An extraordinary games

A haul of 84 golds has earned Team Singapore a breakthrough showing like never before. The Straits Times takes a closer look at each sport and rates how they performed.

SILVER

AQUATICS - DIVING (0-3-4)

Up against teams like Malaysia, who boast world-class divers, the Singapore team improved on the two silvers and two bronzes from the 2013 Games, and also won a medal in every event they entered.

AQUATICS - SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING (2-1-0)

The team fell short of coach Maryna Tsimashenka's three-gold hopes, but bagged the Republic's first golds at the SEA Games for what is still a good showing. Stephanie Chen and Crystal Yap in particular show promise as a duet.

BOWLING (4-5-1)

The men's team surpassed expectations with three medals, including a doubles gold. The women, heavily tipped to dominate all five events, failed to win a medal in the doubles and ceded their team title to rivals Malaysia despite a far superior squad.

BOXING (0-2-4)

Mohamed Hanurdeen and Tay Jia Wei won the sport's first silver medals since 1993. The women's team, making their debut, also won two bronzes to signal a positive outlook for the sport.

EQUESTRIAN (1-3-0)

Did not retain the individual showjumping gold, but did well to improve on its haul of one gold and one bronze from 2013. Also won Singapore's first team title in two decades in showjumping.

FLOORBALL (2-0-0)

Both men's and women's teams were favourites to take gold. While the men romped to victory with little fuss, the women triumphed after a tough fight from Thailand, winning after a penalty shoot-out.

GOLF (0-2-2)

Johnson Poh came within a whisker of striking gold in the men's event, but lost out in the play-off. A good showing nonetheless against a dominant Thai team.

GYMNASTICS (1-3-4)

While the women's artistic team could not win a fourth straight team title, the team - made up of debutantes - did well to clinch silver. The rhythmic team's gold was also the discipline's first.

HOCKEY (0-1-1)

Largely written off before the Games, the men's team came agonisingly close to beating kingpins Malaysia before losing the final on penalties. The women, however, should have taken the silver.

JUDO (0-2-3)

Failed to retain the men's over- 100kg title, but the judokas did well with more than half the squad winning medals.

SHOOTING (5-9-7)

Did not meet the sport's six-gold target, but still improved from winning just one gold at the last two SEA Games.

SQUASH (1-1-4)

Having met expectations by winning the men's jumbo doubles event, the sport's showing could spell good news for its future.

VOLLEYBALL (0-0-1)

For a sport that rarely gets the nod to compete in major Games, the lone bronze from the women's event deserves praise and also breaks volleyball's 34-year medal drought.

WAKEBOARD AND WATERSKI (3-1-3)

Fell slightly short of the four golds hoped for, but still an improvement from the one gold, two silvers and two bronzes won in 2011, also setting Games records in the process.

GOLD

AQUATICS - SWIMMING (23 GOLDS, 12 SILVERS, 7 BRONZES)

The Class of 2015 is quite simply the best SEA Games squad of all time with their record haul of 23 golds, surpassing the 21 titles from the 1973 South-east Asian Peninsular Games. The swimmers outperformed their competitors but also themselves, setting 21 Games and 11 national records in the process.

ATHLETICS (3-3-3)

A squad that surprised with their stellar showing, retaining the two golds won from 2013 and clinching a third in the women's 200m. Hit milestones such as a silver in women's pole vault, Singapore's first medal in the event.

CANOEING (7-5-0)

Not only did the team surprise with their seven titles, five more than 2013, they also knocked Thailand and Indonesia off their perch to finish as the region's top canoeing nation.

FENCING (3-3-7)

Improved on the 2013 haul of one silver and two bronzes, while fencers such as Choy Yu Yong and Kevin Chan also impressed on their debut.

NETBALL (1-0-0)

The Asian champions recovered from a draw against Malaysia in the round-robin stage to beat their Causeway rivals in a tense final - ending 14 years of hurt after coming in second-best in 2001.

SAILING (10-7-1)

The top performing nation with half of the 20 golds on offer clinched, although the squad missed out on favoured events such as the Team Optimist.

TAEKWONDO (2-0-6)

After winning just one silver in 2013, the squad went one better - and then some - to win the sport's first titles since the 1999 Games.

WUSHU (6-3-3)

Surpassed all expectations by clinching six titles, close to its high of seven from the 1993 Games and far more than the lone gold each time the Games have been held in at least a decade.

BRONZE

ARCHERY (0-0-2)

While the team won two bronzes, this was still a disappointing showing. The team, who won a gold and a silver at the 2013 Games, fell far from their target of a two-gold haul.

AQUATICS - WATER POLO (1-1-0)

Were widely expected to deliver double golds as regional kingpins. The men's team delivered a 26th successive gold, but the women's team had to settle for silver after a narrow loss to Thailand.

BADMINTON (0-0-4)

Fielding a younger and relatively inexperienced team, Derek Wong and Co. posted a creditable performance to finish with three more bronzes than 2013.

BASKETBALL (0-0-1)

Had hoped to at least make the final, but fell to Indonesia in the semi-finals despite winning all their group-stage matches. Recovered well to beat Thailand to retain their bronze from 2013.

BILLIARDS AND SNOOKER (2-1-3)

Hopes were pinned on Peter Gilchrist and world junior pool champion Aloysius Yapp, but the sport fell short of its four-gold target.

CYCLING (0-0-2)

Failed to retain the 2013 women's individual time-trial gold and also could not improve on its haul from the 2013 Games.

PENCAK SILAT (1-1-6)

While finishing with more medals than 2013, overall a disappointing showing from the team, despite having a reigning world champion Sheik Farhan in their ranks.

ROWING (0-1-3)

Saiyidah Aisyah was unable to retain her gold from 2013 as her pet 2,000m race was left out of the competition. A creditable showing from the team to win four medals.

RUGBY 7S (0-1-1)

Fell short of the two golds they were favoured to win, but maintained the silver and bronze won at the 2007 Games, when it was a 15-a-side competition.

SEPAK TAKRAW (0-1-7)

The team were hoping to win at least a gold on home soil. Still, a vast improvement from just one bronze won at the 2013 Games.

SOFTBALL (0-0-2)

Both men's and women's teams were hoping for an appearance in the final, and while both settled for bronze, it is an improvement over the lone bronze from 2011, when the sport was last contested.

TABLE TENNIS (6-1-3)

The team had targeted and were also expected to sweep all seven golds, but shockingly lost one in the most unlikely of events - the women's singles. Not good enough for a team that boast world-class players.

TRADITIONAL BOAT RACE (0-0-5)

After ending the sport's two decades-long medal drought at the 2013 Games by winning one bronze, they went four better this time.

TRIATHLON (0-0-1)

Both of Singapore's representatives in the women's event did not finish their race, but Loo Chuan Rong's bronze is still commendable in the sport's return to the SEA Games after an eight-year hiatus.

NO MEDALS

FOOTBALL

Should have made the semi-finals at the very least, but even that was a hurdle too high for the Young Lions.

PETANQUE

A good showing on home ground would have helped the sport get some much-needed limelight. But despite boasting an Asian champion in their ranks, the team returned with no medals and the country continues its wait for a first SEA Games gold.

TENNIS

Were hoping to win a first medal since 1995, but were no match for regional rivals.

This article was first published on June 17, 2015.
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