Sore arms, calloused palms and blistered hands are par for the course in kayaking. But beyond the scars that remain long after the races, Singapore kayaker Stephenie Chen also had to endure the anguish of missing out on an Olympic spot by less than a second - twice.
In a bid to banish those demons, the 32-year-old has been hard at work on the Gold Coast in Australia as she prepares for the April 1821 Asian canoe sprint Olympic qualifiers in Tokyo.
Two quota places - up from just one at the last qualifiers - are up for grabs as kayakers seek qualification for the Paris Games.
At the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Pattaya in May 2021, Chen missed out on a quota spot in the women's singles K1 500m by just 0.938 of a second. She was second in Imin 54.649sec, with the winner, Kazakhstan's Natalya Sergeyeva, clinching the sole spot.
It went even more agonisingly close a day later in the K1 200m, with a mere 0.067 sec standing between her and a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
She was third in 40.325sec, behind Kazakhstan's Inna Klinova (40.123sec) and Japan's Yuka Ono (40.258sec). As Kazakhstan had already clinched an Olympic spot, Ono claimed the K1 200m quota spot.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin January 22, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin January 22, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
VERDY'S APPROACH AN EYE-OPENER
Former Lions turned coaches Alam Shah and Isa inspired by stint with Japanese club
Lions' morale-boosting win comes at a price
The Lions got a much-needed morale booster ahead of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Championship as they beat Tokyo Verdy 2-1 on Oct 11 in the second of three friendlies against J1 League opponents in their Japan training tour.
Conditions to blame for 'ugly' draw, says Messi
Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezuela on Lionel Messi's return, as Brazil got their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Chile on Oct 10.
Belgium punish Italy at set pieces in 2-2 draw
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti blamed bad luck, as Belgium bounced back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with his 10-man side in Rome on Oct 10 to boost their hopes of reaching the Nations League quarter-finals.
CARSLEY'S MIDFIELD OVERLOAD BACKFIRES
England temp boss dismayed by mistakes as Three Lions lose to Greece for first time
Player strike in England unlikely: Sports law expert
The chorus of frustrated players and managers speaking out against football's gruelling fixture schedule continues to grow, with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate the latest to say he would support players' right to strike.
SOCCEROOS HAVE NO FEAR
They head to Japan with confidence despite never having beaten the Samurai Blue there
Toyota back in F1 with Haas tie-up
The United States-owned Haas Formula One team and Toyota announced a multi-year technical partnership on Oct 11, in a move bringing Japan's biggest carmaker back to grand prix racing for the first time since 2009.
SABALENKA TO STICK TO HER BRAVE PLAN
World No. 2 will be aggressive in Wuhan semi against Gauff; Fritz takes on Djokovic
Nadal's beauty lay in his purity as a competitor
To appreciate the retiring Rafael Nadal we can flip through record books, hunt down Uncle Toni, sift the clay for archaeological clues, speak to Roger Federer's therapist, delve into the physics of spin, but really it's best if we start with a dictionary.
