Basketball twins Andy and Owen target glory for Singapore
Brothers Andy and Owen Liow are used to getting curious stares when they step onto the basketball court.
Not only are they identical twins, their imposing physiques - Andy is 1.86m tall and Owen is 1.87m - also usually make them stand out from the rest.
But the two 17-year-olds are more than a mere novelty.
Their talent in basketball is why the two Secondary 5 students are part of the Singapore boy's squad taking part in the ongoing 9th Asean Schools Games (ASG), which ends next Thursday.
Owen, the younger twin by 30 minutes, told TNP in an interview at OCBC Arena yesterday: "I feel very honoured to be representing Singapore.
"We've been training really hard and we're grateful that our efforts paid off."
Their love for the sport began in primary school, that their elder sister Hui Ting was a former Under-16 national player played a part.
Andy and Owen, who both play for Woodgrove Secondary School, are centres, but they insisted that the rivalry that exists between them is a friendly one.
Andy said: "We challenge each other and that makes us better players.
"We defend the basket quite well and share similar strengths.
"It's just friendly competition to us."
The Singapore boy's team will play their opening ASG match this afternoon, at Our Tampines Hub.
They will then play Indonesia (tomorrow), Thailand (next Tuesday) and the Philippines (next Wednesday).
Andy believes that with determination and hard work, Singapore can go far.
He said: "We expect a tough match (against Malaysia) but we'll do our best to win.
"We're aiming for the gold medal but, if we genuinely compete, becoming champions isn't the most important thing.
"Our priority is to play without regrets."
The brothers also hope that the ASG will turn out to be a stepping stone to something bigger.
Owen said: "I think it's important to allow exchange between the Singapore youth basketball players and athletes from other countries.
"We want to impress and play well so that the national men's coach can take notice of us.
"Our goal is to become professionals one day."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
