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A cut above
the rest
The NTU
Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards are presented only to
the most outstanding athletes. Lim Hwee Seah and Liza Lin find out
more about this year’s winners
The NTU
Sports Club will hold its annual Sports Ball at Hilton Hotel on
August 16. The highlight of the evening will be the NTU Sports Club
Colours award presentation ceremony.
The Colours awards are
given to sportsmen and sportswomen who have contributed greatly to
and done well in their sport. A total of 137 awards will be given
away this year, with 48 students receiving full Colours awards and
89 receiving half Colours awards. Canoeist Lee Kai Yang and
triathlete Jeanette Wang will be awarded the highest accolades,
receiving the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards
respectively.
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This canoeist
can |
When
Lee Kai Yang, 24, heard he was receiving the NTU Sportsman of the
Year award, his first feelings were those of amazement and
shock.
“I never thought that I would be able to receive this
award as there are… more worthy athletes than me,” said the Nanyang
Business School Accountancy graduate.
A member of the
national kayaking team until he quit to focus on starting his career
two weeks ago, Lee won five gold medals and one silver medal in the
Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Canoeing Championships from 2001 to
2003.
While studying at NTU, Lee successfully coped with
training, studies and a coaching stint at The Chinese High School,
where he coached the “B” Division team. He attributed this to good
time management.
He had to rise at 5.00 a.m. for morning
training five times a week, rushing to NTU for lessons after that.
Evening training was also held thrice-a-week.
“I don’t think
sports will hamper anyone’s studies... It depends on how you
prioritise your time and it just takes some getting used
to.”
Ex-NTU canoeing captain Ng Jenn Yang, 23, a third-year
Mechanical and Production Engineering student, described Lee as a
“disciplined sportsman who, despite his hectic schedule, still found
the time to offer a lot of guidance to his NTU team
members”.
A recipient of the NTU Scholarship, he was placed
on the Dean’s list for exemplary performance during his professional
attachment with Ernst and Young.
Picking up the sport in Hwa
Chong Junior College, he ended up captaining his school team to the
overall title in the 1997 “A” Division National Canoeing
Championships.
“The turning point in my sporting career came
when I clinched the gold medal in the Singles 500m event that year.
It was my first medal at national level and it spurred me
on.”
Since then, Lee has participated in national and
regional competitions such as the Hong Kong Inter-Port
Race.
Lee spends his free time listening to music, reading
and engaging in other sports such as swimming, running and
basketball. He describes winning the Sportsman of the Year award as
his most memorable sporting achievement.
“This is the biggest
individual recognition that I have received, for which I am
genuinely flattered.”
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The iron
lady |
Be it
netball or touch rugby, NTU Sportswoman of the Year Jeanette Wang,
22, is game for any sport.
“If there were 72 hours a day, I
would have joined every sport,” she said with a grin.
A national
triathlete since August 2000, Wang’s love for sports began at the
age of eight, when she first played netball. In Raffles Girls’
School, she was picked by the track-and-field team for long-distance
running.
Her recent achievements include coming in first at
the 2002 Malacca International Triathlon and the 2001 Singapore
International Triathlon, as well as a third placing at the 2001
Asian Duathlon Championship held in Hong Kong.
With training
sessions six times a week and up to twice a day, training and
studies take up almost all of her time.
A self-confessed
“running freak”, she said: “I always get an indescribable high after
finishing my race, and this has grown to be a passion of
mine.”
One of Wang’s aims is to complete the Ironman
Triathlon World Championship, which is made up of a 3.8-km swim, a
180-km bicycle ride and a 42.2-km run. She also hopes to participate
and do well in the first SEA Games triathlon competition to be held
in 2005.
For Wang, sport has become a part of everyday life.
Instead of taking the bus or train home for weekends, she opts for a
cheaper form of transport, cycling 40 km from Hall 7, her hall of
residence, to her home in Tanah Merah.
While she was on
exchange at the University of Western Ontario, she did some
exploring by herself, travelling from San Diego to
Chicago.
“Most of the time, I was just on my two feet,
running to my destination points. The scenery there was totally
beautiful. It was really a once in a lifetime
experience.”
This energetic and outspoken woman also loves to
act and host. She had a minor role in Talking Cock The Movie and
also likes playing the guitar and composing her own songs during her
free time.
A third-year student at the School of
Communication and Information, Wang hopes to do sports broadcasting
in the future, combining her passions for sports and the
media.
“It is very important to do what you like... Set realistic
goals, pursue them, and your passion will definitely
grow.”
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Courtesy
Photos |
| ATHELETES
IN ACTION: Canoeist Lee Kai Yang (top) and triathlete Jeanette
Wang (above) show their focus and determination as they strive
to excel in their respective
sports. |
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