Singapore lifesavers finish 25th at World Rescue 2008

Story by Yen Li Wei, contributed by Michael Chua.

After five months of intensive, grueling trainings and time trials, I was finally very honoured to be selected to represent Singapore at the Berlin 2008 World Rescue Lifesaving Championships.

This would mark the first time that I will be competing in Lifesaving at the world stage after having participated in the recent Arafura Games and Asia Pacific Games.

The thought of competing with World Class lifesavers from all around the world made me want to give my best in this Game. Friends and family members gathered at Changi Airport Terminal 1 to give us a rousing warm send-off before the nine of us departed for Berlin.

A refreshingly cool breeze greeted us after we touched down at TXL Airport in Berlin after a half-day flight. Though there was a six-hour time difference between Singapore and Berlin, surprisingly we didn't feel tired or fatigued at all. Instead we were looking forward to what was in store for us in the next few days.

The following day, we set out to the competition venue, which was at the SSE Swimming Pool. We were amazed by the infrastructure of the pool, as it was 3m deep, a total contrast to the pools in Singapore. We spent a few hours acclimatizing and practicing our techniques and relays changeover.

Next up was the opening ceremony and it was a chance to get up close and personal with all the other teams. Some of the competitors were the reigning world record holders in the still waters events and it was a fruitful experience to learn more about their training style back in their home country.

World Rescue 2008 commenced with the pool (still water) events, which spanned three days with an average of about five events held per day. As I walked into the arena, I could feel the adrenaline pumping and the anxiety of competing at the grandest stage of all.

We completed our warm up quickly as the pool was very cold. Before I could catch my breath, it was my turn to report for my event. As the officials escorted the competitors to the starting blocks, my heart started beating faster.

While the public announcer introduced the athletes, I started thinking that I had already come so far and I wasn't ready to let my hard work for the past few months simply go down the drain just like that.

Shortly after, the referee's whistle blew signaling us to mount the plunging boards. As I slowly mounted the plunging board, I told myself to do my best and try to qualify for the finals, if not at least establish a personal best or break the national record.

With that in mind, I was all set for my race and nothing could frazzle me. The air horn sounded and off I went in my inaugural pool event at World Rescue 2008. As I swam through my race, my thoughts were focused on treating this race as if it was the final, kicking and pulling hard as my limbs could handle.

Though I didn't accomplish what I wanted to set out to do, I was contented that I managed to beat out some competitors and that I have given my best to make Singapore proud. This served as a morale booster for all my other events and motivated me to give my best for my remaining events.

Competing at such a grand stage gave me a gauge on where I stood compared with the lifesavers from other countries.

Mr. Sim Lye Hock, our team coach and manager had high hopes on our Rope Throw and Simulated Emergency Rescue Competition (SERC). Our men and women made it to the the ´B' Finals and ´A' Finals of the Rope Throw events respectively. Qualifying for the finals for both rope throw events guaranteed the team points and placing.

Vienna did us proud by securing sixth position in the women's final whilst Kenny came in 16th overall in the men's final. Everyone in the team was elated over the results and there were high hopes of us improving on our previous overall standing of 21st position from the last World Rescue back in 2006.

Several world records were broken this time round and one of China's female competitors did Asia proud by breaking the world record in the 200m Obstacle Swim.

The pool events were dominated by Australia and New Zealand, who matched each other point for point, medal for medal.

At the end of the pool events, Team Singapore was in 22nd position, with the ocean events two days away.

At Warnemunde Beach, the waves were stronger and choppier than the ones experienced at Sentosa. It was initially difficult to find the proper balancing for both the surfboards and canoes, but after a few tries at them, it didn't seem that difficult anymore.

The competition was divided into several zones so that events could be carried out concurrently. The atmosphere was electrifying with spectators cheering.

There were some events in which Team Singapore came close to qualifying for the finals and we eventually finished 25th overall in the standings after all the ocean and beach
events were concluded.

The Kiwis and Australians dominated the ocean events and both those countries finished as the top two at World Rescue 2008.