Monday, September 7, 2009
July 25, 2006
BOWLING
Teo finds right mix in bowling, medicine
Medical student bags Singapore 's first gold at World Youth event while juggling studies
By Leonard Lim
OVER the years, Singapore has produced a host of distinguished athletes who have gone on to become doctors.
Bowler Valerie Teo looks set to be the next.
The third-year National University of Singapore medical student bagged Singapore 's first gold medal at the World Youth Championships in Berlin on Sunday.
Teo racked up 1,193 pinfalls in the girls' singles to pip teammate Cherie Tan for the gold by three pinfalls.
The 21-year-old is competing in her first tournament after being sidelined for six months with a fungal infection.
She said: 'It feels great to dust off the rustiness immediately and win a gold.'
She is among a rare breed of Singaporeans who have juggled medical studies and represented the nation at the highest level.
Other notable Singaporean athlete-turned-doctors include luminaries such as water-polo player Tan Hwa Luck, netballers Yap Hui Kim and Lee Bee Wah, sailor Benedict Tan and swimmer Tay Khoon Hean.
Given the demands of excelling at both sports and medical studies, how does she cope?
Said Teo: 'There are only 24 hours in a day, so I have to discipline myself a lot to succeed in the two.'
The kegler has a personal time-table where she focuses on studies when exams approach, and on training and competitions at other times of the year.
But balancing sports and the rigours of medical school is bound to take a toll on an athlete, admitted former national sailor Benedict Tan.
'It's just like holding two full-time jobs. There are definitely sacrifices to be made,' said the 1994 Asian Games gold medallist.
Dr Benedict Tan, Changi Sports Medicine Centre's head and a consultant sports physician, has fond memories of his NUS days during the late 1980s.
He said: 'In between tutorials, I would rush to the gym for a few hours.
'Then once my lectures ended at around 4pm, I would go to East Coast to catch as much daylight hours as possible for my sailing training.'
One major sacrifice he had to make was putting his medical career on hold for nine months in order to train for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
At times, he had to rely on classmates, who supported him by lending him their lecture notes.
It also helped that the Laser sailor was allowed by the university to skip classes when he had to go for competitions.
'The only condition was that if I failed the exams, I would not blame it on sailing,' said the 39-year-old.
For ex-national water- polo player Tan Hwa Luck, 61, the sacrifices he made remain fresh in the mind even after over forty years.
Besides attending classes at Anglo-Chinese School , he had to train twice a day six times a week before the 1961 South-east Asia Peninsular Games.
Dr Tan Hwa Luck, a veterinarian at Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital , quipped: 'As a result, I didn't have time at all for girlfriends.' [Clara's expression: =) ]
After competing at the 1962 Asian Games, he went on to study veterinary medicine at Glasgow University on the prestigious Colombo Plan scholarship.
Despite the hectic regime, juggling sports and medical studies does have its benefits.
He said: 'You emerge a much better person. It improves your emotional quotient, helps you to manage time properly, and teaches you discipline.'
Like Teo, women have also shown they can excel in sports and medicine.
Two examples are Professor Yap Hui Kim and Associate Professor Lee Bee Wah.
National netball teammates in the 1970s, both are former President's Scholars.
They are currently consultants at the NUS medical school's Department of Paediatrics.
Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine, would be proud.
limze@sph.com.sg
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