CHARTING HIS WAY TO THE TOP

CPL Colin Cheng talks about going from sailing with his dad to setting his sights on the 2012 Olympics.

Sailing may seem like a great way to spend your retirement days to many, but national sailor Corporal (CPL) Colin Cheng begs to differ.

"To sail, you need to be able to withstand the heat from the sun, and be physically strong enough to handle the powerful winds and waves."

The 20-year-old, who won one of Singapore Sailing's five gold medals at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, was the first Asian winner of the Laser 4.7 World Championship that same year in France. Laser 4.7 is a class of sailing boats used by young sailors.

CPL Cheng was introduced to sailing in primary school by his father, a recreational sailor. "I realised that sailing is a lot more interesting than doing laps in the swimming pool, and I've been hooked since."

From then on, CPL Cheng has been training hard at perfecting his skills as a sailor. Even while serving his National Service (NS) in the Military Police's Law Enforcement and Ceremonial Company, he maintains a strict training regime of three gym sessions and two sailing training sessions every week.

Just this year, he has gone to Sydney twice to train, and participated in the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta and the Laser Senior World Championship in the United Kingdom and Canada, in which he was placed 49 out of 106, and 94 out of 164 respectively.

Said CPL Cheng: "The races during such competitions are about an hour long each, and with two to three races a day, and about six days of back-to-back racing, it's really very draining."

He added: "As an Asian, my physique can't compare with that of Caucasians, so sailing in international competitions is really a test of mental and physical strength."

Crediting part of his tenacious spirit to his experience during his three months in Basic Military Training (BMT), he said: "At BMT, being outfield, exposed to treacherous weather and digging trenches in the rain taught me to be mentally and physically tougher...and it made the whole BMT experience very memorable for me."

Being part of the enforcement platoon that conducts regular checks for contraband items in camps, and having to perform Guard of Honour Parades as part of his ceremonial duties, CPL Cheng finds juggling NS and sailing commitments to be quite a challenge. But he is grateful for the support shown to him through words of encouragement by his family, friends and the sailing fraternity.

"I'm also lucky that my bosses in NS are supportive of what I do, allowing me to go for sailing training and overseas competitions."

Besides counting down to his Operationally Ready Date on 9 Nov, CPL Cheng has his sights set on another date - the 2012 Olympics in London.

"I've been training for it since last year, and I'm training to use the Laser standard, which is an Olympic-class sailing boat.

"To be ready for the big Games, I'm going to need a lot of self-motivation to wake up early in the morning, hit the gym and push myself to the limit!"