Water polo talent: Chow Yong Jun, 14, will head to Serbia for two-year training stint with top club Valis
Sports School student is the first Singaporean to join a team in the top water polo league of the reigning Olympic champions
SINGAPORE — With a new year comes new opportunities, and 14-year-old Chow Yong Jun is about to embark on a one-of-a-kind adventure for a Singapore youth water polo player.
The Singapore Sports School student has earned a two-year stint with Serbian club Valis, where he will train and play in the youth league of the European water polo powerhouse nation, whose men's team were gold medallists at the last two Summer Olympics. This is the first time a Singapore player has earned a chance to join a team competing in Serbia’s top water polo league.
Yong Jun will be leaving for his Serbia stint on Saturday (20 January), and while the 1.86-metre-tall teenager admits it will be a challenging stint for him, he is determined to make the most of this unique opportunity.
"“The environment there and in Singapore are quite different. In Singapore they prioritise studies, but over there they play sports. They’re very passionate about water polo," he told Yahoo Southeast Asia after training last Saturday (13 January).
“By going over there, I can improve much faster. The training there is much more tedious and they have a different kind of experience – they’re all bigger, stronger, more aggressive. I want to do my best to compete with the players there.”
Catching the eye of national senior team head coach
After picking up water polo at age nine from his dad, who was also a water polo player, Yong Jun has improved in leaps and bounds while training with his Singapore club, Pacer Water Polo Club Academy. He has been a standout performer in the National League and has often been awarded the best player award in the various age-group matches which he had featured in.
That earned him a call-up to the National Youth Developmental Squad in June last year for the Asian Under-17 Championships, which was originally scheduled for December last year, but has been postponed to this March, meaning Yong Jun will unfortunately miss the competition.
Nonetheless, his talent caught the eye of Singapore Aquatics' water polo technical director and national men's team head coach Kan Aoyagi, who has brought the teenager in to train with the senior team since last October.
"He's young and talented, tall, big-sized and a lefty as well. Usually we don't invite 14-year-olds to the senior team to train, because they have academic commitments and cannot train as often. But Yong Jun has shown that he is motivated and quick to absorb what we are teaching him," the Japanese said.
"This Serbian stint is a great chance for him to continue his water polo journey. We hope he can get competition and understand his ability as compared to players of other countries."
Support from club and Singapore Sports School
Yong Jun caught the attention of the Valis coaches during a training trip with Pacer for overseas sparring games in 2022. Through his club's connections, he was able to secure this current training stint with full support from his parents.
Also supporting his two-year stint is the Singapore Sports School, as it will be continuing Yong Jun's academic studies through a distance learning programme. The teenager will also have to return to Singapore periodically for essential academic assessments.
Valis, which is based in the city of Valjevo about 90 kilometres from Serbia's capital Belgrade, will be an entirely new environment for Yong Jun - a challenge which he is eager to experience, and hopefully be successful in for the duration of his stint.
"I believe when I go over to Valis, they will help me achieve the best of my ability and push me. I hope that I will be able to play for the national team one day and win some medals," the teenager said.
Team Singapore regained their SEA Games gold medal in last year's edition in Cambodia, after failing to clinch gold at the 2019 Games for the first time in 54 years.
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