He said Sport Singapore and the Singapore Swimming Association helped to arrange a training camp in Cambodia before the Games, which meant the players were ready and knew what to expect when they arrived for the matches.
“We have a really big advantage this SEA Games, I think this result came up because of not only the players – all supporters, federation, government, all together.”
Looking ahead, the team is focused on the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China later this year, the coach said.
“Of course, we want to be top three in Asia, but maybe first, we must show (better) results than the previous Asian Games,” he said, adding that the team is good and strong – with senior players who have experience and younger players who are eager to show what they can do.
Mr Ting Kum Luen, the founder of Pacer Water Polo Academy, said older players have the maturity to perform at the Asian Games.
“We have to go there, we need to be up there. But how to get there? The senior players have to be there.”
Kai Yang said he is looking forward to seeing how the team performs at the Asian Games.
“We know very well that our opponents at the Asian level have also been improving, we are keen to see where we stand now.
“And that means that we have to train even harder to work towards a larger goal. We want to keep pushing the standards of water polo in Singapore.”