Among the firsts to storm out of the trenches for Team Philippines, water polo team is brimming with confidence as it guns for a podium finish in the Southeast Asian Games which starts in Kuala Lumpur next week.
Team captain Tain Gomez Jr., said the team honed its skills in a training camp in Barcelona, Spain, which he described as “very hard and high level.”
That, according to him, prepared them for the tough grind ahead as they battle regional heavyweights in the sport like Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
“This time we don’t feel any pressure because we are confident that we are prepared after training in Barcelona,” said Gomez in Filipino.
The country went home empty-handed two years ago in the Singapore edition but this time, Gomez said they are not just physically, but also mentally prepared.
“We are more focused right now. And we are all fit and in top condition,” said Gomez.
The country’s water polo squad, half of which is made up of enlisted military men, is hoping to duplicate—if not surpass—a silver medal finish in the 2009 Laos SEA Games.
The team flies to the Malaysian capital on Sunday, two days before the competition starts at National Aquatics Center in Bukit Jalil.
The rest of the team are Abnel Amiladjid, Adan Gonzales, Frazier Alamara, Juan Paolo Serrano, Macgyver Reyes, Mark Jerwin Valdez, Matthew Royce Yu, Mico Anota, Mummar Alamara, Reynaldo Salonga Jr., Romark Johnson Belo and Teodoro Roy Canete Jr.