Southeast Asia's multi-sport spectacle is back next month, and Singapore men's basketball team captain is hoping for a better showing than 2019
Singapore Men's Basketball Team Captain Delvin Goh poses for the cameras in an interview with SportPlus.sg at the Singapore Sports Hub. PHOTO: JOHN YEONG, SPORTPLUS.SG
He was part of the Singapore men's basketball team that made history by winning the republic's first SEA Games basketball medal for the first time in 34 years when the team took bronze in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar in December 2013.
A fresh faced 18 year-old back then attending his second SEA Games, Delvin Goh was already dubbed a special talent although his court time was limited with the senior players in the squad driving the team to its bronze medal success.
Watch our full video interview with Delvin Goh on Studio Plus here.
His time would eventually come two years later, when Singapore hosted the 28th SEA Games, the first since 1993 the Southeast Asian Games was brought to the Lion City state, and the men's basketball team managed to repeat its feat with Goh playing a starring role this time around.
"I would say my most memorable SEA Games would be the 2015 one in Singapore, because of how much I participated in terms of court time," said the 27 year-old.
"I feel like I contributed more to the success (in 2015). Especially on home ground when you see your family members, your parents, those who have been supporting you throughout, your friends."
Delvin Goh and his wife Chelsea Ann Sim pose with their 2015 SEA Games medals. PHOTO: JOHN YEONG, SPORTPLUS.SG
He recalls, "It just made me very emotional after that win. I cried, I am not usually an emotional guy in any way, but in that moment you just can't hold it back."
His eyes are now firmly fixed on next month's 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Singapore's basketball captain says the team will give it's all to do better than the last edition in the Philippines where they disappointed fans and fell short of expectations.
Delvin Goh shooting hoops at the outdoor basketball court of Singapore Sports Hub during a coaching session. PHOTO: JOHN YEONG, SPORTPLUS.SG
"We want to go in and try to compete, to try for the championship medal. Or even the silver, or the bronze. We'll just try our best and see how it goes."
On his life off-the-court with wife Chelsea Ann Sim, a former Singapore national Taekwondo exponent and SEA Games gold medalist, Goh said that being married to an athlete has helped a lot in terms of having someone who supports and understands what the athlete life is about.
Delvin Goh's 2015 SEA Games bronze medal won with the men's basketball team. PHOTO: JOHN YEONG, SPORTPLUS.SG
"An athlete knows an athlete's schedule, and knows how tiring it can get. We support each other through the tough times, and we both know the feeling of how each of us would feel in a way, so it's easier to compromise," he said.
Sim, who retired from being a national athlete after the last edition of the SEA Games, was quick to agree.
"We support each other through the wins and losses. There's a mutual understanding and we know each other's commitments as well. Many people see him on court as very fierce person, but when you get to know him he's actually a very loving husband," she said with a chuckle.
Delvin Goh with a collector's item, his firs SEA Games team jacket when he made his debut at the 26th Indonesia SEA Games in 2011. PHOTO: JOHN YEONG, SPORTPLUS.SG
Delvin Goh and the men's basketball team are training hard for the SEA Games, and will be participating in a 3x3 tournament in Bali, Indonesia next week as final preparations for the SEA Games ramp up.
The 31st Southeast Asian Games will be taking place from 12 - 23 May 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
SportPlus.sg is pleased to join hands with TikTok, the world's fastest growing social media platform, to shine the spotlight on the journeys of 10 of Singapore's SEA Games athletes in this 8-part series, and assist athletes with TikTok content creation to amplify their online presence for the Games.
Special thanks to Team Singapore, Singapore Athletics, Singapore Badminton Association, Basketball Association of Singapore, Football Association of Singapore, Singapore Silat Federation, Singapore Swimming, Volleyball Association of Singapore, Singapore Underwater Federation, ActiveSG Sport Centres and Chinese Swimming Club for supporting this series.