Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports
Sean Ang is part of the Singapore water polo team that is competing at the 2013 SEA Games. (Photo © Sasha Christian/Red Sports)
Sean Ang, 17, is a member of the Singapore water polo team seeking its 25th consecutive gold medal at the 2013 South-East Asian (SEA) Games.
Sean, the youngest of three siblings, is competing his first SEA Games.
Red Sports recently caught up with Sean as he shared his experience in the lead-up to the SEA Games.
Zachary Foo: What challenges have you faced heading into the SEA Games?
Sean Ang: I think the toughest challenge that I faced is probably the fact that I had to find that balance between my junior college life and trainings. This eventually made me leave ACJC (Anglo-Chinese Junior College) to train for the SEA Games.
What do you hope to gain from this SEA Games?
Sean: Experience and also game exposure in terms of playing on an international level. Since this is my first SEA Games, it will be quite an eye-opener.
What do you hope to achieve at the SEA Games?
Sean: Retain the gold medal that we have won for these many SEA Games.
What has your training been like in the lead-up to the SEA Games?
Sean: Training became progressively more intense and tiring as it got closer to the Games. We train about six times weekly and we do three to four hours per session.
Who is your role model?
Sean: I do not have a specific role model but I learn a lot from the seniors in my team.
When and how did you get started in your sport?
Sean: I started swimming at around the age of 5 and trained at Chinese Swimming Club till I was in Primary 5. The club then started a junior water polo team. I decided to give it a try since I got quite bored of having to swim so many laps every day. Once I started playing polo, I didn’t want to go back to swimming anymore because to me, it was much more fun and it was a team game.
Which school(s) did you represent?
Sean: Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) from 2009 to 2012 and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) in 2013.
What is your best school sport memory?
Sean: My best school sport memory has to be at this year’s National Schools A Division Water Polo final, where ACJC was up against Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) for the gold medal playoff. Even though we scored first, HCI would score back. In the last minute, the score was 9–9, but with 31 seconds left on the clock, we scored our 10th goal and defended well against HCI’s last attempt at goal.
The moment the bell (signalling the end of the game) went off, I was bursting with joy and I could see the smiles on all my teammates’ faces as we knew our hard work had paid off. It was probably the most intense and closest game I have ever played in. Even though HCI lost, they showed great sportsmanship by congratulating us and also doing a team cheer for us.
If you were not a water polo player, what other sport would you do?
Sean: Probably swimming? I can’t see myself doing anything outside of the water.
Any pre-match rituals?
Sean: Just a good warm-up.
What is your biggest motivation?
Sean: The amount of support my family gives me because I never want to let them or anyone down.
Sean Ang Wei Ming Biography
Age:17
DOB: April 3, 1996
Height:181cm
Weight:76kg
Sport: Waterpolo
Current Occupation: Student
Favourite Food: Italian
Significant Achievements:
2nd Place at the Asian Waterpolo Cup
1st place for the 1st SEA Championships 2012
The Red Crew wish Sean all the best at the 2013 SEA Games! Do drop Sean a note of support in the comments section if you can. We’re sure he’ll appreciate it. Upload photos showing your support of Sean on Instagram using #ourteamsg, or on the Team Singapore campaign’s website: www.ourteamsg.com
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