Media/Press

Cherish the Life We Live
Faith, hope and love...attributes that a champion possess. "Faith to hope for what is yet unseen" and a love for living life to the fullest, challenges and all. Meet someone who is driven, passionate and who derives fulfillment through her spiritual beliefs. Meet professional windsurfer Rachel Charis Ng, a modern day champ!

Teenage years can be a difficult and trying time for some. Moreso if you are dealt with a personal loss. Numerous questions on the meaning of life loom ahead, interspersed with periods of uncertainty and doubt. Rachel's father passed away when she was 14 and thus began her search for answers. Not finding them in her then-religion of Buddhism, she turned to some material which a street evangelist had given her. She was strangely moved and so she decided to follow a friend to church to find out more about Christianity. Eventually at 16, she accepted Christ. But even then, it wasn't all that smooth sailing for her as her mother, being a staunch Buddhist, was against her new found religion. Quarrels and disagreements set in and many a time, there was the urge to run away from it all. Rachel knew that things couldn't carry on like that so she persevered and stood her ground. As they say, "God works in mysterious ways" and slowly and indirectly, her siblings were gradually exposed to the faith. By and by her mother was not so antagonistic anymore.

During those times, Rachel turned to the difficult and challenging sport of windsurfing, perhaps in a bid to occupy her mind with something dangerous and exciting. That curiosity manifested itself into a long term love for the seasport as well as bringing another love into her life...her current steady boyfriend. Now at 25 years old, Rachel has come a long way ever since she joined the national windsurfing team 4 years ago. Sowing the fruits of her labor, her passion and drive are seen in the impressive list of awards: 2001 KL SEA Games Silver medallist; 2002 Tudor International Ladies Champion; 2002 Asian Windsurfing Tour (Malaysia & Indonesia) Ladies Champion; 2002 Singapore Open Mistral Ladies 2nd place; 1998 Asian Sailing Champs 4th place; Singapore Top Lady Windsurfer since 2001 (alternating 1st & 2nd place since 1998); listed among Straits Times 50 athletes.

Her accolades are awe-inspiring as there are still few women in this grueling and strenuous sport. Now that she is in the workforce (Rachel is a "Sports Officer" in the SPEX (Sports Excellence) Division Sports of the Singapore Sports Council.), one wonders how she manages to do it all. We find out in this interview on what else fuels the mind of a champ.

Savoix: How has winning all these awards changed your life?
Rae: It wasn't as long as I wanted it to be i.e. 4 years but nonetheless, my mind, spirit and person has changed and what's enlarged cannot be shrunk back. It's like saying "geez, after going through all these, what else is there I cannot do?" I just know in my heart that when I set myself to do something, there's nothing I cannot lick with God's blessings and my resilience.

Savoix: What are some of the obstacles faced by those wanting to take up windsurfing?
Rae: At first it is hard to lift the sails up and problems arise when you get into minor collisions with other surfers or even boats. Or you could drift out to sea when you lose control. It's all part of the sport, you have to take these risks as they come. It goes with the territory as they say.

Savoix: Uh...apart from fearlessness, what else do you need? Balance?
Rae (laughs): You learn how to balance as you go along and with time and practice it will come naturally. You need to spend some money to rent your equipment too. Other than that, time, discipline, perseverance, the willingness to get into the thick of things and a love for adventure. Oh! (with a wicked grin) ...and don't watch any programs or movies on sharks, like "Jaws"!

Savoix: How do you deal with "too-high" expectations that others may set for you?
Rae: What doesn't kill you will make you stronger!!! Expectations, if not too high, will not be called 'expectations' at all. Basically, the highest ones come from within, not outside. Even then, I always take it as a compliment, seeing it as a gauge of how much people believe in me, and how they long for me to
achieve. I've had times when I didn't "manage" the expectations well and I "crashed" badly, especially in press reports. I always endeavor to cast all these expectations onto the Lord. He can do it, I can't! I am living up to God's expectations to be like Jesus which is higher than any human expectations. I realize I can, when I'm least conscious of myself, let the Spirit work through me.

Savoix: With the pressure of competition and work, what keeps you sane and optimistic in this world?
Rae: Jesus of course! Going to church and being in His presence refreshes, empowers and cleanses me. It certainly keeps me in the right perspective of why I'm doing what I'm doing and assessing how I'm doing it. My boyfriend, Ker Wan (pictured here with Rae), certainly keeps me in the sanity realm with his constant support, companionship and love. For any athlete to succeed, a strong support system is crucial. I was blessed to have that in my boyfriend especially. He's a national windsurfer too. During the SEA games, he drove to Port Dickson almost every weekend to support me. Things like that kept me plugging away.

Savoix: What is God to you?
Rae: He's my inspiration, my everything and my life force! Living for this cause, pursuing His call! If I placed my source in humans or systems, I'll be disillusioned. Man is imperfect but God will not fail me!

Savoix: Are you an "idealist"?
Rae: Yes...I always think we should work unto the Lord. I don't believe in doing things halfway or giving up unless forced to. Of course, on saying that, we should not be bound by goals such that it destroys our lives, that is, family break-down, self or goal-obsession or sponging on others for financial support etc. But otherwise, I believe it's important to impute excellence in every area of our lives. I pursue idealism so that even if I fail, it's still of a high standard. This applies to all aspects of life, including career and relationships ...but (smiles) sometimes my idealism frustrates others like my boyfriend.

Savoix: If you had more time, what other projects would you like to pursue?
Rae: I'm not a super holy kid and I would love to travel the world as much as I can, time permitting. I would love to be a travel writer. Aside from that, I always thought about starting a business as a sideline (after office hours) and eventually making it into an empire! * AHA!!! *

Savoix: What are your pet peeves?
Rae: I'm impatient with people who don't have opinions of their own or who don't care/feel for issues and live life without a dream. Other than that, waking up early in the morning where I'm forced to skip my morning fix of hot coffee.

Savoix: You're in a sports related job now, what exactly do you do as a Sports Officer?
Rae: It's a relatively new division that oversees the welfare of professional athletes as well as the proper running of the sports associations. My scope is a lot of strategic planning with the NSAs in formulating their plans for their athletes, organizationally, relationally and visionary. As a "Sports Officer" in the SPEX (Sports Excellence) Division, my job deals in sport management and policy planning. This area is relatively new, and is in line with the COSS vision of leading Singapore to achieve sporting glory in 2010 etc... (MinistryCDS & COSS objectives).

Savoix: What are your future plans in the area of windsurfing?
Rae: In terms of Olympic windsurfing, it's kinda vague because of movements happening in the sailing fraternity. I've no more equipment and at the very moment, my windsurfing career is quite a phantom. I am still trying to secure sponsors for the 2004 Olympics as well as for shortboard equipment. I will still be training (jogging and working out everyday during my lunch hour and windsurfing on weekends) and keeping my local crown, to continue to defend my Asian windsurfing tour titles until I can't anymore. For the future SEA games, it really depends on how the Singapore windsurfing scene picks up and develops. But I'll always have that desire and hunger in me, ready to pounce! .

(Rae's Sponsors: "The Windsurfing Shop Pte.Ltd." (www.windsurfing-asia.com; Gaastra & AHD), Oakley & Teva)

Compiled by Janalin Tan. Picture Credit: Rachel's website. To view more windsurfing photos of the 2001 SEA Games and 2000 Sydney Olympics, log onto her website at http://www.rachelng.net

Related Articles:
Travel Tales - Viet Rae (upcoming issue)
Shopping with Rae for the Latest Windsurf Digs (upcoming issue)

Yap Koon Hong
SPORTS EDITOR

THERE you have it. Thirty gold-medal prospects for the first benchmark, 17 for the second and finally, three athletes who have what it takes to win sport's greatest accolade, an Olympic medal.

The Straits Times 50
Who's on the list?

For the past three months, we featured 50 Singaporeans whom our checks suggested could make a difference in changing the sporting landscape.

Today, The Straits Times 50, our series on the first batch of the best athletes for the start of the new millennium, is done.

Thirty of the athletes featured are, in our estimation, good enough to help Singapore to a gold medal in the South-east Asia Games.

A more select group of 17 can make their mark at the next benchmark, a gold medal at the Asian or Commonwealth Games.

As for the Olympics, we concluded that Singapore's current potential numbers an elite three.

We had to be tough not because we deliberately wanted to. We had to be realistic.

Our athletes are not there yet in the numbers that many Singaporeans may insist or wish that they should be.

Even so, some may think that we are not stringent enough.

After all, it has been 42 years since Tan Howe Liang won a weightlifting silver at the Rome Olympics for pre-independent Singapore - its first and only medal at that competitive level.

From the start, we made no bones about the arbitrary nature of the list of 50 athletes.

While we think we have exercised due diligence in checking with the national sports associations, the Singapore Sports Council, poured over the statistical evidence available and observed and interviewed as many athletes as we could, our conclusion is not the final word.

Neither is it designed to be so. It is aimed at framing a starting point for readers to follow the development of Singapore sport.

We are also doing it because no one has done it yet.

Ultimately, it is up to the athletes and to the support they receive from their families, sports associations, the private sector, the Government, the media and the public.

Like the first ranking series we embarked on more than two years ago, which identified the 50 greatest athletes the nation has produced, we expect no lack of disagreement. We welcome discussion.

But there is a key difference between the two projects.

The previous series on Singapore's 50 greatest athletes was based on predication, The Straits Times 50 is a test of prediction.

While one discussed and described past achievements, the other discusses potential.

One looks back, the other, ahead.

As such, The Straits Times 50 is not the definitive word. These 50 athletes must run the gauntlet of adversity, and juggle studies, work or family commitments.

It is a long, long road and this list, like the new vision of a Sporting Singapore, is a work in progress.

It is not the end but the beginning.

But the Asian Games is still Singaporean champion's target this year By Philip Allen

SOUTH-EAST Asia Games silver-medallist Rachel Ng won the women's Mistral title at the Tudor International Windsurfing Championships yesterday - and then reiterated her aim of competing in this year's Asian Games and the 2004 Olympics.

The winds became quite strong over the course of the two-day event, enabling at least seven races to be held in each division in good racing conditions.

Ng ruled her division with six wins in seven races and came second in the shortboard event with four wins from eight races, but what pleased her most was her performance alongside the men.

She said: 'I was pacing myself with the men because our local women are still learning. I thought I did pretty okay among the guys because it requires a lot of strength.'

Her goal for this year remains the Asian Games.

'The competition there would be very tough, just like the Olympics,' she said, 'because there is Hongkong's 1996 Olympics champion Lee Lai Shan. Last year in the World Championships, there were three Asian women in the top 10.

'I hope to race in that event because I would like to go for the Olympics.'

The Mistral is her preferred class, as she focuses her training in it as the Olympic class.

'I hardly train on the shortboard,' she said. 'It's just for fun.

'For the Olympic class, you can do it in light winds but, then again, the Olympic class is more demanding because there are so many techniques to learn.'

Defending shortboard champion Matt Pritchard, a professional windsurfer from Hawaii, won the men's division with victories in all his eight races.

'This year, the conditions were great for racing,' he said. 'The wind was from eight to 20 knots over the course of the event and the course was really fun.'

He said this event was great for him to warm up for the upcoming professional season, which starts in March, and he hopes to win the freestyle title.

Singapore's T.C. Chua, who was watched by son Francesco, 12, and daughter Simone Brittney, 8, finished third in the shortboard division, with one second and five third-place finishes in seven races.

'The racing has been good,' he said. 'Whenever there is wind in any competition, everyone will be happy.

'When you get a good north-easterly wind, you can race tactically. You can concentrate on what you want to do, rather than just doing a lot of physical work.

'It takes quite a bit of planning to get to the start line on time and to make sure that you cover your opponents properly.'

Thailand's Arun Homraruen, the Asian Games gold medallist, won the men's Mistral division with five wins from six races.

'I like light winds too but this is more fun,' he said.

He also finished fifth in the shortboard event but races in that only for fun, as all his training is in the Olympic Mistral class.

WINDSURFER Rachel Ng is going for a double victory at the Tudor International this weekend at the Changi Beach Park.

The gung-ho silver medallist at the South-east Asia Games last September hopes to beat sailors from Thailand and Indonesia to win the longboard and shortboard titles.

'It is going to be tiring,' said the 25-year-old. 'But it can be done.'

The prizes are among the most attractive in regional windsurfing events. Five Tudor watches, each worth between $2,000 and $4,000, are up for grabs. But a double winner can only take home one watch.

There are also cash prizes of up to $1,000 each for the men's Mistral and overall Shortboard champions, to be earned.

Ng is eyeing the double because of the weakened field compared to the Singapore Open which ended on Wednesday. She was then second to South Korean Shin Ji Hyun, who has left the Republic with most of her team-mates.

This year's Tudor International will also be a less star-studded affair compared to last year's edition, which boasted a face-off between two Olympic champions, Italy's Alessandra Sensini and Hongkong's Lee Lai Shan.

But there will be competition in the men's category - even without Hongkong's rising star Ho Chi Ho, an easy winner at the recent Singapore Open.

Thailand's SEA Games medallists Suhaimee Muhamadkasem, Phanuthat Ruamsap and Arun Homraruen are expected to battle for the Mistral title.

In the Shortboard, American professional and former world No. 3 Matt Pritchard will return to defend his title. -- Chan Tse Chueen

By Gerard Wong

SINGAPORE'S Rachel Ng boosted her hopes of competing in September's Asian Games when she landed the Singapore Open Windsurfing Championships' women's Mistral silver in style yesterday.

Although South Korean Shin Ji Hyun had already won the title before yesterday's final race off the Pasta Fresca SeaSports Centre with her 159 points after nine races, the runner-up spot was still a battle between Ng (195 pts) and Hongkong's Leung Hong Yee (181 pts).

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According to the competition format, points are based on a windsurfer's best-nine finishes in the 10-race event. The lower one's score, the better.

'All I need is a good race today and hope for Hong Yee to finish several places behind me and I can take the silver,' said Ng before the race.

She lived up to her side of her bargain when she came in 10th overall and second in her division - just metres behind Shun (ninth overall).

Ng's other eight best finishes (21st, 21st, 19th, 24th, 21st, 13th, 21st, 23rd) gave her a total tally of 173 points - five better than Leung, who had 178 after finishing a distant third (21st overall).

The Hongkonger's other results include 20th, 20th, 21st and 22nd finishes. She was 15th, 18th and 19th in other races.

Shun took the crown with 146 points, but Ng is hoping her silver will shine on her Asiad bid.

'I put too much pressure on myself to perform during the first few days,' said Ng, who is seeking another good result at this weekend's Tudor Championships to boost her hopes.

'But I snapped out of it today and I think I sailed one of my best races.'

In fact, Ng was leading for most of the race before Shun overtook her near the end.

Meanwhile, Hongkong's Ho Chi Ho, 20, took the men's title with yet another first - his eighth of the week.

That gave him 10 points - six fewer than Thai Arun Homraroen (seven seconds and two wins).

First, the SEA Games silver medallist has to prove she can sail with the best

By Chan Tse Chueen

SHE gave up a stable job early this year when times were good. Then came the global economic recession and Rachel Ng wondered briefly if her Olympic dream would be dashed.

But she gritted her teeth and carried on. Singapore's top female windsurfer was determined to stay the course.

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She won a silver medal at the South-east Asia Games in Malaysia in September, nine months after quitting her job as a programming planner with ESPN Star Sports to go full-time into the sport - thanks to support from the Singapore Sports Council and SingaporeSailing.

She was second to Thailand's Napalai Tansai, a Sydney Olympian, but she beat Indonesia's 1997 champion Yuni Trisnowati.

Her next port of call will be the Asian Games. But the ticket will be hard to earn.

After all, even she concedes that her chances of winning a medal are almost zilch - not when world-class sailors such as Hongkong's 1996 Olympic champion Lee Lai Shan, South Korea's Ju Soon Ahn and Japan's Masako Imai are holding court.

If the road to Pusan is tough, consider the path to the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

There are pitfalls at every turn and corner. An example would be the departure of national coach Qian Hong - a former Asian gold medallist whom Ng credited for her improvement in the last few months - who returned to China about a month ago.

SS is searching for a replacement and it may also make alternative arrangements to send the windsurfers to Hongkong.

But for now, the 25-year-old and her team-mates will have to make do without proper coaching.

She said: 'It is not very progressive training. I am just trying to keep myself fit and improve on what Qian has taught us in the last few months.'

If she continues to improve, she believes she can win a SEA Games gold in Vietnam in 2003 - provided women's windsurfing is on the programme.

She says: 'Definitely. Look at the rate of my improvement in the last 10 months and compare the kind of exposure I had to what the Thai girl had.

'She had been to the Olympics and world championships. I haven't even been to Europe for a race. Given the opportunities and exposure she had, I can get the gold.'

Money is a niggling worry - how much and from where.

She received six months of allowance under the SSC's Grants for Loss of Wages (Glow) scheme before the SEA Games, and has again applied for support to train for the Asiad.

While she waits anxiously for approval, she has been writing to multinational companies and charitable foundations for help.

The social science graduate, who is living on her fast-depleting savings, admits sheepishly that she sometimes misses the frivolous spending that many Singaporeans take for granted.

'I miss my pay, and the independence that comes with it,' she says. 'I can't buy the things I want to. In the past, I would just go for it, eat whatever I wanted to eat.

'Now, I have to think twice.'

So, why bother?

The answer came right back: 'The most scary thing is not in not fulfilling the dream. It is not having one.

'After I resigned, I wondered if I would have good enough reasons to pull me through the toughest times.

'What if I trained for three months and still did not improve? What if I got injured?'

She recalled a day during the SEA Games when she finished last in both races.

'I was crying because I had put too much pressure on myself,' she said.

'Actually, it was very scary. After the closing ceremony, I asked myself if I wanted to continue, to face the fear everyday.

'But I tell myself to take it one step at a time. I just have to trust that God won't call me to do something that He won't empower me to.'

Her most immediate task is to book her place in next year's Asiad, which she believes will be an invaluable experience.

SS technical director Tan Swee Hung said that the list of potential candidates will be narrowed down 'some time in January'.

He added: 'We want to see confidence in our sailors. If she says she can win a SEA Games gold, I say her attitude is good and strong.

'But the fulfilment of commitment is not attitude alone. Her development and the outcome of competitions must then come in.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FACTFILE

Age: 25

Height: 1.61m

Weight: 54kg

Education: Social Science graduate from the National University of Singapore

Occupation: Full-time sailor

Family: Rachel is the youngest of four siblings, after Dawn (35), Jimmy (34) and Bryan (29). Her mother is Quek Kim Chng. Her father died when she was 11.

Sporting highlights:
2001: went full-time beginning of year; second at SEA Games in September.

1999: fourth at Asian Sailing Championships; third in Open category at Tudor International.

Lian He Zao Bao 16 July 2001, Monday

NATIONAL'S Windsurfing C'ships
http://www.zaobao.com/ty/ty006_160701.html

*Rachel's Personal Profile (plus picture)*
http://www.zaobao.com/ty/ty008_150701.html

WINDSURFING
Victory is a breeze for Thailand's windsurfers
By Chan Tse Chueen

THAI windsurfers showed once again why they are virtual shoo-ins at this September's South-east Asia Games with an impeccable performance over the weekend.

Clear seas ahead for Thailand, as (from right) eventual winner Arun Homraruen, Saksan Khunthong and Phanuthat Ruamsap lead the field.--TAN SUAN ANN
They swept the top honours at the PA Windsurfing Championships, and left Singapore's SEA Games hopefuls Andrew Foo and Rachel Ng trailing in their wake.

Foo, 26, finished sixth overall in the Mistral One-Design - behind five Thai sailors.

Asian Games champion Arun Homraruen, who finished first in five of six races, topped the table with five points and collected $500.

Saksan Khunthong and Suhaimee Moohammadkasem were second and third respectively, with 11 and 16 points.

Moohammadkasem, also an Asian Games gold medallist, said he wished the winds were stronger.

The 34-year-old said through an interpreter: 'I am quite heavy at 73kg, so it is difficult for me because those who are lighter have less to do.'

Foo, at 62kg, was equally distressed by the light winds.

'My sailing was bad,' he said. 'We'd just come back from China and so hadn't been training in light wind conditions.

'It will take a while for me to get back into it.'

Yesterday's winds off the shores of the People's Association Sea Sports Club measured between seven and 10 knots.

The fair wind also took its toll on Ng.

The 24-year-old, who last January quit her job as a programmer at ESPN Star Sports to train full-time, finished last in the three-woman race.

SEA Games title favourite Napalai Tansai was a class apart, winning the title with five points from six races, after one discard.

But Ng was disappointed not to have beaten Napalai's compatriot Sunisa Chanluang.

'We faced strong wind conditions - over 20 knots, mast-high waves - every day in China,' she said.

'We haven't regained our pumping fitness. And I am not doing as well as I would have liked.

'But we have about three months to work on that. I am very aware of what I have to do to be prepared for the SEA Games.'

Conditions in Port Dickson, where the races will be held at the SEA Games in Malaysia this September, will be similar to those prevailing in Singapore.

But Ng added that the two months of training in Guangdong under national coach Qian Hong were an essential part of the team's preparations.

Said Ng: 'We have to be prepared for every kind of condition. We are also looking at the Asian Games in Pusan next year.

'We want to improve overall, and as sailors, to be as versatile as possible.'

Both Foo and Ng are expected to be nominated for the SEA Games squad.

The Singapore National Olympic Council will make its final selection on July 3.

Singapore last won a SEA Games medal in 1995, when former national sailors Goh Thye Hock bagged a bronze.

LIAN HE ZAO BAO: 17 June 2001, Sunday (Mandarin newsy cannot be updated on web)

The Straits Times : Tuesday, April 10, 2001
Life! Section – Pg L10

MALAYSIA: ALL-IN-ONE HOLIDAY DESTINATION
HOT SPOTS By Magdalene Lum

MAN-BEATER: Ng overtook several men to make it to the national squad.

WIND-CHEATER: Ng lives to chew up the wind and high waves.

Wave, if you want to ride the wind

NAME: Rachel Ng, 25, a national windsurfer who came in fourth, beating many men, in the recent trials to select a national team for the South-east Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur in September. She is one of the six members of the national squad. She will also represent Singapore in the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea, from September to October next year. A former programming staff at ESPN, a sports channel, she quit two months ago to become a professional windsurfer. She has also taken part in a triathlon in Port Dickson.

Fave spot: Kuantan, the state capital of Pahang. Located in the north-east corner of the state, it is a popular beach resort.

Why she packs her bags: I was there once for five days during the Chinese New year period last February for the Asian Windsurfing Tour.

Kuantan is one of five stops for this international windsurfing event, which covers other Asian beach resorts, like Bintan in Indonesia, Boracay in the Philippines and Penghu in Taiwan.

I went to Kuantan as it is the nearest and most affordable place. I stayed at a chalet-style hotel and surfed every day. There were about five to six races there and I took part in all of them.

There were participants from all over the world.

Windsailing there is different from the Olympic-style windsurfing I'm used to. The Kuantan races used shorter and slimmer surf-boards and are a lot faster, with less use of tactics and more focus on equipment.

I raced with more than 40 men and three other women. I was in the middle of the pack, ahead of more than 20 of the participants.

It was very exciting as I had to race as fast as I could. I was surprised that I was ahead of so many others.

I won in the Women's Category, beating three other women & two Singaporeans and a Malaysian. It was the first time I had won a short-board contest.

It was a bonus for me to win this title. The exhilaration I felt has spurred me to go for more short-board and formula racing.

Kuantan beach is huge. The weather was nice and sunny. The winds and waves can be quite strong during the north-east monsoon period from November to February but when I was there, there were hardly any waves or wind.

Every day, we had to wait a few hours till after lunchtime or 2 pm for the wind to pick up.

What I like about Kuantan is that the windsurfing culture there is very free and open.

You can just drive around with your surf-board on top of your car looking for the wind.

And you can park anywhere, even on the beach.

When I'm there, it is as if I'm in a mini-Hawaii, just driving around in search of high waves.

Kuantan is a typical Malaysian town. It's famous for salted fish.

The hotel food I had, like the Asian buffet, was good.

I also tried roti prata and chao guotiao from the hawker stalls. They were very cheap and tasty, though they tasted a little different from those here.

The prata is richer, tastier, crispier and more authentic than those here and the chao guotiao is less oily as it has no lard. But it had more cockles than those here.

Who she went with: I was there with two members of the national windsurfing team; my boyfriend Chew Ker Wan, 27, an engineer, and See Hee Yong, 26, a trader. They also took part in the races.

They were ahead of me, but they did not win any trophies.

How much she spent there: The hotel room cost RM60 (S$24) a night and each of us spent RM240 for the four nights. Overall, I spent $100 to $200 for food and accommodation.

The roti prata and chao guotiao cost RM2 to RM3 a plate.

When she will go there again: I'll go there again sometime in January and February next year to defend my women's championship title.

SAILING
Sailors eye three medals
SINGAPORE SAILING vice-president Lemmy Teo has set a three-medal target for his South-east Asia Games selection squad of six.

To help them achieve that goal, the association will send them to Guangdong in the middle of this month for two months of intensive training.

The six are men's heavyweight Wang Yew Pang and Jonathan Seng, men's lightweight Andrew Foo and Harold Ma, and women's category's Rachel Ng and Tok Lee Ching.

Teo said Singapore could send only three representatives to the SEA Games, and would submit the names just before the June 16 deadline to the Singapore National Olympic Council because he wanted to maintain the competitive edge among his charges.

They also plan to train at Port Dickson a month before September's SEA Games to acclimatise to the weather conditions of the competition site.

The selection cut the pool of 11 sailors to six - three main sailors and three reserves - based on last December's Singapore Open, January's Tudor International and three weeks of selection trials last month.

Said national coach Qian Hong: 'The sailors have worked very hard and improved on their technical skills and learnt how to use the weather conditions to their advantage.

'Especially Rachel, who has been beating some of the men convincingly in training ever since she started training full time.'

Singapore's top woman sailor Rachel Ng has taken a step towards fulfilling her hopes of representing the Republic at the Olympics by quitting her job to train full-time.

She felt that she needed the focus to better prepare for three major competitions-this year's Southeast Asian Games,
the Asian Games in 2002 and the Olympics in 2004.

With the Athens Olympics as her main target, the 24-year
old made her decision to train full-time for the next 4 years after speaking to former Olympic champion, Hong Kong's Lee Lai Shan and Japan's top female boardsailor, Masako Imai.

Said Ng:"Lee Lai Shan and Masako are living proof that that if you believe in yourself, follow your passion and put in the hard work, nothing is impossible.

"They advised me that I had to go full-time if I wanted to excel in in the sport. I have never felt so sure about my boardsailing career as now.

"More importantly, I love the sport and I don't want to regret not giving myself the chance to stretch my potential."

Lee said Singapore's boardsailors are in a well-placed position to excel in the sport.

She said:"You have a qualified Chinese coach in Qian Hong and you are able to train all year long with excellent weather conditions and good training facilities.

"All that's needed now is the commitment from the sailors."

Before the SEA Games selections in March, she intends to train double sessions, six days a week under Qian Hong.

Her best showing was in 1999, when she came in fourth in the Asian Sailing Championships and third in the Open category in the 1999 Tudor International.

Despite suffering a broken finger last year, she still managed to top the local women's rankings.

As the first local female boardsailor to train full-time, she did harbour some qualms about how she would support herself after resigning from her job in a sports broadcasting company.

She said:" I plan to do some part-time work and take up freelance jobs and apply for the Sports Excellence Assistance Programme grants as well.

Vice-president of SingaporeSailing, Lemmy Teo, said:"I'm happy to see her committing herself to the cause. We will try our best to support her by subsidising her training expenses."

KUALA LUMPUR SEA GAMES 2001 "CRAZE" BEGINS

LABUAN, March 10 (Bernama) -- The campaign to liven up the atmosphere for the Kuala Lumpur XXI SEA Games 2001 in September was officially launched here on Saturday by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat.

A symbolic ceremony was held here to mark the launch with the SEA Games torch being brought from Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam by a Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD Yu. Brunei was the host for the last SEA Games.

The games torch arrived at the Merdeka Jetty here at 3.30pm escorted by 10 jetskis and fishing boats. It was then handed over to the Director of the Youth and Sports Department, Effendi Razali to the Labuan Administration Director, Datuk Mohamad Noor Mokhtar.

The torch was then taken to Dataran Labuan escorted by 30 motorcyclists on superbikes and handed over to the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Datuk Mahamad Zabri Min who later lighted it.

In his speech, Ong hoped that Malaysians would come out in numbers to give their support when the torch arrived in their areas.

"The torch run needs the support of the people and could be used as a means of forging greater unity among the various races," he said.

Ong then led the first group of runners before handing over the torch to former national runner Ramli Ahmad, who had represented Malaysia in the 1970s.

The torch run covering about three kilometres around the town passed through Dataran Merdeka, the Ferry Terminal, Wisma Oceanic and back to Dataran Labuan.

The torch was later put up for public display at Ujana Kewangan Labuan, a modern complex which is a landmark and the pride of the Federal Territory here.

The run will continue tomorrow passing through streets in the villages on the island.

From here, the torch will be flown to Tawau, Sabah to begin the run at the state level on Monday to be officiated by State Minister for Youth, Culture and Sports Development Datuk Rubin Balang.

The launch of the run in Sabah would begin at the Tawau Municipal Council Field at 2pm.

-- BERNAMA