Overcoming challenges and inspiring communities: 5 Team Singapore athletes who do it all

As the world opens up again and sporting competitions return, the spotlight shines brightly on Singapore’s athletes. While some are itching to compete again to test their strengths, there are also a handful of debutants who are looking to give it their all. Many Singaporeans can’t wait to see their journeys culminate on the regional stage.

While many might know Singapore’s athletes for their illustrious sporting achievements, numerous sportspeople also lead multifaceted lives and pursue meaningful interests outside sports. Some have overcome tumultuous personal challenges while others seek to make a positive impact on the wider community. Read on to learn more about these athletes’ lives outside of competing.

Out of the water

Image credit: Andy Chua Photography.

Amanda in action.

Freestyle swimmer Amanda Lim has held the title of ‘the fastest woman in Southeast Asia’ since 2009. She’s a five-time SEA Games Gold medallist, who has been kicking up a storm ever since debuting at the Vientiane SEA Games in 2009, where she clinched the Gold medal in the 50m freestyle event.

With more than a decade of hard work, dedicated training, and consistency, Amanda’s impressive feat includes holding the national U-17record of 25.38s for the 50m freestyle in the 1st Asian Youth Games 2009, for 13 years together with the 4×200m freestyle relay event. She also holds a national record in the 4×200 relay event.

Outside of her sporting victories, Amanda started Athletic Inc Academy in 2021, focusing on the two main pillars - The Athlete Way Corporate Learning Programme and The Elite One Swim Club Programme. The programmes aim to provide youth, current and former athletes with alternative sources of income as well as mentorship programmes. On the education front, the academy also provides resources to help student-athletes decide which pathway suits them.

Amanda shared that athletes’ experiences make valuable learning programmes that anyone can apply in their daily lives to attain career or personal success. And through the Elite One Swim Club Programme, she conducts talks to local swim clubs, where she shares her knowledge and experience to inspire young swimmers.

As part of the Singapore Swimming Association, she also conducts community swim clinics to encourage children to lead healthier lifestyles.

Guiding a new generation

Image credit: Goh Shun Wei.

Nazri at the Singapore Kickboxing Championship 2021.

While the previous SEA Games saw Nazri Sutari walk away with a Gold medal in Sambo, competing in the prestigious regional sporting event was once a dream he had given up on. This year, Nazri will return to the event to represent Singapore in Kickboxing, being the sole Kickboxer to represent the republic.

Before his foray into combat sports, Nazri was a sabre fencer on Singapore’s National team. He started his fencing journey in secondary school, before emerging as the National Cadet (Under 17) Champion, joining the National team and taking part in regional competitions. But he had never been able to qualify for the SEA Games; something that was even more difficult to pursue after completing his National Service.

Deciding to leave his fencing days behind, it was by pure chance that Nazri picked up Muay Thai at Singapore Polytechnic. From then on, he took part in the InterVarsity Polytechnic competition where he emerged victorious. He’s been down the rabbit hole of combat sports ever since, making it a point to master different varieties — everything from sambo and wrestling to MMA and kickboxing. “I always liked the idea that if you’re a combat athlete, you should be able to do everything, from striking to grappling and wrestling,” Nazri comments.

Most notably, Nazri earned Singapore’s first medals in the sport and was 1 of 15 selected for the inaugural World Association of Kickboxing Organization (WAKO) GameChanger Program – a leadership program to groom the next generation leaders of the newly IOC-recognised sport.

These days, he’s also a kickboxing coach who’s keen to help others fulfil their personal goals while imparting values from his experiences competing. “I want to teach students to be present in the moment and not to ‘cheat’ themselves during training because the efforts add up over time,” he explains.

He explains that his love of sports also fuels his choice to be a coach. “I feel joy when my students get better and achieve their personal goals, whether it’s to lose weight or win fights,” he adds. “I love helping my students! This spurs me on and made me realise that mentoring is also another passion of mine.” In addition to his passion for coaching, Nazri gives back to the community by serving as the Technical Director of Kickboxing Federation of Singapore (KFS), organising events and developing the pathway for future athletes who will walk in his shoes.

On building mental fortitude

Image credit: Singapore National Olympic Singapore (SNOC).

Kiria Tikanah in her fencing gear.

Singaporean epee fencer Kiria Tikanah was thrown into the spotlight after becoming the country’s second female fencer to qualify for the most recent Tokyo Olympics. Closer to home, Kiria is the reigning SEA Games Women’s individual epee champion.

At the moment, she’s also a Chemistry student at National University Singapore (NUS). Juggling her studies, social life, and fencing at an elite level is no easy feat, and Kiria has said that that it’s difficult to see friends outside of school or training.

While some might only know fencing as a sword-based combat sport, building up mental resilience is key to navigating short, timed matches and opponents’ mind games. The 22-year old’s mental composure and ability to stay calm under pressure are traits that she has honed from fencing for over a decade. Kiria also believes in not putting herself under too much pressure and has mentioned that, “Even if I do not end up ever becoming a world champion, I believe it is good enough as long as I do my best.”

Overcoming childhood adversity

Danielle in the wrestling ring.

Between growing up with an abusive father and working odd jobs to support her fractured family, success did not come easy to wrestler Danielle Lim. Her precarious domestic situation made it difficult to focus on her studies, but Danielle remained undeterred and worked towards pursuing her ‘O’ Levels, even when many people in her life told her it was impossible.

Despite these trials, Danielle still retained a zest for life and emerged as one of the top students in her school. She then went on to pursue a diploma in sports science at Republic Polytechnic, where she would get her first taste of wrestling. She won her first wrestling medal two weeks after being introduced to the sport, and hasn’t looked back once.

Since then, Danielle has participated in nine competitions and emerged with six medals, and joined the national wrestling team in 2019. She also recently received the esteemed Singapore Olympic Foundation-Peter Lim Scholarship and a $10,000 Evolve Warrior Scholarship from Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Academy.

This upcoming SEA Games will be Danielle’s exciting debut in representing Singapore!

Striking a balance

Image credit: Eric Koh.

Portrait of runner Jeevaneesh Soundararajah.

Outside of his athletic pursuits, runner Jeevaneesh Soundararajah spends his days managing projects as a solar engineer. While he has been running competitively for over a decade since his junior college days, the 1500m event, which he will participate in at this year’s SEA Games, is still relatively new to him - he only started training specifically for the event less than two years ago.

Even while working a full-time job, Jeevaneesh has only grown from strength to strength in his sport - clocking a personal best of 4min 00.99sec at the 82nd Singapore Open Track & Field Championships recently.

“It was challenging to manage the workload and going for training and competitions,” he shares, adding that he initially took a step back from training so as not to be too overwhelmed. “Six months or so into the job, I found my balance and returned to training at the end of 2019.”

Jeevaneesh’s secret behind striking a balance between work and running? “Being disciplined, focused, and setting goals,” he expounds, citing how time management is also key. Overall, he explains how work has taught him to be adaptable while running has taught him to understand failure — both of which have helped him to develop his character holistically.