WHEN Remy Ong last visited South Korea for the 2002 Asian Games, he returned with three gold medals.
He also has high hopes for his next venture there when the Asiad takes place in Incheon from Sept 19 to Oct 4 - this time as the national head coach of the Singapore bowling team.
The 36-year-old former national bowler - who turned to full-time coaching from last year and was previously the deputy head coach - was appointed yesterday at the Singapore Bowling Federation's annual awards night.
While the job comes with a higher level of responsibility, the two-time Sportsman of the Year (2003, 2007) said his desire for glory had not altered.
"I had very high expectations of myself and what I wanted to achieve when I was bowling," he said. "My determination and desire to win is still there as a coach; it's just that I'm going to get my athletes to do the job."
He assumes his role with the Asian Games just seven months away. The sport was one of Singapore's best performers at the Guangzhou edition in 2010, winning one gold, three silvers and a bronze.
Added Ong: "The Asian Games have always been our priority. I'm bringing a team back to South Korea 12 years later, and I want to make sure that I achieve what I want to achieve."
One thing the southpaw will be counting on to help deliver the goods will be his own experience as a top kegler.
Said the 2006 world champion: "I competed a lot by myself in the last few years of my career so I learnt a lot of tricks and have a lot of trade secrets which I will slowly be revealing to my bowlers.
"At the end of the day, just throwing a ball that looks good is not going to be enough. It's also about a winning strategy.
"You need to be able to handle the stress situation because stress is something you can't avoid."
SingaporeBowling vice-president Robin Yap said: "Remy will bring with him his experience in bowling, lane assessment and ability to work with bowlers to sharpen their skills. He will bring Singapore bowling to the next level."
Meanwhile, 2012 world champion Shayna Ng was named Bowler of the Year last night for winning two titles (International Bowling Championships, Malaysian Open) last year.
She said: "I am thankful that the SBF recognises my achievements but there are much bigger things (this year) to focus on. The Asian Games are big for us and we are all training very hard for it."
Muhammad Jaris Goh, 19, was named Youth Bowler of the Year for winning two golds (men's doubles, mixed team) and two silvers (men's all-events, men's singles) at the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships.
Henry Tan, national head coach (centre of excellence), 71, was honoured with an award for his contribution to the sport.
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