SINGAPORE — His squad having won a record 23 gold medals at the just-concluded 28th SEA Games, Singapore national head coach Sergio Lopez believes his swimmers for the FINA World Junior Championships in August are capable of reaching at least a semi-final.

But the Spaniard was quick to caution that competing against the world’s best under-18 swimmers will be a very different from what they faced at the biennial regional meet.

Speaking at a meet-and-greet session at Kallang Wave Mall yesterday, where about 500 fans turned up to see Singapore swim star Joseph Schooling, Lopez said the team selected for the FINA World Junior Championships, which he believes could form the core of the Republic’s swim team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, must now make the step up.

“The target would be to follow up on what we have done at the SEA Games as a team,” said the 1988 Olympic bronze medallist. “We are lucky that a good number of them, about six or seven, competed at the SEA Games and understand how important it is. We can get into one or two semi-finals, and then the finals, and work on the relays as best as we can.

“Most importantly as we take another step forward, we must have that mindset and make them understand they are not world-class swimmers yet, but are getting there.”

To be held from Aug 25 to 30, the FINA World Junior Championships are expected to see about 1,000 competitors aged 14 to 18 from an estimated 100 countries in action at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.

Schooling, who won nine gold medals at the 28th SEA Games, took part in the 2011 edition in Lima, Peru, finishing fifth in the men’s 100m butterfly final. Now, as a local ambassador for the meet, which traditionally features many of the next generation of Olympic and world champions, Schooling stressed the importance of the experience in a world-level meet for his younger peers.

“The competition is really intense, and there are a couple of guys from there who are on the world stage right now, such as (2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist) Mack Horton and (Lithuanian Olympic champion) Ruta Meilutyte,” said Schooling, who turned 20 on Tuesday. “Competing at the (2011) meet really opened my eyes. The FINA World Junior Championships was like the ideal meet for me then — those are the guys I’m swimming with today.”

Hosts Singapore have selected a 22-strong swim team for the meet, and Lopez and national assistant coach Gary Tan singled out the likes of Francis Fong, Dylan Koo, Christie Chue and Rachel Tseng as among those to watch at the meet.

Lopez believes the squad for the World Juniors will become the “core group” of Singapore swimmers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“We are not a country like United States or Japan. We cannot compete for medals right now at that level, but we build up towards that,” he said.

“At next year’s Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, they will see how serious the Amercans, Japanese and Australians are, and that would be another important step towards 2020.”

Schooling will return to the United States tomorrow, where he is an undergraduate at the University of Texas in Austin, to prepare for the World Championships in Kazan, Russia in August. Said the 2014 Asian Games men’s 100m fly champion: “I wish I could stay longer, but I’ve to start getting back to shape.”