Games-New coach wants Singapore's swimmers to shine on world stage

Unimpressed at being the biggest fish in a little pond, Singapore's new national swimming coach wants the tiny city-state to make a splash on the world stage.

As Singaporeans were basking in the glory of winning 23 gold medals in swimming at the SEA Games, Sergio Lopez was plotting his next move.

The Spaniard only took up his new job in January but has big ambitions for Singapore, including getting the country on the medal podium at the Olympics.

"If I came here just to shine in Southeast Asia, then I think I'm in the wrong job," he told Reuters.

"My job is to achieve excellence at the highest level possible.

"And hopefully we're going to shine sooner than we want at the Olympic level."

Lopez, 46, already knows what it takes to get to the top. He won a bronze medal in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Since hanging up his goggles, he has become a highly sought-after coach, working with a handful of international teams and running one of the most successful swimming academies in the United States.

He became aware of the fledgling talent in Singapore when Joseph Schooling joined his Bolles School in Florida and at the start of this year, he was persuaded to move to Asia and take over the running of the republic's national team.

In the short time he has been in charge, Singapore's swimmers have shown a quick improvement. While Schooling was the star of the show at the SEA Games, winning nine gold medals, it was the overall performance of the team that pleased Lopez the most.

Quah Zheng Wen won seven gold medals, Tao Li won five, Quah's sister Ting Wen won four, as did Amanda Lim. Overall Singapore won 42 medals, and significantly, they won all six relays, a clear sign of the depth in the squad.

"We're a small country, five million people, but I want to make everyone know that if we work together we can be one of the best small countries in the world," Lopez said.

"The kids in Singapore are really hungry to be good. They already have excellence in school education... and now that have a chance to be excellent in something they are passionate about."

Lopez thinks Schooling, who has now working with famed American coach Eddie Reese at the University of Texas, has the chance to become the first Singaporean swimmer to win a medal at the world championships and Olympics.

But the Spaniard believes there's another wave of young, talented swimmers right behind him who can transform Singapore into a world force in the pool.

"We already have the possibility of people thinking about medals and the possibility of making finals," he said.

"We're right there. The door is open for us. We have a lot of kids that have the talent.

"There's a lot of possibilities but can't get ahead of ourselves, we just have to work hard everyday and believe."