bio | history | beyond tri
| Name: | Wang Shu'en, Jeanette | |
| Date of Birth: | 13 March 1982 | |
| Years in Triathlon: | 8 | |
| Sponsors/ Supporters: |
Nike, Oakley | |
| Other Sports: | Netball, X-Country, Track & Field, Floorball | |
| Education: |
1989 - 1994 |
Raffles Girls' Primary School (Gifted
Education Programme) |
| Religion: | Christianity (Presbyterian) | |
| Occupation: | Sports Journalist | |
| Languages: | English, Mandarin, a bit of Hokkien, beginner French | |
| Hobbies: | Chilling out at home, listening to jazz, songwriting, playing the guitar, photography & videography, movies. | |
| Loves: | Japanese food, floppy thin-crust pizzas, brinjal, broccoli, sandwiches, Jack Johnson, Jerry Maguire (the movie), jazz, Special K cereal with ice-cold milk, lindy hopping, vintage clothing, San Francisco, diet vanilla coke, French Film, splurging on online shopping | |
| Dislikes: | second-hand smoke, rain, inconsiderate people, red meat | |
| Proudest Moment: | Not yet | |
| Training Week: |
Whatever makes me happy | |
| From secondary one all the way to junior college, I played Netball every waking hour of my life then. It was exactly what my netball coach then told us to do - "Eat, Sleep, & Dream Netball". I was pretty good at it I guess, and I made the Singapore Combined Schools team from 1998 to 2000, and the National U17 and U19 teams in 1999 and 2000 respectively. I also played in the Netball Super League, and for Nike netball club. Yep, Netball sure was my life. |  |
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In secondary two, I was asked to join the x-country school team after I'd done pretty well for my 2.4km physical fitness test run. Since that time, running was always 'on the side', something I'd do just cos I was fast enough to represent the school. Netball would still be my main sport. I still did pretty well with x-country and Track, winning a substantial amount of races and getting podium finishes in other. I guess running came pretty naturally to me. In fact, I represented the Singapore Combined Schools in the Western Australia Little Athletics Meet in 1998, a yearly competition between Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. |
| When I got to Junior College, I was still playing netball (I was the netball captain and the U17 vice-captain), but I was also taking running more seriously. It was at RJC that I met PE teacher Mr Leong Chee Mun, a member of the Singapore Everest Team and an avid triathlete. It was Mr Leong who brought my running to a whole new level and inspired me to do my first triathlon. Everyday after school we would meet to go for long runs... I came to be known as 'the girl who's always running'. |  |
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In August 2000 I did my first triathlon, the Pinnz Singapore International Triathlon. Naomi Tan, then a national sailor who just won an Asian Games medal, helped me borrow a bike and trained me up for my first race. I couldn't have done it without her. I ended up being the 3rd local woman and was asked to join the National Triathlon Team. I quit the National Netball Team to focus on my new passion - Triathlon. |
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Since then, I've seen my ups and downs in Triathlon. I've won some races and blew up in others. Whatever the case, it still remains my passion. I love the feeling of total exhaustion, I love being drenched in sweat, I love lying down after a hard workout and just chilling out, I love pain, I love triathlon. After five years of pretty successful short course racing, I embarked on Ironmans in 2006. Sponsored by Standard Chartered, I went to both the SC Ironman Korea in August (age-group 1st, qualified for Kona) and the Ford Ironman World Championship in October (age-group 13th, national record). Ironmans will be the focus from now on. |
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There seems to be a sporty streak within me which probably came from my parents. My mom, Rosalind, is an insurance agent. In her younger days she used to represent Singapore in Badminton as a schoolgirl. My dad, Kim Kiat, is a retired Army Officer. Though not an outstanding athlete, he keeps up his fitness by running almost daily. I have two brothers, Jeremy is 3 years older than me, and Julian is 7 years my junior. Jeremy is currently in Manchester doing his Engineering degree, while Julian is in secondary three. I can't say my brothers are extremely active - Jeremy used to be in the classical band while Julian used to be a librarian. Fortunately, my younger bro took up Basketball recently and now represents his school. He hates running though - think i gotta do something bout that! |
| Life beyond triathlon - yes, there is one, well kind of - is ironically not really life, since triathlon IS my life. (if you get what i mean). There really hardly is time beyond school and training, but when i do get lucky i like to just chill out at home. Watch some DVDs, listen to music, chat online. I'm not a fan of crowds (I think I'm claustrophobic also), so I don't really fancy a day out at Orchard Road. I love a party now and then, checking out DJs at Zouk club, but usually I have early nights (I need the rest!). Here and there I dabble in little hobbies like lomography, photography, songwriting, guitar-playing, scriptwriting,... | |
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