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SINGAPORE \u2013 Having bagged 29 of 30 SEA Games gold medals in men\u2019s water polo, Singapore have long been kingpins of South-east Asia. Now, a new generation is eager to go beyond that and make its mark on the Asian stage.<\/p>\n
On March 15, the Singapore youth team made a name for themselves in emphatic fashion with their first title in the Asian Under-18 Water Polo Championships, following a valiant victory over world No. 8 China in the final. <\/p>\n
At the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil, an end-to-end thriller saw Singapore and China tied 14-14 at full time, but the 15th-ranked Republic held their nerve in the penalty shoot-out to win 4-3 for their third victory over the same opponents in the seven-team tournament.<\/p>\n
In a social media post after clinching the gold medal, Singapore Aquatics said: \u201cHistory made. A generation announcing themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the process, the men\u2019s team also secured qualification to the U-18 World Aquatics Water Polo Championships, along with the women\u2019s side who ended their campaign with a 20-4 defeat by Uzbekistan in the bronze medal play-off on March 14. <\/p>\n
The top four teams at the Asian meet qualify for the global event. <\/p>\n
Men\u2019s captain Matthias Goh, who scored Singapore\u2019s third penalty in the shoot-out in the final, said the victory \u201cmeans a lot\u201d to him, adding that the team got what they deserved, with the \u201cblood, sweat and tears from numerous training sessions\u201d paying off.<\/p>\n
The Singapore Sports School student, 17, said that there was plenty of pressure as the team knew it had a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime opportunity\u201d to win the championship. <\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe knew we couldn’t be complacent from the two wins earlier (against China) and we had to show up to win this match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team managed to stay calm and maintain composure through encouraging each other to move past the mistakes and focus on the current game. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe already went through so many scenarios during our team meeting, such circumstances (match being so close) was normal to us. We simply followed the plan we set before the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team had started their campaign with a statement of intent on March 9 by beating China 15-12 in Group A of the first round-robin stage, which was followed by a dominant 26-5 triumph over South Korea the next day. <\/p>\n
In the second round-robin stage, Singapore thumped Hong Kong 26-8 on March 12 before booking a spot in the final with a tightly contested 14-12 win over world No. 9 Kazakhstan on March 13.<\/p>\n
With a place in the final already secured, Singapore beat China 9-7 in their final match of the second round-robin phase on March 14 before making history in the title decider.<\/p>\n
Assistant coach Kenta Shirahama praised his young charges for the perseverance showed throughout the tournament. <\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThere were some tough moments, but the boys never gave up and gave their best until the very end. They stayed calm, listened carefully to head coach Rio\u2019s (Shirahama) instructions, and played as one team. I would like to express my gratitude to the players for their effort and commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n
On what led to the victory, he said: \u201cWe spent a lot of time training our counter-attacks. In the matches against China and Kazakhstan, we were able to score with counter-attacks that changed the momentum of the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe most impressive thing for me was seeing the players score by applying what we practise every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
With bragging rights claimed in Asia, Singapore\u2019s youth will now look to make a splash globally. <\/p>\n
The U-18 World Aquatics Water Polo Championships men\u2019s tournament will take place from June 27 to July 4 in Rio Maior, Portugal. <\/p>\n
The Women\u2019s U-18 Championships will be held from Aug 16 to 23 at the Tenerife Aquatic Sports Centre in Puerto de la Cruz, Spain. <\/p>\n
Asked for his hopes for the world championships, Kenta said: \u201cSince Singapore is at a physical disadvantage compared to many teams, we want to play a fast-paced style of water polo that makes the most of our swimming ability. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to get closer to the top teams from Europe and the United States and improve our ranking as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n