SINGAPORE – When Singapore took the lead against Chinese Taipei in the Asian Canoe Polo Championships women’s final on Sunday, the hosts looked set for a triumphant title defence in front of a sizeable crowd at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade.
But nerves soon set in as the Republic missed chance after chance. Chinese Taipei took theirs, however, and came from behind to win 2-1 to wrest the title from the dejected hosts, who broke down in tears of disappointment after the match.
A rueful national women’s skipper Lynnet Tan said: “Everyone wants the gold medal. The more you want it, the more nerve-racking it gets. They were the more composed team, while we had our chances and didn’t put them in.
“There’s sadness and regret... The difference is, champions don’t stop, and so we will keep going.”
Chinese Taipei captain Liu Hui-chi, 38, was delighted to score the winner, saying: “It feels fantastic to be Asian champions again after our previous triumph in 2017, and even more so for me to get the winner.
“But it was more about the great team effort today. Everyone had a role and everyone did their part well, especially in defence to prevent Singapore from scoring as many as they used to.”
Chinese Taipei coach Lai Ching-hui said that their familiarity with the hosts helped, adding that they are happy that the strategies to counter the Republic’s strengths had worked.
Singapore looked on track to retain the Asian title they won in 2019 – the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic – after they took the lead through Kasxier Low, who was assisted by Ong Shu Wen on a fast break.
They had beaten the other five teams in the group stage, including a 3-1 win over the Taiwanese, conceding only one goal per game, before thumping Japan 6-1 in the semi-finals.
But with the Asian title at stake, the final was a more cagey affair with both teams wasteful in front of goal.
Described as Quidditch on water, canoe polo is a hybrid sport that combines kayaking, water polo and basketball. Across two halves of 10 minutes, two five-player teams aim to score into a 1.5m-by-1m goal suspended 2m above the water.
Incredibly, after scoring 49 goals in six matches, with top scorer Leow Fang Hui grabbing 17, Singapore just could not get more than one on Sunday, while their opponents grew into the game and equalised through Hung Yi-fang before the break. Liu then finished off a well-constructed move four minutes into the second half.
Backed by a partisan home crowd of 1,000 spectators who braved the 33 deg C heat, Singapore pushed for an equaliser but were let down by a lack of communication and composure as they took hopeful punts from range instead of opting for patient build-ups.
Towards the end, the desperation told as Singapore were reduced to four players on two occasions after receiving two green cards which resulted in two-minute time penalties, as the visitors ran down the clock expertly.
National women’s team coach Ong Han Loong said: “We were overcome by nerves and didn’t stick close enough to the game plan. Luck was also not on our side today with a couple of one-on-one shots that hit the bar, while our opponents managed to convert.”
The searing heat soon gave way to lightning and rain which led to the cancellation of the men’s final. Iran and Chinese Taipei shared the gold, while Singapore finished fifth out of seven teams.
There was some cause for joy for the hosts, though, as they were crowned Under-21 women’s champions after an 8-5 win over Malaysia in the final. Their male counterparts finished fourth out of six teams.
Ong also hopes the well-organised competition and the presence of the Thailand and Malaysia teams will help raise the profile of the sport and secure inclusion at the upcoming editions of the SEA Games, with Singapore hosting in 2029.
He added: “Indonesia and Brunei used to participate in this competition and we are also trying to reach out to Cambodia. If all goes well, I think it is realistic for canoe polo to make it into the programme when Thailand hosts the SEA Games in 2025.”
