By Zachary Foo/Red Sports
Swimmer Teo Zhen Ren will be representing Singapore at the SEA Games for the second time. He will be participating in the 400m and 1,500m freestyle. (Photo © Sasha Christian/Red Sports)
Swimmer Teo Zhen Ren, 19, will represent Singapore at the upcoming 2013 South-East Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar. By no means a rookie at his age, Zhen Ren has two gold medals from the 2011 edition from his wins in the 1,500m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay. He will get the chance to defend his 1,500m freestyle title this year.
The youngest of three siblings, Zhen Ren is currently serving his National Service (NS) in the Singapore Police Force. He stopped swimming for four months after he enlisted and the break saw him lose 30 seconds on his 1,500m time.
We caught up with Zhen Ren as he shared with us his experience of coming back from an injury to qualify for the SEA Games.
Zachary Foo: What challenges have you faced heading into the SEA Games?
Zhen Ren: The journey towards this SEA Games has certainly been a long and arduous one. It all started in May last year when I suffered a shoulder tendonitis injury. This injury persisted all the way till I finally recovered in June this year. During this time, I had to undergo hours of physiotherapy and rehabilitation treatment, including MRI scans, cortisone and blood plasma injections.
Needless to say, my training was vastly affected. My morale plunged to an all-time low and there were many days when I would question myself whether I could ever get back to my best again. Training was extremely stop-start as I was unable to complete more than two consecutive sessions without my shoulder acting up again.
As I was due for enlistment in February 2013, I decided to use this period to take a total break from swim training during my police basic training. This lasted for four months and I was finally back into the water in May. This was the longest time I had ever been out of the water since I first started swimming, hence the first two months back was by far the worst I’ve ever felt in the water.
It took me quite a while to finally get back into shape, and during this time the undying support from my family and close friends was the key to my recovery.
What do you hope to gain from this SEA Games?
Zhen Ren: Having went through so much just to qualify for this Games, I would really like to prove to myself and other aspiring athletes that it is possible to recover from bad setbacks in life as long as you’re persistent and tenacious enough. I feel that sports is so applicable to the real world, and often, people tend to forget that it is the journey, not the destination, that teaches you the greatest lessons in life. That being said, I would certainly want to do Singapore proud and achieve my best possible result during the games.
What has your training been like in the lead up to the SEA Games?
Zhen Ren: I have been training 10 sessions a week, 2.5 hrs a session, averaging 7km per session.
How is it like juggling your training and NS commitments?
Zhen Ren: I train in the morning from 5.45am to 7.30am, go to work at 8am to 5.30pm and train again in the evening. It was definitely not easy at first but I’ve gotten used to the routine.
How did it feel to qualify for the SEA Games after such a long lay-off?
Zhen Ren: I can still remember the exact moment I received the news of my selection. I immediately hugged my friend who was with me at that time. To say that I was relieved is a severe understatement. It was really gratifying to have some good news after such a frustrating year.
How many times have you been to the SEA Games?
Zhen Ren: This will be the second time I’ll be competing in the SEA Games. It has been a tradition for the swimming team to initiate the rookies so all I can say is that I’m real glad to be out of that stage.
Who is your role model?
Zhen Ren: That will be Ling Li, my sister. She’s currently studying Medicine at NUS (National University of Singapore). I often complain about the lack of social time I get due to my work and swimming commitments. However, seeing how my sister manages to have an active social life even with her strenuous studies really encourages me to focus on improving my time management skills rather than just complain. If she can do it, why can’t I?
When did you get started in your sport?
Zhen Ren: I started swimming competitively at the age of seven.
Which school(s) did you represent?
Zhen Ren: I swam for Raffles Institution for six years of my high school and junior college life.
What was your best school sport memory?
Zhen Ren: The greatest moment of my school swimming career was definitely being part of the Raffles swim team of ’08 that made history by sweeping all 6 division titles (Both boys and girls categories). We had an incredible team that year, which includes a number of swimmers that are currently part of this year’s SEA Games team, such as Rainer Ng, Quah Ting Wen, Teo Jing-Wen, Koh Hui Yu and Cheryl Lim.
What is your favourite food?
Zhen Ren: Bread. I have bread before every training session and it gives me the energy to sustain through the tough trainings.
If you did not take up swimming, what other sport would you do?
Zhen Ren: Water Polo.
What is your biggest motivation?
Zhen Ren: My biggest motivation is that I strive to achieve something unique in life. I only have a few more years to continue swimming at a high level, thus I really want to make the most of it and see how fast I can possibly get.
Teo Zhen Ren Bio
Age: 19
DOB: May 11, 1994
Height: 174cm
Weight: 65kg
Event: 400m freestyle, 1,500m freestyle
Current Occupation: Full-time National Serviceman (Police)
Significant Achievements: National records for the 800m and 1,500m Freestyle (Long Course), 1,500m (Short Course)
Sportsboy of the Year (Merit) 2012, 2013
Number of SEA Games medals: 2 Gold Medals
The Red Crew wish Zhen Ren all the best at the 2013 SEA Games! Do drop Zhen Ren a note of support in the comments section if you can. We’re sure he’ll appreciate it. Upload photos showing your support of Zhen Ren on Instagram using #ourteamsg, or on the Team Singapore campaign’s website: www.ourteamsg.com
zhen ren ?? ??
Zhen Ren jai you jai you.