a loss for words when asked about her achievement. After a long pause, she said: “It’s a happy feeling.” Entering yesterday’s double points final race with a two-point lead over closest rival Nabila Natasha Mohamad Nazri of Malaysia, Jodie was clearly in the driver’s seat. With third-placed Klahan Kamonchanok of Thailand in the lead and Myanmar’s Thae Yu Khaing too far to pose a threat, all Jodie had to
do was to sail her own race and keep an eye on Nabila. In the end, she finished second, ahead of Nabila, with Klahan winning the race. Jodie won the gold with 13 points, followed by Klahan (15) and Nabila (17). “I wanted to finish ahead of Nabila just to be sure of my gold and, as we approached the finish line, I kept looking back to make sure she was not going to overtake me,” said Jodie, a Secondary 2 student at Raffles Girls’ School. “That was when I was most nervous in the race.” Coming off the back of her Asian Games win in Incheon, South Korea, last year, Jodie described yesterday’s victory on home waters as a “great honour”. It could have been double
toDaY BISHan StaDIUm
PROuD MOMENT: Jodie Lai receiving the gold medal and SEA Games mascot from president of the Singapore Sailing Federation, Ben Tan. PHOTOS: SINGSOC/ACTION IMAGES
joy for Singapore, but Daniel Toh narrowly missed out on the male Optimist gold and had to settle for bronze. Just two points separated him, Malaysia’s Muhammad Fauzi Kaman Shah and Thailand’s Suthon Yampinid before the final race. Fauzi overtook Daniel on the down-wind straight to the finish and a penalty incurred for illegal kinetics demoted the Singaporean to third place, adding to his misery.
But Singapore coach Javier Figueroa Mantero backs the 13-year-old to bounce back at the Optimist World Championships in Poland in August. “It was a very tough fight today, and Fauzi is one of the best sailors in the world in his age group. He deserved the win,” said Mantero. “It’s important that Daniel learns how to deal with the pressure. He will face even stronger competitors in Poland, so today’s race is good training for him.”
For further details, go to www.seagames2015. com/advisories/road-closures
18 sports
Saturday, June 13 2015 THENEWPAPER
sports 19
THENEWPAPER Saturday, June 13 2015
(JUNE 5-16)
Wakeboard queen delivers
PHOTOs: aCTION IMaGEs/sINGsOC, GaVIN FOO
Singapore sailing set for glorious weekend
Sasha overcomes the elements to strike gold for Singapore
Report by KOK YUFENG yufengk@sph.com.sg
One down, three to go. For this SEA Games, the Singapore Waterski and Wakeboard Federation had set an ambitious target of four gold medals out of the 11 available for the nine-strong Singaporean team. Yesterday, Sasha Christian — the pinup girl of Singapore wakeboarding — delivered the first. On a gloomy afternoon at the Bedok Reservoir where the persistent rain, strong headwinds and choppy waters made it extremely tough for the competitiors, Christian braved them all to win the women’s individual wakeboard final. While she could not match her semifinal score of 61.45 points, the 22-yearold Singaporean (right and inset on top) still left the rest trailing in her wake with her winning score of 59.00 points. Indonesian Galuh Mutiara Maulinda finished second with 43.11, while Filipino Jawn Maiquel Selga took the bronze with 30.89. Another Singaporean, Gooi Jia Yi, came in fourth with 30.22. “It was a good start,” said wakeboard coach Tan Suter after the victory ceremony. “It boosted up the morale of the whole team. “Sasha is the backbone of our team, so it’s good for her to lead by example.” The 44-year-old added: “I think she did pretty well given the conditions.”
Despite the bad weather, Christian managed to pull off a stand-up pass, completing all her tricks without falling into the water. The last to go onto the water in the six-woman field, Christian was able to complete two more successful inverts than the rest, flipping upside down in the air and landing convincingly. “An advantage for me was that I went off last from the dock, so I could see what all my rivals did, and I knew exactly what I needed to do to win,” Christian said. “I knew I needed to do at least three inverts, so after my pass, I was really happy and very relieved as well. “My first trick was the toughest trick to land, because it kind of sets the momentum for the rest of the competition pass.” “I like to start off my competition with a bang.” Winning her second wakeboarding gold medal at the SEA Games after collecting her first in Indonesia in 2011 (there was no water-skiing competition at the 2013 Games in Myanmar), Tan said Christian can achieve greater things. “She has got a lot more tricks actually, but she was holding them back. It was already enough to win the gold medal,” he said. “She needs to step it up just a touch if she wants to reach Asian standards. She’s not that far behind.” For now, Christian’s more pressing task is to help Singapore win more golds.
Report by BENJAMIN LIM benlim@sph.com.sg
WINNERS: Thailand’s Padiwat Jaemjan (centre) celebrates winning the gold medal with compatriot Tatsanai Kuakoonrat (left) and the Philippines’ bronze medallist Mark Howard Griffin (right) PHOTO: aCTION IMaGEs/sINGsOC
She topped both her semi-finals in the women’s team wakeboarding and the women’s slalom events yesterday, the latter of which could land her and Singapore another gold. The slalom finals will be held today. In 2011, Christian finished second in the event. “She put in more effort in training for the slalom (for this Games),” said Tan. “She really wants a gold in this event.” While Christian has certainly lived up to her tag as wakeboarding’s golden girl, her teammates also stepped up yesterday. Sabelle Kee won a bronze in the women’s tricks competition and, in the process, set a new national record of 2,620 points. The 17-year-old Games debutante beat the previous record, set by her mother May Lwin-Kwee in 1997 by 300 points. “I am super stoked because I didn’t expect it at all,” Sabelle said. “Of course, my mum’s a bit sad,” she added jokingly. “But she’s proud of me.”
Tatsanai signs off on a high Report by BENJAMIN LIM benlim@sph.com.sg
In a month’s time, he would receive his flying wings and embark on his new career as a commercial pilot. Tatsanai Kuakoonrat brought down the curtain on his wakeboarding career with one last hurrah yesterday, as he won a silver medal in the men’s wakeboard final at Bedok Reservoir to complete a one-two finish for Thailand. His compatriot and 2011 gold medallist Padiwat Jaemjan reclaimed his title with a score of 79.33, beating Tatsanai by 7.22 points. Mark Howard Griffin of the Philippines took the bronze. “This result shows how successful our country is at the sport,” Tatsanai told The New Paper yesterday. “It was an expected result, but still, we did really well today.” The 29-year-old would not be compeing at this year’s Games if not for an accident suffered by a teammate. That forced him to come out of re-
tirement and, although he had only a month’s training under his belt, Tatsunai managed to rise to the occasion. The silver medal is bittersweet as he calls it a day after these Games. “I know I still have it in me, but I have to take care of my body when I become a pilot. So it’s a shame to retire again,” he lamented. Tatsanai added that there are not enough young wakeboarders in his country to pass the torch to, and he hopes that the Thais’ results at the SEA Games will inspire more of his countrymen to take up the sport. On the other hand, the future of water-skiing seems bright for Malaysia with Aaliyah and Aiden Yoong Hanifah — half-siblings of former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong. Aaliyah, only 11, showed exemplary skill and composure on her two runs, executing four spectacular flips to earn a resounding score of 4,850 points to win the gold medal in the open tricks category. Her nine-year-old brother, Aiden, was just as fearless, pulling off a clean
set of hand and toe tricks to win the bronze medal in the men’s event. Malaysia’s coach Larry Gisler said he was impressed by the duo’s performance. “We have to keep pushing Aaliyah. “Hopefully, in five years’ time, she will be in the top three in the world. “This bodes well for water-skiing in Malaysia. Today’s results show that the system is working, and we have four or five more students waiting to make their mark in the next few years.” Indonesia finished one-two in the men’s open tricks and gold medallist Febrianto Febrianto had full of praise for his compatriot Dimas Ridho Suprihono, who is only 14. “Dimas is really talented and he’ll definitely win more medals at the next SEA Games,” he said. “It’s important for Indonesia to groom new water-skiiers because although we’ve been quite good at the 2011 SEA Games, other countries like Malaysia and Singapore have caught up with us.”
Singapore currently sit top of the sailing medal standings at the SEA Games with five gold and three silver medals. There are 12 more medal events still to be decided over the next two days and the sailors from the host nation will be keeping an eye on rivals from Thailand and Malaysia, primarily. At least two gold medals for the Republic are assured today — one for Darren Choy and Jeremiah Yeo in the men’s 470, and for Jodie Lai in the Female Youth Optimist. The women’s 470 final will be another procession with all three positions confirmed after nine races — Malaysia first, Thailand second and Singapore third. All eyes will be on the Male Youth Optimist (under-16) final, as Singapore’s Daniel Ian Toh tries to play catch up against Malaysia’s Mohammad Fauzi Kaman Shah. All four races will be held at National Sailing Centre. Gold medals should be bagged by the hosts at Marina Bay tomorrow in the Male Laser Standard, Male and Female Keelboat and Female Laser Radial Team events, after Singapore’s sailors recorded zero losses so far in their round-robin races. Sealing the win in the Female Skiff 49erFX event is also a formality for Singapore’s Griselda Khng and Sara Tan.