Singaporean athletes at World Masters Games prove age is no barrier to fitness

Straits Times

2 days ago

SINGAPORE – For Cassandra Chew, sport has always been about more than just fitness and medals.
As a child who frequently fell ill with high fever, she found a surprising remedy in running, which sparked a lifelong connection with sports.
Though she gave it up after completing her O levels, Chew returned to competitive sport in 2017. She took on her first Spartan race with her cousins, marking the beginning of a new chapter that saw her competing locally and overseas.
More recently, she has rediscovered her first love. Reconnecting with running has not only connected her with a community of like-minded individuals, but also helped her face life's challenges.
At the World Masters Games in Taipei and New Taipei last week, the 49-year-old won gold in the 100m and 200m in the 45+ age group.
She said: 'I draw a lot of positivity from sports. When you work out, you feel happy and when you feel happy, you feel happy to get back to work and all that.
'I try to spread positivity through my sports. It's a much bigger picture and motivating others is very important and it helps connect with a lot of like-minded people.'
At Banqiao Stadium in New Taipei, Chew clocked a personal best of 13.09 seconds in the 100m, ahead of Hong Kong's Yuen Ting Cheng (16.09) and Taiwan's Yu Chen-yu (16.19).
In the 200m, she claimed gold in 30.02 seconds, with Hong Kong's Joyce Wong (33.67) and Yuen (43.26) rounding out the podium.
The television producer, who was also part of the team who clinched silver in the 4x100m relay, contributed two of Singapore's tally of seven golds, three silvers, and nine bronzes in athletics at the May 17-30 quadrennial, multi-sport event, which featured over 30,000 athletes.
Chew credits her success to a more structured training regime under the guidance of her new coach, Fabian Williams, whom she began working with 10 months ago.
She also finds inspiration in her competitors, adding 'I look up to them – if they can do it, with training, I'll also be able to do it. I feel that with the correct mindset, anyone at any age can still achieve what they want to.'
The motivation is similar for Toh WeiDe, who clinched the discus and shot put 35+ titles.
In the discus, he threw 36.87 metres to beat Chinese Taipei's Chuahg Chinfeng (30.36m) and Huang Jhong-yan (30.15m), while in the shot put, his throw of 10.55m placed him ahead of South Africa's Johannes Hendrik Blignaut (10.09m) and Japan's Shintaro Hoshi (9.46m).
Throwing has been his passion since he was 13 and while competition took a backseat after university, he continued to stay fit and competed sporadically.
Now an engineer, Toh is also a throws coach. Despite his busy schedule, he finds time to train – squeezing in sessions at 7am before work and arriving at the track an hour before he coaches.
Toh WeiDe (second from left) claimed the discus and shot put 35+ titles at the World Masters Games.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF JASON WONG
This was his first World Masters Games, though he previously competed at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championships.
Toh, who was a throws coach at the 2019 SEA Games, said: 'It is a way for me to fuel my passion, to keep a healthy active lifestyle as well as lead by example to my students and fellow Masters throwers.
'My long-term goal is to be able to travel around the world and participate in as many World Masters Games as possible throughout my life, make more friends and meet athletes along the way, and put up a good fight – as long as my health, my work, and my family allow it.'
Singapore's Victor Sim and his men's doubles partner Yang Zhen Xing posing on the podium after clinching gold.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF VICTOR SIM
Badminton player Victor Sim, who picked up four golds in Taiwan, was happy to see more Singaporean players competing.
At his first World Masters Games in Melbourne in 2002, there were only four participants from Singapore – this time there were over 40, with the Republic's badminton players bringing home five golds, six silvers and eight bronze medals.
Having already won the men's team, mixed doubles, and men's doubles 70+ titles, Sim ended his the trip with a men's singles title after beating Chinese Taipei's Kung Chen-Long 21-17, 21-13 in the final.
While happy with the medals, the World Senior Championships gold medallist hopes the achievement sends a bigger message.
The 70-year-old retiree said: 'This has something to do with active ageing, keeping fit, that we can compete at any age with all these Masters events.
'I actually wanted to encourage more Singaporean Masters athletes to believe in themselves, to compete and test themselves and be active, living a healthy lifestyle.
'It's not so much about winning, but taking a step to compete and stay healthy.'
For Singapore's other badminton gold medallist, Susanto Halim, who turns 80 in July, the event was a chance to test himself.
Although he earned his men's singles 80+ title after his opponent Robert Cook returned to the United States before the final, it was still a memorable trip as he reconnected with friends he had made while studying in Taiwan.
Susanto Halim (second from right) won a gold and bronze at the World Masters Games.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUSANTO HALIM
'I've been looking forward to attending this competition for a long time. I tried to prove to myself that after the age of 80, I'm still able to stand on the court and do this with players from around the world,' said the retiree, who also bagged bronze in the men's doubles.
'But at least I proved to myself that I was able to stand on the court after 80 years old, and it was good to meet other friends from around the world – it was a good opportunity to meet friends I haven't met in the last 50 years.'
Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing.
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