Crazy, delusional, you cannot do it.
These are some responses that national triathlete Luke Chua gets whenever he tells people of his plan to pursue the sport full-time. But he has paid little attention to these remarks.
Instead, they have served as motivation for the 23-year-old, who turned professional at the start of 2025 to chase his goals of winning the Thailand SEA Games in December, as well as qualifying for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
He said: "It's a lot of societal pressure that you get and people just saying this is crazy, this is not it.
"I have a lot of faith in myself and there are also a lot of people who have faith in me, so I'm lucky in that sense. If I didn't surround myself with the people I have today, I wouldn't be where I am."
Chua is now based in Brisbane, having moved there in mid-2023 to train with his coach Matthew Bury while completing his marketing degree at the Queensland University of Technology.
Making sport a full-time endeavor was something he knew he wanted since he got into competitive swimming at 10.
Six years later, while at the Singapore Sports School, his interest in swimming was waning, but that kick-started his foray into triathlon.
この記事は The Straits Times の January 07, 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Straits Times の January 07, 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
AGE-OLD CRAFT OF WEAVING CARPETS AT RISK
In southern Morocco, women are the guardians of the age-old craft of carpet weaving, an intricate art form that often leaves them with meagre earnings.
Zendaya and Tom Holland engaged, says US media
Spider-Man co-stars Zendaya and Tom Holland are engaged, American media reported on Jan 6, the day after she was spotted wearing a huge diamond ring.
Johnny Depp alerts fans to online scammers posing as him
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has alerted his fans to online scammers impersonating him.
Singapore composer George Leong calls Dick Lee 'self-centred' amid emotional rant about music scene
Singaporean composer and musician George Leong has worked on some of the biggest hits of Mandopop and Cantopop, but in an impassioned Facebook post, the 54-year-old seemed to have thrown it all away.
Squid Game 2 Met With Backlash Over Vietnam War Reference
Squid Game 2, a dystopian drama in which hopeless people compete for survival by playing Korean children's games, is facing backlash from Vietnamese audiences over a remark on the Vietnam War (1955 to 1975).
68 S'pore writers sign statement on NLB's 'uncritical endorsement' of generative AI
Members of Singapore's literary community are calling on the National Library Board (NLB) to exercise greater prudence in adopting generative artificial intelligence (AI) or risk \"permanently damaging Singapore's literary landscape\".
Mediacorp disqualifies stolen designs from competition
Three illustrations submitted to a Mediacorp design competition have been removed from the media company's website and disqualified after they were found to have been stolen.
From bad boy to Better Man
Pop star Robbie Williams reflects on hedonism and healing for biopic
That very hot drink could be doing you harm
Drinking very hot beverages is a proven risk factor for oesophageal cancer
STRENGTH BAND-AID
Research suggests that resistance bands are as effective as weights at building strength
