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Flood of emotions for Ang Peng Siong in an Olympic Dream

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8 years ago

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In Singapore, Ang Peng Siong was probably the first figure of swimming.

He was nicknamed Asia’s ‘Flying Fish’, idolised and the source of inspiration for many.

In 1982, Ang Peng Siong became the first, and since then the only, Singaporean to hold the world number one ranking in the 50m freestyle with a time of 22.69 seconds for 33 years until it was broken by Schooling at the 2015 SEA games.

He was awarded the ’the world fastest swimmer’ title in 1982. He would go on to bring the name of Singapore in world events, including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and 1988 Seoul Olympics.

During his peak as an athlete at the end of 1986 he was drafted into National Service. It was found out in an interview that as a Naval officer he had suffered from heat exhaustion during an 8km route march and had caved-in to pneumonia later.

After an appeal by the Singapore Amateur Swimming Association (SASA), finally he managed to get a six-month deferment to participate in the 1988 Seoul games. There, in his own words, he was “devastated”. He missed the finals by one place after coming in ninth place.

This stark story was a contrast with the kind of attention that Schooling has received, either in pre and post the Olympic victory.

Many have asked what kind of support the government had given him before and after his success as a sportsman as political leaders lined up to take photos with Schooling and granted NS deferment after his victory.

Harsh crititsm have been made on the government’s move to train ‘imported’ athletes rather over nurturing native Singaporeans as potential athletes.

In a Facebook post that went viral on Monday (15 Aug), Jennifer Yong had ranted about how her friend’s daughter had to pay $10k to enter training while the Singapore Table Tennis Association had preferred ‘imported’ foreign players over locals.

photo: tremeritus.com

Henry Ace, another Facebook user, reacting to the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme, asked: “Did you know that at least 15 imported athletes have abandoned S’pore to return to their homeland. This is S’poreans’ money down the toilet.”

Another Facebook user Dorine Pangsoh commented that it was a pity that “even our own gov didn’t help much for him. If they had spent the resources on him instead of feeding to those, we could have had our gold long time ago.”

Nearly a month ago, as Singapore came to a standstill and watched Joseph Schooling make history in Rio de Janeiro, Ang Peng Siong was among them.

He watched the 21-year-old Schooling won the nation’s fifth Olympic medal and especially, the first one ever with a gold hue.

Yahoo Sports Singapore reported that although it was a triumphant moment for Singapore sport, it was also a particularly poignant one for the former national swim star.

At Farrer Park Swimming Complex, he told Yahoo Singapore in an interview earlier this week, “Winning that gold medal has always been something that, personally, I wanted for Singapore.”

“I think…” he dragged off, as emotions caught the better of him; Ang needed a minute to compose himself before continuing the interview.

“It’s a special moment… For Joseph to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games and to hear Majulah Singapura is definitely a rare occasion and something to celebrate for all Singaporeans,” he said while fighting back tears.

Quoting the Paralympic gold medal in 2008, Yip Pin Xiu, Ang stated that ‘doing Singapore proud is the ultimate goal for most athletes when they compete.’

The 53-year-old Ang himself has one Asian Games and 20 SEA Games gold medals.

Ang Peng Siong celebrates winning at the 1993 SEA Games as then-Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong looks on. (Photo courtesy of Ang Peng Siong)

Ang Peng Siong celebrates winning at the 1993 SEA Games as then-Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong looks on / photo sg.sports.yahoo.com – courtesy of Ang Peng Siong

“I think that’s what sports is about: bringing the nation together, and celebrating together,” said Ang, who was also Yip’s former coach.

“How many events do you have this sense of pride? As a national athlete, that’s the kind of emotions we want to project to the community.”

“As long as we instill that dream in everyone that ‘hey if Joseph can do it, if Pin Xiu can do it, why can’t I?’ – I think that’s pretty much the message we want to give to every Singaporean.”

“You need key strategies to ensure that we are able to experience that success – there’s no shortcut,” Ang explained.

“Just one cycle will not be enough for us to achieve the strategies we want… I think the life of an athlete has to be single-minded in approach, and there must be a very clear and objective approach to eight-year cycle to ensure success on the world stage.”

Ang observed that Schooling’s parents, Colin and May, have set a good example with their “unconditional support and love” and believes other parents need to realise and learn from it.

“Not everyone is going to be like Joseph, but if the parents are a hundred per cent behind the child in terms of what they want to do, it can always translate into something else,” he said.

“They may not succeed in the sport, but when they have that kind of encouragement and support, they will continue to be successful in other areas of life.”

joseph-schooling

In response to the video, Joseph Schooling acknowledges Ang’s feelings by posting a thankful remark in his Facebook: “Uncle Ang Peng Siong you are a legend in your own way. Without former athletes like you that helped paved the way, the success will not have happened. Thank you.”

Ang Peng Siong is the coach of Paralympic gold medalist Yip Pin Xiu, who just won her second gold at the Rio Olympics 2016 on Saturday.

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Singapore

Soh Rui Yong sets new national road mile record with 4:30 finish at Westminster Mile in London

Soh Rui Yong has set a new Singaporean road mile record at the Road Mile at the Sir Roger Bannister Westminster Mile in London, finishing with a time of 4:30. Just days after breaking his own 5km national record, the 33-year-old marathon runner encouraged others to pursue their dreams.

Published

3 weeks ago

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24 September 2024

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SINGAPORE: Singaporean long-distance runner Soh Rui Yong has set a new national record in the road mile, finishing with a time of 4 minutes 30 seconds at the Road Mile at the Sir Roger Bannister Westminster Mile in London.

The record-breaking performance comes just eight days after Soh set a new national record in the 5km road race in Battersea Park, London.

In a Monday (23 September) Facebook post, Mr Soh shared his excitement at achieving yet another milestone. He expressed his happiness in “capping the off-season with another national mark.”

The previous road mile national record of 4 minutes 32.44 seconds was set by 22-year-old Ethan Yan at the 2023 World Road Running Championships.

Soh, who is 33 years old, took the opportunity to encourage others to continue pursuing their goals.

“Having patiently built a foundation, now the real work begins as I prepare for a winter marathon. ”

According to a statement from Singapore Athletics on Facebook, this achievement marks the shortest race distance in which Soh, a double SEA Games Marathon Gold Medallist, has ever held a National Record.

Soh now looks forward to the Valencia Half Marathon on 27 October, where he will race alongside fellow Singaporean Shaun Goh.

Goh, 27, set a new national record in the men’s 10km road race with a time of 31:00 at the Run Prix 10km in Melbourne on 22 September, placing 20th out of 188 runners.

His time beat Soh’s previous record by 37 seconds, marking a significant achievement for the young athlete.

Singapore Athletics further highlighted that the road mile record appears to be a family affair, as Soh’s sister, Romaine, currently holds the women’s national record for the event with a time of 5:24.19, also set in Riga last year.

Reflecting on his record-setting performance, Soh drew inspiration from Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes.

“Sir Roger Bannister has always been an idol of mine, not just because he was the first man to break 4 minutes, but how he did it as a medical student at Oxford University. ”

“This drew me to give it a go at the Sir Roger Bannister Westminster Mile, racing the traditional distance along the centre of London.”

Reflecting on the grueling nature of middle-distance running, he remarked, “Miles hurt in a much different way than the marathon. While my legs start to go about 2 hours into a marathon, my arms start to fall into lactic acid paralysis 2 minutes into a mile that I’m racing all out. ”

Soh explained how he struggled with pacing early on, eventually finishing with a time of 4:30.

He expressed a desire to return to middle-distance racing in better form, hoping to break 4 minutes and 20 seconds in future attempts.

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Singapore

Singapore’s Shaun Goh breaks men’s 10km road race national record in Melbourne

Singapore runner Shaun Goh set a new national record for the men’s 10km road race, finishing with a time of 31:00 at the Run Prix 10km in Melbourne. He surpassed the previous record held by Soh Rui Yong by 37 seconds. Goh placed 20th out of 188 runners, and his next target is the Valencia Half Marathon.

Published

4 weeks ago

on

23 September 2024

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SINGAPORE: Shaun Goh, 27, has set a new Singapore national record in the men’s 10km road race with a time of 31:00 at the Run Prix 10km in Melbourne on 22 September.

Goh placed 20th in a field of 188 runners at the race, surpassing the previous record held by fellow Singaporean Soh Rui Yong by 37 seconds.

Soh’s record of 31:37 was established in October 2023 during the Valencia Half Marathon.

Upon hearing of Goh’s achievement, Soh, 33, congratulated him on becoming “the fastest Singaporean ever over 10km, road or track.”

According to Singapore Athletics, this milestone adds to a series of record-breaking performances by Goh in 2024.

Goh, an information security analyst, went into the Melbourne race with the specific goal of breaking the national record.

He shared with Singapore Athletics that the race conditions were optimal, and he felt strong during the first 5km.

Goh said he felt relatively strong throughout the first half, which helped him maintain his pace.

In the latter half, he focused on overtaking runners who had started too aggressively.

Despite encountering a challenging stretch of headwind, Goh managed to finish strong.

“I’m very happy with how I was able to close hard at the end of this 10km, and I owe this to my coach, who prepared me well to finish strong at the end of races even though fatigue,” Goh explained.

According to Singapore Athletics, Goh’s official time of 31:00 is his “gun time,” while his net time (actual time spent running) was slightly faster at 30:58.

This marks the first occasion a Singaporean has come close to breaking the 31-minute barrier in a 10km road race.

Goh’s performance also surpassed Soh Rui Yong’s national track record for the 10,000 meters, which stands at 31:10.70.

Goh’s latest feat comes after a series of impressive performances in recent months.

Earlier in July, he clocked a personal best of 31:52 at the Southern Cross University 10km in Gold Coast.

In the same month, Goh also won the Pocari Sweat 2.4km National Championships, setting a new personal record of 6:53.90.

With this achievement, Goh’s average pace was 3:06 per kilometre, translating to a remarkable 7:26 per 2.4km segment.

Singapore Athletics noted this pace as a new benchmark, noting that Goh “has shattered the Men’s 10km Road National Record” and set a challenging precedent for future races.

Goh’s next target is the Valencia Half Marathon on 27 October, where he hopes to surpass his current personal best of 69:53.

Looking ahead to this event, Goh expressed confidence, stating that he aims to further improve his form and continue breaking barriers on the international stage.

Singapore Athletics has highlighted the increasing competitiveness among long-distance runners in Singapore, with several national records being rewritten in 2024.

Alongside Goh’s achievements, female runner Vanessa Lee also set a national record in the women’s 10km road race earlier this year, marking a trend of fast times on the road exceeding track performances.

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