Ang pivotal to swim feats (The Straits Times, 24 Sept 2008)

Ex-Olympian Peng Siong inspires Paralympians in his all-round role with team
 
BY SIM CHI YIN
 
Coach, carer, confidant, team leader and father figure.  
 
Ang Peng Siong is all these and more to Paralympic swimmers Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu, and their families.  
 
The 45-year-old, a former Olympic swimmer, and his team bagged Singapore’s first Paralympic gold [...]

The Value of Gold (Today, 22 Sept 2008)

Letter from Leo Chen Ian
President, Disabled People’s Association
 
 
I REFER to “Tan’s bronze shine” (Sept 12) and “Pin Xiu the golden girl” (Sept 16).
 
The Disabled People’s Association (DPA) congratulates Ms Yip Pin Xiu and Ms Laurentia Tan for their incredible accomplishments at the Beijing Paralympics.
 
Ms Yip won gold and silver in swimming [...]

Heroes (The New Paper, 20 Sept 2008)

HEROES
 
1. The Malaysian Rugby Union Cup followed on the HMS Malaya Cup, which had existed for 44 years by 1978, but Singapore won it for the first time that year, before repeating it in 1982.
 
2. Singapore – also in 1978 – finished third in the Asian Rugby Tournament behind powerhouses Japan and South Korea then, beating Thailand [...]

Fitness training 1978-style (The New Paper, 20 Sept 2008)

SO how much of an ‘Uncle Choo’ (famed for his tough training approach in football) was Natahar Bava, when it came to whipping his ‘rugby boys’ into shape 30 years ago?
 
Song Koon Poh, 54, said: ‘The word for him is grind. He used to grind us all the way.
 
‘He was ‘The Grinder’.’
 
When Bava trained to [...]

Siong* Sundays (*Hokkien for very tough) (The New Paper, 20 Sept 2008)

FARRER PARK TRACK SESSIONS
 
IMAGINE doing 300m runs, 10 times.
 
Each player had a certain time frame given to complete the run each time.
 
As the overall fitness improved, Natahar ‘The Grinder’ Bava, increased it to 10 400m runs.
 
Song Koon Poh recalled with a laugh: ‘Oh man, why bring back painful memories?
 
‘But seriously, Sundays were reserved for [...]