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PARIS — When Singaporean kayaker Stephenie Chen punched her ticket to the Olympics in April, her family also started looking for flights to Paris to support her.
At Vaires-sur-Marne, the Chen family — parents Michael and Sarah-Yvonne Chong, as well as three sisters Abigail, Anna and Sarah — were a lively presence, shouting themselves hoarse as Stephenie competed in the women’s K1 500m heat and quarter-finals on Aug 7.
She has qualified for the semi-finals on Aug 10.
This family of athletes know it can be a rough and lonely journey in sports.
Michael, 70, used to practise gymnastics in Upper Aljunied Technical School, and taught his six children the spirit of being a sportsman and stressed the importance of character-building through sport.
Besides his son Spencer, his five daughters — Stephenie and former kayakers Andrea, Abigail and Sarah, as well as former rugby player Anna — are current or former national athletes.
Age has now caught up, and even though he now suffers from severe eczema and gut issues, Michael continues to practise what he preaches, taking things in his stride as the taxi driver travelled more than 10,000km to Paris.
Michael said: “If not for her dedication, hard work, discipline and perseverance, I wouldn’t be in Paris watching her perform on the biggest sporting stage.
“As parents, we want the best for our children in the way of their choice. Of course, we are very excited and we’re here to signal our very best support.”
His wife echoed his sentiment. Chong, a 68-year-old part-time waitress and cleaner, added: “All the sacrifice as a mum is pretty much only missing having her physically around.
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“I am extremely proud of her passionate perseverance to pursue her goal to reach the Olympics, and she did it! So, we just simply had to be here in Paris to cheer her on.”
To chase her dream, Stephenie has had to be away from home most of the time.
The 32-year-old was in Tokyo for the Olympic qualifiers in April, and then in Portugal to prepare for Paris 2024.
While the sisters have retired from their national teams, they are fully behind Stephenie, who claimed a silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
Physiotherapist Sarah, 31, said: “We brought our well-seasoned voice boxes and, in true Singaporean style, her favourite foods, like Korean instant noodles, to cheer her on and keep her motivated.
“It makes us incredibly proud to see Stephenie compete and satisfying to see all her hard work and sacrifices paying off. She has come this far because of her own passion and unwavering focus, this is all Steph.”
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Thisarticlewas first published inThe Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
