World junior champion Aloysius Yapp is in the final phase of his preparations as he bids to end Singapore’s 10-year wait for a pool gold medal at the SEA Games. He will compete in a European tour event in Portugal. PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

By DEEPANRAJ GANESAN

ALOYSIUS Yapp may be the current pool world junior champion but he is not under-estimating the opposition when he makes his debut in the June SEA Games.

He has put his studies on hold and begun full-time training, clocking up to 10 hours daily in the run-up to the biennial Games.

Today, he will be travelling to Portugal to compete in the European nine-ball tour event for the first time.

Said the 19-year-old:
“I am using the competition in Portugal as a training stint.

“I will give my best there and take it one match at a time.

“The World Junior Championships (in November last year) was a big boost to my confidence and I want to keep it going and hopefully win a gold medal for Singapore at the SEA Games.”

He will compete in the nine-ball pool singles and nine-ball pool doubles at the 28th SEA Games in Singapore, where he will be the Republic’s best cue-sports gold-medal hopeful, along with three-time billiards world champion Peter Gilchrist.

The 47-year-old, who struck gold at the 2009, 2011 and 2013 Games editions, is also not taking anything for granted despite being a heavy favourite.

“Anything other than my best will not be good enough.

“I am the man to beat and my opponents definitely have what it takes (to beat me),” said the England-born Gilchrist.

“Myanmar and Thailand will be the strongest competition.”

Yapp and Gilchrist were speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural two-day Cuesports Festival that was held to enable the organisers, coaches and athletes to assess the operational capability and logistics of the venue — OCBC Arena Hall 4 — for the Games cue-sports competitions.

The event was open to the public too.

Cuesports Singapore president Christopher Chuah has set a target of four gold medals at the Games.

In the Myanmar edition in 2013, Singapore bagged one gold and four bronzes.

He said: “At this moment, our athletes are in good form.

“Peter is tried and tested and Aloysius is coming into the Games as a world junior champion so we have to be confident.” drajac@sph.com.sg