SINGAPORE: A bronze medal-finish from the 1986 Asian Games remains the most recent international result of note for the Singapore men's water polo team.
But that may soon be bettered.
This is because the Republic are on course to reach the semi-finals at the 9th Asian Swimming Championships in Dubai after skipper Eugene Teo's (picture) hat-trick propelled them to a shock 8-7 win over Asian powerhouse Uzbekistan on Wednesday (Thursday morning, Singapore time).
On Thursday night, they lost 23-2 to world No 6 China, who had beaten Uzbekistan 28-6 in an earlier Group A match. Nonetheless, Singapore are expected to reach the quarter-finals as group runners-up to China, where they are likely to face Thailand from Group B.
Despite the defeat, team manager Samuel Wong described their win over Uzbekistan as a long-awaited "breakthrough" for the 24-time SEA Games champions - they have won the title every time since 1965 - who have often been criticised for failing to replicate their regional dominance at the continental level.
"We've always done well at the SEA Games, but have been nowhere in Asia for a long time," he said. "But this has proved we can dream big. Hopefully, this would also help increase interest in the sport in Singapore."
Singapore Sports Council Chief Executive Officer Lim Teck Yin, a member of Singapore's 1986 Asiad side, added: "It's an exciting result. Some of the players are as young as 17, and to achieve this speaks a lot about the maturity of their game."
Coached by Lee Sai Meng, Singapore had also drawn 8-8 with Saudi Arabia and beaten Sri Lanka 24-4.
"We started the tournament slowly ... (but) the team, especially goalkeeper Byron Quek, was excellent and once the Uzbeks realised they weren't getting much luck against us, their confidence dropped and ours rose," said Wong.
To prepare for the meet, the squad played in the China National League earlier this year, and also went on a training stint in Guangzhou.
A Singapore Sports Institute sports science team are also in Dubai to provide support.
However, Lim has called the team not to be carried away with their results at the Asian Championships - not when the SEA Games will be held in Myanmar.
He said: "People may say the SEA Games isn't important anymore, but we'll be under pressure to keep our run going. Hopefully this will be the impetus to build belief that if they keep working hard, they can achieve a lot."
- TODAY
Water Polo: Shock win for S'pore at Asian Swimming Championships
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Water Polo: Shock win for S'pore at Asian Swimming Championships
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Water Polo: Shock win for S'pore at Asian Swimming Championships
