Finding their bearings amid choppy seas

https://www.defencepioneer.sg/images/default-source/_migrated_english/23sep19_covera82d3e04-4b7e-4f99-96a0-f64d23f0088d.jpg?sfvrsn=d89c2584_2 https://www.defencepioneer.sg/pioneer-articles/BEHIND-THE-LEGEND-OF-IMRAN
https://www.defencepioneer.sg/pioneer-articles/BEHIND-THE-LEGEND-OF-IMRAN
BEHIND THE LEGEND OF IMRAN
23 Sep 2019 | PEOPLE

BEHIND THE LEGEND OF IMRAN


Since his Basic Military Training (BMT) photo went viral, the swole (very muscular) full-time national serviceman Specialist Cadet (SCT) Muhammad Imran Bin Azeman has started his training at Specialist Cadet School. PIONEER caught up with him at Pasir Laba Camp to find out three things you didn’t know about the "man of legend".

SCT Imran is currently training at Specialist Cadet School.

1. He is a former national youth rugby player

SCT Imran (second row, fourth from left) with the Singapore Under 20 Men’s team. (Photo courtesy of SCT Imran)

SCT Imran was a national youth rugby player. He started playing rugby in secondary school and made it into Singapore's National Under 20 Men's team as well as the Southeast Asian Games training squad.

The 23-year-old was not born swole. He used to be so skinny that his friends would call him galah or "pole" in Malay. He started bulking up when he began his Higher Nitec course in Sport Management, hitting the gym about four to five times a week.

 

2. He had his fair share of struggles in BMT

SCT Imran (front and centre) among his BMT batch at Our Tampines Hub on 7 Sep.

Despite looking like he can whizz through BMT, SCT Imran had a difficult start at Pulau Tekong. His fitness was not up to standard and he even had a fever in his first week.

He credits his family for supporting him and checking in on him while he was sick. He eventually lost 10kg in BMT and improved his fitness levels.

 

3. He credits his family & friends for their support

SCT Imran (centre) with his parents during a family engagement day at Pasir Laba Camp on 20 Sep.

In spite of the various "legends" of Imran, no man is an island. SCT Imran said he could not have made it through BMT without the brotherhood of his platoon and section mates.

He also thanked his elder brother, 3rd Sergeant (NS) Muhammad Nurjali who served as a military police, for sharing tips on ways to survive field camp and dig a shellscrape.


 

Want to know more about how SCT Imran "got swole" and what his diet and fitness regime is? Check out our video where he answers 17 quick-fire questions from PIONEER:

Suggested Reading
Feature
SAF lingo – 2025 version
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

She used to serve on the We lied. There is no 2025 version, there is just ONE version. The same one that your father used when he served in the SAF.

Feature
Down the line
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

She used to serve on the It was built to train soldiers in tower and helicopter rappelling insertions as well as fast roping. Join us as we check out the Rappelling Training Facility!

Cover story
FIRST ENLISTEES OF 2025
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

Welcome to BMT: Join the new year’s first batch of enlistees as they begin their NS journey at Pulau Tekong!

Cover story
UNOFFICIAL LIST: WHAT TO PACK FOR ENLISTMENT
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

We all know the essentials to pack for BMT – NRIC, basic toiletries and extra underwear. But what other items help ease you into your confinement period? We’ve compiled an unofficial list here.

CREATING BONDS THROUGH MILITARY MEMORABILIA
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

Some collectors collect stamps, others, stickers. But ME2 (NS) Lim Geng Qi boasts a unique military memorabilia collection of over 1,200 items!

Lawyer by day, military artist by night
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

Photograph or painting? At this year’s Military Hobby Fest, we met 1SG (NS) Samuel Ling Ying Hong, a self-taught aviation oil painter who spends up to 50 hours on each realistic artwork.

Cover story
AIRBORNE!
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

Marking 10 years this December: The Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF’s) one-of-a-kind training facility prepares trainees to become competent and confident airborne troopers.

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

The fourth child in Singapore’s first set of quintuplets, LTA Annabelle Chin Li En made a mid-career switch to follow in her parents’ footsteps and serve the country.

Flying High with Defence Innovation
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

A hybrid UAV with enhanced flight capabilities and software systems that analyse data from the Internet to detect online terrorism threats – these were some of the projects featured at this year’s Defence Technology Prize award ceremony. 

Cover story
NAVY RETIRES LAST OF ITS CHALLENGER-CLASS SUBMARINES
PEOPLE
23 Sep 2019

RSS Conqueror and RSS Chieftain were decommissioned today at Changi Naval Base, closing the chapter on more than two decades of service of Singapore’s first submarines.