Singapore's top Muay Thai fighters target medal haul at continental showdown in Vietnam
SINGAPORE: Singapore's national Muay Thai team is eyeing a strong showing on the continental stage, as they prepare for the upcoming Asian Muay Thai Championship in Vietnam.
Seven athletes will represent the country at the week-long competition, which kicks off on Friday (Jun 20).
The annual championship, held in Vietnam for the first time, is expected to attract more than 300 fighters from around 30 countries and territories. They will compete for medals in 28 weight categories and eight performance classes.
It also marks their last chance to qualify for December's SEA Games in Thailand.
AIMING FOR GLORY
Among the Singaporean Muay Thai athletes headed to Vietnam for the competition is rising star Wayne Low, who will be making his international debut.
At just 20 years old, he has dedicated himself fully to the sport by training six days a week, up to seven hours a day.
'The sport, beyond its physical aspects, involves 'a lot of mental strength', said Low, who is looking forward to going against some of the best fighters in Asia
'Without any mental strength, I don't think any of us can get this far, we can just give up any time. With it, I feel (that it has made me) a much better person, more disciplined.'
Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to represent Singapore, he said that he is hoping to snag at least a bronze medal at the competition.
'I'm really nervous and excited. I don't want to mess up this chance,' added Low, who is the youngest fighter in the seven-member squad headed for Vietnam.
However, he noted that his age is not a disadvantage, saying the upcoming competition will give him valuable exposure and experience against high-level opponents.
RAISING THE BAR
National coach Amir Gani said adapting to the intensity and pace of international bouts has been a major focus in training, with former national athletes being involved as sparring partners.
'We do more training because of the pace of the fights. The bouts are different from what we have in Singapore,' he added.
'So we need to understand and make the athletes understand the pace, the power of these international games. They are not easy.'
Amir said he believes his charges are capable of holding their own against Asia's best, and is aiming for at least four medals from the team at the championship — but medals are just part of the bigger picture.
'My goal for the Asian Championship is to win as many as we can as a nation, and I want as many Singapore athletes to be carded for SEA Games,' he added.
'That's what our main goal is, but for the main goal to happen, we have to have a successful event.'
If their quest for December's SEA Games is successful, the athletes will have their work cut out for them.
They could face fierce fights from powerhouse and host Thailand, as well as other teams such as Malaysia and the Philippines.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Billionaire FAS president Forrest Li has the financial means and the zeal, but are these enough to revive Singapore football?
Fans and commentators also pointed to organisational development as another area that Mr Li and his team can address in the near term. Mr Yeo the football observer said: 'FAS has been critically short on technical staff, and marketing and communications staff. Both are essential if the association is to run well and engage fans better.' Indeed, engagement and communication with its supporters is an area where fans believe more can be done. An example of this is the organisation's online presence. Mr Chuan Rei Hern, a 19-year-old student and avid follower of Singapore football, noted that 'basic statistics' such as information on the SPL's top goal scorers cannot be found on FAS' websites. He believes such issues that can be quickly solved and improved upon should be the new council's first order of business. 'How do new fans even get into the Singapore football circle when baseline information is so disjointed and difficult to reach?' he asked. Although it is undoubtedly more complicated than updating a website, focusing on improving the standard of coaching is another aspect that could feasibly be done during Mr Li's tenure. Mr de Roo, who previously held roles as technical director in Australia's FFA Centre of Excellence and the Football Association of Malaysia, identified Mr Gavin Lee – assistant coach of the Singapore men's national team and former BG Tampines Rovers head coach – as one of the most promising coaches in the nation today. However, he noted that this prominence is a product of an individual effort to go 'above and beyond' to improve himself, as opposed to being a product of the coaching education here. 'If you want to develop better players for your senior national team, the players have to work with better coaches and that means you have to develop better coaches.' WHAT MIGHT BE OUT OF REACH? However well-resourced or well-connected Mr Li might be, there are other fundamental challenges that he and his council may struggle to solve. At the heart of these challenges is that not everything in football is controlled or dictated by the football association alone, observers said. One common problem raised was the lack of unity across the ecosystem. While clubs, schools and private academies all contribute to the sport, they often operate in silos with little alignment in objectives or standards. Mr Vengadasalam, who now runs the Woodlands Lions FC, said that he often has players who are unable to train with his club's academy, for instance, due to clashes with the schedules of their schools' co-curricular activities. Mr Vengadasalam believes such a disconnect between the school system and academies like his means that player development is often halted. It is this fragmentation in the fraternity that might be a hurdle too large to overcome, Mr Raymond said. 'The schools' football system is an entire ecosystem on its own,' he added. 'It's a challenge to bring them all together and to agree on a technical strategy or a certain point of action.' Mr Yeo the football observer believes that one of the most intractable challenges Mr Li and the new FAS council faces is infrastructure, or the lack of control over it. 'No club apart from the Sailors owns any facility whatsoever. Even if they're a top team and they play in the SPL, they don't own a stadium,' he noted. This is not unique to Singapore. Professional clubs in Japan, for instance, do not own their stadiums either. However, Mr Yeo pointed out that Japanese local governments work closely with clubs to ensure facilities are prioritised for football use. 'Priority does not mean that other sports cannot use those facilities,' he said, but there must be a 'football lens' when infrastructure is built or refurbished. He gave the example of Singapore's National Stadium, which has a 'lay-and-play' natural grass pitch system that involves laying specially grown turf for major events. This allows for quick pitch replacement and ensures a high-quality playing surface. 'But land scarcity is the biggest problem. Even if we have a bottomless pit of money, you can't just build stadiums for every single club or even training pitches. There are so many parties with conflicting agendas when it comes to land in Singapore," he added. 'So you have a difficult situation that I don't think even (Mr Li) can resolve. He has to try to convince the government as to why it's important to build these facilities that can improve football professionalism." He continued: 'This would be the biggest challenge, even bigger than developing talent.' Still, those in the fraternity remain hopeful that change is possible, as long as it is done collaboratively and with conviction. Mr de Roo said: 'It starts with recognising where (things) go wrong, how to fix it and then appointing quality people to do that. 'Then make sure that they have the authority to do so, because there's no point appointing quality people if they are still hamstrung. Back them up, facilitate them and be strong. 'With infrastructure, you have the involvement of the ministries and other stakeholders. Sit at the table – you all want the same outcome, discuss how you are going to do that. 'Everybody tries to tell me that Singaporeans don't care about football. That's not true. They love football, but they've just lost faith.'
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore kitefoiler Max Maeder wins Sportsman of the Year for the first time
SINGAPORE: Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder won the Sportsman of the Year title for the first time at the Singapore Sports Awards on Friday (Jun 20) night. The 18-year-old had taken home Sportsboy of the Year honours for the last three years, but earned the top prize this time in recognition of a stellar 2024 season, including a historic Olympic bronze at the Paris Olympics. The teen has also been on fire this year, retaining his title at Trofeo Princesa Sofia Regatta, while last month, he successfully defended his Formula Kite European Championships open title. Maeder, who is currently the world's top-ranked kitefoiler, was not present at at Swissotel the Stamford, where the awards ceremony was held, due to his ongoing season. He was instead represented by his parents, Valentin Maeder and Hwee Keng Maeder. They collected a cheque for S$10,000 (US$7,700) on his behalf. Wushu exponent Zeanne Law's feats were also recognised as she sealed her maiden Sportswoman of the Year accolade, having won Sportsgirl of the Year in 2024. Among her highlights were two golds at World Taijiquan Championships in August last year. Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, who is also Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) president, paid tribute to Maeder's achievements in her speech at the awards ceremony. "Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder had a season to remember in 2024, winning nearly every title available and capping it off with a bronze medal at the Olympic Games," she said. Ms Fu also lauded Team Singapore's "extraordinary year", noting that 15 out of the 23-member contingent in Paris had made their Olympic debut. "From regional competitions to the grand stage of the Paris Olympic Games, our athletes stood shoulder to shoulder with the world's best - proving that Singapore has earned its place on the global sporting map," she said. On the World Aquatics Championships, which Singapore will host next for the first time next month, Ms Fu called the event a "major milestone and a proud moment for our sports community". The championships runs second only to the Olympics in terms of prestige. Organised by SNOC as well as Sport Singapore, and supported by the Tote Board, the Singapore Sports Awards recognise the most deserving individuals and teams in sports for 2024. Kai Minejima Lee (indoor skydiving) and Charlotte Ng Leting (wushu) secured the Sportsboy and Sportsgirl of the Year awards respectively, while Yeo Mee Hong (netball) was named Coach of the Year.
CNA
20 hours ago
- CNA
Sabalenka saves four match points to outlast Rybakina in Berlin
World number one Aryna Sabalenka showed nerves of steel and champion's resolve to defeat Elena Rybakina 7-6(6) 3-6 7-6(6) in their Berlin Open quarter-final on Friday, saving four match points in the final-set tiebreak. Rybakina had led 6-2 in the deciding breaker and appeared on the brink of securing a place in the semis but after she was denied victory on her first match point by a net cord, the momentum swung in Sabalenka's favour. The Belarusian reeled off five straight points, eventually clinching the win as Rybakina faltered under pressure. Sabalenka's grit and power proved decisive against the 2022 Wimbledon champion. The first set was a see-saw battle, with Rybakina breaking for a 4-2 lead before Sabalenka hit straight back. Both players held serve from 4-4 to force a tiebreak, where Sabalenka edged it 8-6. Rybakina responded by racing into a 2-0 lead in the second set and breaking again late to close it out 6-3. The deciding set was fiercely contested, with Sabalenka breaking for 5-4 but failing to serve out the match as Rybakina broke back and held for 6-5. Sabalenka then held under pressure to force a tiebreak, which produced the match's most dramatic twist. "Elena, she's a great player, we had a lot of tough battles in the very last stages and she's an amazing player honestly no idea how I was able to win those last points, I think I just got lucky," Sabalenka said after the match. "When I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down match points and actually not so long ago I was thinking, 'it's been a while since I've had some crazy comeback' and so here I am. "It's amazing to win matches like this, it trains your fighting spirit for the next tournaments and I'm proud of myself for trying till the very last point." Sabalenka will face Czech Marketa Vondrousova next, who is aiming for her first final since winning Wimbledon in 2023. Vondrousova defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-1 in a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final. Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu advanced to the semi-finals after eighth seed Paula Badosa retired due to a right hip injury during their quarter-final clash. Wang, ranked 49th in the world, was leading 6-1 0-0 when Badosa pulled out of the contest. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, smashed her racket and hurled it across the court following the post-match handshakes. The 23-year-old Wang has enjoyed a breakout week in the German capital, beating second seed Coco Gauff in the previous round. She will next face either American Amanda Anisimova or Russia's Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the final.
