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name: Melvin Wong (@melvinwongyh)
Year: 39
height: 1.72m
weight: 60kg
Profession: Senior Account Manager
Status: marriage
food: Toast, eggs and coffee in the morning and a combination of carbs/vegetables/fish/chicken for the rest of the day.
exercise: 6 days of running with Sunday off.
Q: Did you grow up playing sports?
A: No. I played the French horn in my school’s concert band for ten years. I spent most of my growing up years (junior high school through junior high) practicing in bands and had little to do with sports.
I think the only exercise I was exposed to was running around the schoolyard and doing push-ups as punishment. I had to blow the intestines to make sure, and get the bubbles out of the water-filled tuba.
When did you get serious about sports?
Once enlisted for national service, he had to perform various exercises to pass the IPPT. I took up swimming and cycling towards the end of my army days and the beginning of college, so that was probably when I ventured into sports.
I was a total novice at the sport, but I bravely learned how to swim and run, and eventually joined my university’s aquathlon team in a relatively short period of time, perhaps three months. . That was the beginning of my foray into endurance sports (particularly triathlon), which I enjoyed for several years before retiring after getting married in 2012.
When did you start running more competitively?
I started running in 2014 when a running friend and mentor recommended me to join a running group. I was exposed to a group of really good training buddies and, more importantly, a structured training regime supervised by a well-known local remote coach.
Have you ever expected to represent Singapore at the SEA Games?
Everyone talks about representing Singapore, and it was the same for me, but meeting the qualifying mark was so challenging that it was just a dream. When I saw Chen Jin-hsien and Mok Ying-ren winning back-to-back gold medals at the SEA Games (2005, 2007), I wanted to try triathlon. But I was realistic and knew I didn’t have the ability to compete at that level, so I closed the triathlon chapter when I got married in 2012.
Back in 2015, I had already trained in a running group for 3 months and had all the middle-distance runners who were in the running to qualify for the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. Interestingly, I asked my coach at the time if there was any chance I could compete in the Olympics. He was pretty blunt and said, “Not a chance.”
In this way, I became a training buddy for other training mates. They were certainly faster and stronger than me, so I accompanied them to their sessions for several months and was happy to participate in their build-ups.
Then in early 2015 I ran two 5,000m races, but in both races I missed the 16:00 minute goal that my coach and I set for ourselves. Only when I traveled to Malaysia for my first overseas athletic meet at the Malaysia Open in March did I see a glimmer of hope that the SEA game could be in the cards.
Until then, I couldn’t register for the 5,000m race, so I only registered for the 10,000m race. However, due to administrative problems and a stroke of luck, he was entered 24 hours apart in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m races that weekend. Setting personal bests (PBs) in both events that weekend, he broke the 16:00 barrier for the first time. That’s when the SEA Games sparked and eventually he was able to compete in both the 5,000m and he the 10,000m.
I have been to SEA Games twice.
2015 was clearly the better of my two SEA Games expeditions. I was a newbie with very few expectations on home ground and the largest track and field team of 72 athletes. There was absolutely everything to look forward to, get excited about, and fight in front of screaming fans!
When your parents, family, colleagues, friends and all running fans in Singapore are yelling your name at the newly built sports hub, the atmosphere is electrifying and no other game is its home edition. It was also when he represented his country in athletics, winning three gold medals, besting his country at the SEA Games.
Personally, I was disappointed with my first race at 5,000m, but came back to record a PB at 10,000m (32:59). Again, I competed in both events within 24 hours of him. I am very proud of this moment as it is one of his fastest 10,000 m times ever set by a Singaporean on his home turf.
The 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi was clearly muted in terms of excitement as everyone was cautious about containing COVID-19 during the first post-pandemic SEA Games. On a personal level, I had a great build-up and his six weeks in Australia gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities. This time, I extended the distance and challenged the full marathon, and came in 8th overall.
What are the highs and lows of your running journey?
Best will round out the 10,000 m race with a strong finish at the 2015 SEA Games. The time recorded remains the best for the distance to this day.
Last place is the 2017 Berlin Marathon with a performance of 2:41. I wanted to be better than I was then, but I couldn’t make any progress. I missed my target so I actually stopped running at the 26km mark and after a few minutes of talking to myself I decided to jog back to the finish as his wife and newborn were waiting for me. did.
How do you balance work, training, family and life?
It is difficult to give an equation or a clear answer for this. At every stage of my life, there are things I prioritize, and that’s what draws me to it, and I find myself putting in more effort. It’s my family.
Did something happen when you were younger that made you lack self-confidence?
When I was trying to make a college aquathlon team, I couldn’t swim very well.At that time I was often told by coaches that I was swimming Roti Prata (flat and no spinning), I had to swim next to a wall so I could grab it if I panicked.
I was often the last one out of the water when I went out to practice (swim and run) on Saturdays in Sentosa. But meanwhile, my self-esteem took a hit.
To help me out, I actually borrowed a book called “Total Immersion” from the library and read it, then practiced at the public swimming pool so as not to receive such remarks from the coach again.
Have you ever fought with your body?
I looked a little overweight at the time, so I tried to lose some weight in Primary 5. I used to eat Char Kway Teow in the school cafeteria, so maybe that’s why I gained weight. Eventually, I developed a stomach ailment, which affected my gut health.
Are you happy with your body now?
Yes, I am really at peace now regardless of my body shape or size.
