CHASING A TEAM'S DREAM

The country's fastest guys are all fired up to take on the region's biggest sporting event when the SEA Games return to Singapore this June.

In a 4x100m relay, teams usually clock a lower timing over 400m than the sum of each runner's 100m timing. This is because all the runners except the first one have that additional distance in the passing zones to accelerate, creating the perception that runners run faster in a team than as individuals.

After spending some time with the boys of Singapore's national relay team, it appears that their mouths also run faster when they are together than when they are alone.

On their own, each is somewhat soft-spoken. Hwa Chong Institution teacher Corporal (CPL) (NS) Lee Cheng Wei answers politely and earnestly; full-time athlete CPL (NS) Muhammad Amirudin bin Jamal is self-deprecatingly funny; Singapore Management University undergraduate Lance Corporal (LCP) (NS) Gary Yeo Foo Ee appears aloof but soon reveals his cheeky side; and Nanyang Technical University undergraduate LCP (NS) Calvin Kang Li Loong, the baby of the group, exudes a youthful confidence.

Put them together, and they are a boisterous bunch.

Asked if they've done photo-shoots before, LCP (NS) Yeo answers: "Yah, many times. But usually it's just one person (in the shot)."

"And he takes his own photos " CPL (NS) Lee chimes in, "and puts them online!" They all turn to LCP (NS) Kang and explode in laughter. LCP (NS) Kang, unfazed, continues to strike the perfect staring-into-the-distance-and-looking-muscular pose.

When LCP (NS) Kang said "as a team, we are stronger", he probably did not mean this.

Stronger together

What he did mean was that competing as a team has opened many doors for the sprinters. They are part of a core team of national relay runners who take turns competing together.

"Running in a relay team gives us an edge: our individual timings may not be the fastest, but our combined timing takes us further. As a team, we are stronger. We get more opportunities to compete overseas too," explained LCP (NS) Kang.

It's not to say that the guys are any less competent individual runners. LCP (NS) Yeo and CPL (NS) Amir are decorated SEA Games participants in the 100m who won the silver medal in 2011 and bronze in 2013 respectively.

But being gifted runners does not guarantee easy success in the relay. Passing the baton at high speeds requires precision and trust, said LCP (NS) Kang. "It's about being confident that my teammate will react appropriately to the situation."

CPL (NS) Amir added: "It's also important for us to set aside our egos. We are doing it as a team, not as individuals anymore."

A team outside the team

Teamwork is also the main reason that they were able to continue training while serving their National Service (NS). All four sprinters expressed gratitude to their NS superiors and colleagues who showed support by allowing them to make time for training and competitions.

Said CPL (NS) Lee: "They would ask about my race preparations and encourage me. A lot of Regulars are into sports, and they know what an athlete goes through since they train too."

CPL (NS) Amir agreed, thanking campmates who willingly swapped duties to allow him to attend training sessions.

Singapore Armed Forces Sports Association member LCP (NS) Kang also felt that NS has instilled discipline in him. "Maintaining the athlete's lifestyle is not easy, and the army taught me to maintain that integrity."

On home ground

With the SEA Games finally returning to Singapore after 22 years, no one is more excited and hungry than the boys to put up a good show. Especially since Singapore has been winning Silver in the last three Games.

LCP (NS) Yeo said: "Everyone wants to compete on home ground, and even more so at the new National Stadium."

Sports enthusiasts may remember that they were the four who ran the heart-stopping 4x100m finals at the 2011 SEA Games, when Singapore lost the gold medal to host Indonesia by a photo-finish.

"This is the year we've given ourselves," said LCP (NS) Kang wistfully. "We've tried to win the gold so many times, so the feeling of redemption is there.

"There's pressure for us to perform, and I think we can do it."