SEA games: Memories are made of these

Flip through The New Paper's sports section over the past 17 days, and you would have seen a multitude of pictures of Team Singapore athletes at the South-east Asia (SEA) Games in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.

On top of shots of our sportsmen and sportswomen in action, there had been plenty of fist-pumping and celebrations on these pages as records came tumbling down and some long medal- droughts ended.

But there were also some poignant moments captured over these SEA Games that did not make it to print.

Like, for example, how Singapore's nine-time discus champion James Wong and the successor to his throne, 18-year-old Malaysian Irfan Shamsuddin, just happened to be back-to-back as the media closed in on them after Irfan's win last week.

Like how silat exponent Shakir Juanda sat slumped in a corner of the Zayar Thiri sports complex with a dazed look, wondering how his 1.93m-tall Vietnam opponent Le Si Kien managed to escape any penalty after throwing a punch to his jaw.

Dazed would also be an apt word to describe the Under-23 football team as they sat in the team bus following their 1-0 semi-final defeat by a beatable looking Thailand team on Thursday night.

Most simply had their heads down, while one of their star performers of the tournament, defender Afiq Yunos, stared blankly straight ahead.

There were also light-hearted moments, like the initiation ritual Singapore's debut swimmers had to go through.

They were made to put "thanaka" (ground bark paste) on their faces as is the local Myanmar culture, and then - following a swim team tradition - had to jump off the swimming complex's 10-metre diving platform.

All these moments are brought to you here in this two-page spread of out-takes, if you will, from the Games.

The TNP team in Myanmar hope you, the reader, have enjoyed our coverage over the past two-anda- half weeks, as much as it has been our pleasure to bring the story packages to you.

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