Going the distance
PROFILE by Cheong Wei Ming
For the most part, the lifestyle of a student athlete revolves around his education and sporting interests – two separate sets of responsibilities that do not mix. We believe them to exist in conflict, presuming that engaging in one involves a sacrifice in the other.
23 year-old NUS medicine student and national athlete, Mok Ying Ren, throws this presumption out of the window.
Singapore’s distance champ has managed to marry his love for triathlons and marathons with his course of study by adopting a unique perspective on how his field of study can complement his sporting performance.
The undergraduate credits his background in medicine for equipping him with the necessary knowledge to undertake preventive action against sporting injuries and to cater his nutritional intake to the needs of his exercise regime.
“Studying medicine allows me to know what happens to my body when I train and race. It has also taught me how to train smart and effectively with the limited time that I have,” he explained.
The 2007 SEA Games Triathlon Gold Medallist also revealed a curious motivator behind picking up triathlon – boredom.
“I began my JC days as a swimmer at first. I was good at it but then I got bored of just swimming in pools and that was when I started doing triathlons,” he chuckled.
This year though, the triathlete has decided to focus solely on his running. He will be carrying the nation’s pride on his lean frame this November by representing Singapore in the marathon event during the upcoming 26th SEA Games held in Palembang, Indonesia.
Recently this year, Mok broke the national record for 5000m with a time of 14 minutes 51.09 seconds at the Tokai University Time Trials in Japan. He also set a new personal best by winning the Christchurch Marathon in New Zealand in 2hours 26 minutes 33 seconds.
Despite his many sporting accolades, the national star remains humble and grounded, cherishing the simple yet pleasurable companionship of his friends during training sessions and races.
“Some of the things I love most about marathons and triathlons are the friends that I make because of the sport, and the time that I spend with them. I like training and going for overseas races with friends –it is very fun,” he beamed.
His friends certainly value him as much as he values them.
“As an athlete, he never stops going forward, looking for areas to improve and excel in his studies. At the same time, he is very approachable and friendly, which makes him such an awesome friend and teammate,” said Jonathon Ma, his close friend and teammate.
Mok firmly believes that time management and discipline are two very important traits that have allowed sports to shape him as a person. He has to juggle his intensive medicine coursework with his daily training regime, which sometimes involves more than one training session per day.
“The traits I admire most about him are his discipline and commitment. His ability to run 20km everyday is no simple feat,” testified Dex Cheong, ex-captain of the NUS Aquathlon Team. “He is very focused in this area.”
For the most part, the lifestyle of a student athlete revolves around his education and sporting interests – two separate sets of responsibilities that do not mix. We believe them to exist in conflict, presuming that engaging in one involves a sacrifice in the other.
23 year-old NUS medicine student and national athlete, Mok Ying Ren, throws this presumption out of the window.
Singapore’s distance champ has managed to marry his love for triathlons and marathons with his course of study by adopting a unique perspective on how his field of study can complement his sporting performance.
The undergraduate credits his background in medicine for equipping him with the necessary knowledge to undertake preventive action against sporting injuries and to cater his nutritional intake to the needs of his exercise regime.
“Studying medicine allows me to know what happens to my body when I train and race. It has also taught me how to train smart and effectively with the limited time that I have,” he explained.
The 2007 SEA Games Triathlon Gold Medallist also revealed a curious motivator behind picking up triathlon – boredom.
“I began my JC days as a swimmer at first. I was good at it but then I got bored of just swimming in pools and that was when I started doing triathlons,” he chuckled.
This year though, the triathlete has decided to focus solely on his running. He will be carrying the nation’s pride on his lean frame this November by representing Singapore in the marathon event during the upcoming 26th SEA Games held in Palembang, Indonesia.
Recently this year, Mok broke the national record for 5000m with a time of 14 minutes 51.09 seconds at the Tokai University Time Trials in Japan. He also set a new personal best by winning the Christchurch Marathon in New Zealand in 2hours 26 minutes 33 seconds.
Despite his many sporting accolades, the national star remains humble and grounded, cherishing the simple yet pleasurable companionship of his friends during training sessions and races.
“Some of the things I love most about marathons and triathlons are the friends that I make because of the sport, and the time that I spend with them. I like training and going for overseas races with friends –it is very fun,” he beamed.
His friends certainly value him as much as he values them.
“As an athlete, he never stops going forward, looking for areas to improve and excel in his studies. At the same time, he is very approachable and friendly, which makes him such an awesome friend and teammate,” said Jonathon Ma, his close friend and teammate.
Mok firmly believes that time management and discipline are two very important traits that have allowed sports to shape him as a person. He has to juggle his intensive medicine coursework with his daily training regime, which sometimes involves more than one training session per day.
“The traits I admire most about him are his discipline and commitment. His ability to run 20km everyday is no simple feat,” testified Dex Cheong, ex-captain of the NUS Aquathlon Team. “He is very focused in this area.”