Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Speed-demon Leong seeks to repeat SEA Games glory

Team Singapore heads to the 29th SEA Games this month with a roster of established athletes, as well as several youngsters who will be looking to make a name for themselves in Kuala Lumpur. TODAY is counting down to the event by profiling some of our stars of the future. Here, we focus on water skier Mark Leong.

Leong training in Bedok Reservoir. The SEA Games and Asian champion is aiming for a world championship medal. Photo: Esther Leong

Leong training in Bedok Reservoir. The SEA Games and Asian champion is aiming for a world championship medal. Photo: Esther Leong

Team Singapore heads to the 29th SEA Games this month with a roster of established athletes, as well as several youngsters who will be looking to make a name for themselves in Kuala Lumpur. TODAY is counting down to the event by profiling some of our stars of the future. Here, we focus on water skier Mark Leong.

 

SINGAPORE — It is hard not to be an adrenaline junkie when one’s sport involves zigzagging around a multi-buoy course at speeds of up to 58kmh while hanging on to a rope attached to a speed boat.

National water skier Mark Leong is no exception. When the 19-year-old is not out at Bedok Reservoir tearing up the course on his skis, he is at the trampoline gym, rock climbing, mountain-biking or attempting back flips in his backyard. For now, however, the skids have come on for this speed-loving teenager as Leong heads to the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur this month with the sole focus of defending his men’s slalom title.

Two years ago, the then-17-year-old debutant announced his arrival on the region’s biggest multi-sports event by clinching his first gold medal in the slalom. Over a year later, the teenager proved the gold was no fluke, when he went on to win his first-ever Asian title at the Asian Waterski and Wakeboarding Championships in South Korea.

“My first SEA Games was really exhilarating as it was my first major competition here,” said the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student, who took a year-long hiatus from school to prepare for the 2015 Games.

“It was Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, my family was there, my cousins, my friends, everyone was watching me.”

With his sun-kissed good looks and boyish smile, the teenage heartthrob was also a favourite among local fans. Blushing a crimson red at the mention of his female fans, Leong said: “I don’t think (I’m that popular), all my friends like to tease me about it.

“I don’t know why people said I was popular with the girls — most of them (in the photos) were my cousins!”

Singaporean fans will be happy to see him back in action at the SEA Games at the Putrajaya water sports complex this month. Leong will be competing in three events: The slalom, jumps and tricks, which will also count towards the overall title.

The Asian champion and defending gold medallist knows he will be carrying a target on his back as he travels to Kuala Lumpur with the eight-member waterski and wakeboarding team, but this speed-loving demon is not about to buckle under the pressure.

“I want to better my personal best score from the previous Games, where I set a record of three buoys for the 12m (rope length), and an overall four buoys for the 12m. When I compete, I don’t concern myself with how others do. I just go out and focus on bettering my score. Putrajaya’s course is similar to Bedok Reservoir — it’s warm, windy and deep.

“There are a lot of expectations of me as I have a medal under my belt and they are expecting a stellar performance. I want to live up to that expectation and make people proud, especially my parents.”

The sport is a family affair for the Leongs, as his parents, Paul and Ruth, also water skied when they were younger. In 2014, Ruth competed in the Singapore National Waterski and Wakeboard Championships, where she finished third in her category. His younger brother Kevin, 15, also took up the sport three years ago.

Leong’s career had initially begun in a different discipline — wakeboarding — after he joined the HSBC Junior Riders Programme in primary school.

He made the switch to water skiing as he wanted to try something new. Hooked on the speed and adrenaline rush from zipping around the multi-buoy course, Leong decided subsequently that he wanted to pursue a competitive career in water skiing.

While water skiing is not on the Olympic Games roster, Leong has set his sights beyond the regional Games. A stint at the World Championships in Mexico after the 2015 SEA Games had inspired the teenager to dream bigger, as he added: “I saw the standard of the top world champions.

“I didn’t place anywhere near the podium, but I’ve set a target of doing that within five to eight years.

“I want to be at world standard, and I want to be able to medal at the world championships.”

Coach Kohei Yamaguchi is confident that Leong will be able to mix it with the big boys, telling TODAY: “He is really strong, and really good, and his height (1.87m) is an advantage. He is built for slalom, he’s got a good understanding of the sport and he’s enjoying training ... I think, yes, for sure, he can get there.”

 

OTHER ATHLETES TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Sasha Christian (Singapore): A three-time gold medallist at the 2011 and 2015 SEA Games, the 24-year-old will be the one to beat in Kuala Lumpur. Back in action after a six-month injury lay-off last year, she will be gunning for honours in four events (wakeboard team mixed, slalom, overall, wakeboard).

Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah (Malaysia): The younger sister of former F1 driver Alex Yoong, the 14-year-old has already won three gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 SEA Games. She also won five gold medals at the Asian Championships in Korea, before clinching a bronze at the Junior Moomba in Australia in March.

Febrianto Kadir (Indonesia): Winner of two gold medals in the tricks and overall categories at the 2015 SEA Games, Febrianto will be part of the country’s 12-strong men’s and women’s team. The Indonesians have traditionally done well at the Games, topping the medal tally in 2015 with four gold, seven silver and two bronze medals.

 

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.